81R10348 SLB-F
By: Fletcher H.B. No. 3507
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to specialized license plates and parking placards for
vehicles of persons with disabilities.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 504.201, Transportation Code, is amended
by amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (i) to read as
follows:
(d) Subject to Subsection (i), the [The] initial
application for specialty license plates under this section must be
accompanied by a written statement from a physician who is licensed
to practice medicine in this state or in a state adjacent to this
state or who is authorized by applicable law to practice medicine in
a hospital or other health facility of the Department of Veterans
Affairs. If the applicant has a mobility problem caused by a
disorder of the foot, the written statement may be issued by a
person licensed to practice podiatry in this state or a state
adjacent to this state. In this subsection, "podiatry" has the
meaning assigned by Section 681.001. The statement must certify
that the person making the application or on whose behalf the
application is made is legally blind or has a mobility problem that
substantially impairs the person's ability to ambulate. The
statement must also certify whether a mobility problem is temporary
or permanent. A written statement is not required as acceptable
medical proof if:
(1) the person with a disability:
(A) has had a limb, hand, or foot amputated; or
(B) must use a wheelchair; and
(2) the applicant and the county assessor-collector
processing the application execute an affidavit attesting to the
person's disability.
(i) If the initial application for specialty license plates
under this section is made by or on behalf of a person with a
mobility problem that substantially impairs the person's ability to
ambulate, the written statement required by Subsection (d) may be
issued by a person licensed to practice chiropractic in this state
or a state adjacent to this state. In this subsection,
"chiropractic" has the meaning assigned by Section 201.002,
Occupations Code.
SECTION 2. Section 681.003, Transportation Code, is amended
by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
follows:
(c) Subject to Subsections [Subsection] (e) and (f), the
first application must be accompanied by a notarized written
statement or written prescription of a physician licensed to
practice medicine in this state or a state adjacent to this state,
or authorized by applicable law to practice medicine in a hospital
or other health facility of the Veterans Administration, certifying
and providing evidence acceptable to the department that the person
making the application or on whose behalf the application is made is
legally blind or has a mobility problem that substantially impairs
the person's ability to ambulate. The statement or prescription
must include a certification of whether the disability is temporary
or permanent and information acceptable to the department to
determine the type of disabled parking placard for which the
applicant is eligible. The department shall determine a person's
eligibility based on evidence provided by the applicant
establishing legal blindness or mobility impairment.
(f) If a first application for a disabled parking placard
under this section is made by or on behalf of a person with a
mobility problem that substantially impairs the person's ability to
ambulate, the notarized written statement or written prescription
required by Subsection (c) may be issued by a person licensed to
practice chiropractic in this state or a state adjacent to this
state. In this subsection, "chiropractic" has the meaning assigned
by Section 201.002, Occupations Code.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.