82R9194 JXC-F
By: Fletcher H.B. No. 1683
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 Subsections (d-2) and (d-3)
to read as follows:
(d) Except as provided by Subsections [Subsection] (d-1),
(d-2), and (d-3), 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.
(d-2) 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.
(d-3) If the initial application for specialty license
plates under this section is made by or on behalf of a person with 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.
SECTION 2. Section 681.003, Transportation Code, is amended
by amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsection (h) to read as
follows:
(e) If a first application for a disabled parking placard
under this section is made by or on behalf of a person with:
(1) a mobility problem caused by a disorder of the
foot, the notarized written statement or written prescription
required by Subsection (c) may be issued by a person licensed to
practice podiatry in this state or a state adjacent to this state;
[or]
(2) a disability caused by an impairment of vision as
provided by Section 681.001(2), the notarized written statement or
written prescription required by Subsection (c) may be issued by a
person licensed to engage in the practice of optometry or the
practice of therapeutic optometry in this state or a state adjacent
to this state; or
(3) 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.
(h) In this section, "chiropractic" has the meaning
assigned by Section 201.002, Occupations Code.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.