Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2500 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R22298 JD-F
2	2	By: Carona S.B. No. 2500
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the issuance of specialty license plates.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 504.309, Transportation Code, is amended
10	10	to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 504.309. FEDERAL SERVICE [MILITARY] ACADEMY LICENSE
12	12	PLATES. The department shall issue specialty license plates for
13	13	persons who:
14	14	(1) are graduates of:
15	15	(A) the United States Military Academy;
16	16	(B) [,] the United States Naval Academy;
17	17	(C) [, or] the United States Air Force Academy;
18	18	(D) the United States Merchant Marine Academy;
19	19	(E) the United States Coast Guard Academy; or
20	20	(F) the Uniformed Services University of the
21	21	Health Sciences Academy; and
22	22	(2) are current or former commissioned officers of the
23	23	United States armed forces.
24	24	SECTION 2. Subchapter G, Chapter 504, Transportation Code,
25	25	is amended by adding Section 504.659 to read as follows:
26	26	Sec. 504.659. TEXAS BUFFALO SOLDIERS LICENSE PLATES. The
27	27	department shall issue specially designed license plates to honor
28	28	the Texas Buffalo Soldiers.
29	29	SECTION 3. Subchapter G, Chapter 504, Transportation Code,
30	30	is amended by adding Section 504.660 to read as follows:
31	31	Sec. 504.660. CHOOSE LIFE LICENSE PLATES. (a) The
32	32	department shall issue specially designed license plates that
33	33	include the words "Choose Life." The department shall design the
34	34	license plates in consultation with the attorney general.
35	35	(b) After deduction of the department's administrative
36	36	costs, the department shall deposit the remainder of the fee for
37	37	issuance of license plates under this section in the state treasury
38	38	to the credit of the Choose Life account established by Section
39	39	402.035, Government Code.
40	40	SECTION 4. Subchapter B, Chapter 402, Government Code, is
41	41	amended by adding Sections 402.035 and 402.036 to read as follows:
42	42	Sec. 402.035. CHOOSE LIFE ACCOUNT. (a) The Choose Life
43	43	account is a separate account in the general revenue fund. The
44	44	account is composed of:
45	45	(1) money deposited to the credit of the account under
46	46	Section 504.660, Transportation Code; and
47	47	(2) gifts, grants, donations, and legislative
48	48	appropriations.
49	49	(b) The attorney general administers the Choose Life
50	50	account. The attorney general may spend money credited to the
51	51	account only to:
52	52	(1) make grants to an eligible organization; and
53	53	(2) defray the cost of administering the account.
54	54	(c) The attorney general may not discriminate against an
55	55	eligible organization because it is a religious or nonreligious
56	56	organization.
57	57	(d) The attorney general may accept gifts, donations, and
58	58	grants from any source for the benefit of the account.
59	59	(e) The attorney general by rule shall establish:
60	60	(1) guidelines for the expenditure of money credited
61	61	to the Choose Life account; and
62	62	(2) reporting and other mechanisms necessary to ensure
63	63	that the money is spent in accordance with this section.
64	64	(f) Money received by an eligible organization under this
65	65	section may be spent only to provide for the material needs of
66	66	pregnant women who are considering placing their children for
67	67	adoption, including the provision of clothing, housing, prenatal
68	68	care, food, utilities, and transportation, to provide for the needs
69	69	of infants who are awaiting placement with adoptive parents, to
70	70	provide training and advertising relating to adoption, and to
71	71	provide pregnancy testing or pre-adoption or postadoption
72	72	counseling, but may not be used to pay an administrative, legal, or
73	73	capital expense.
74	74	(g) In this section, "eligible organization" means an
75	75	organization in this state that:
76	76	(1) qualifies as a charitable organization under
77	77	Section 501(c)(3), Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
78	78	(2) provides counseling and material assistance to
79	79	pregnant women who are considering placing their children for
80	80	adoption;
81	81	(3) does not charge for services provided;
82	82	(4) does not provide abortions or abortion-related
83	83	services or make referrals to abortion providers;
84	84	(5) is not affiliated with an organization that
85	85	provides abortions or abortion-related services or makes referrals
86	86	to abortion providers; and
87	87	(6) does not contract with an organization that
88	88	provides abortions or abortion-related services or makes referrals
89	89	to abortion providers.
90	90	Sec. 402.036. CHOOSE LIFE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The
91	91	attorney general shall appoint a seven-member Choose Life advisory
92	92	committee.
93	93	(b) The committee shall:
94	94	(1) meet at least twice a year or as called by the
95	95	attorney general;
96	96	(2) assist the attorney general in developing rules
97	97	under Section 402.035(e); and
98	98	(3) review and make recommendations to the attorney
99	99	general on applications submitted to the attorney general for
100	100	grants funded with money credited to the Choose Life account.
101	101	(c) Members of the committee serve without compensation and
102	102	are not entitled to reimbursement for expenses. Each member serves
103	103	a term of four years, with the terms of three or four members
104	104	expiring on January 31 of each odd-numbered year.
105	105	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.