BILL ANALYSIS S.B. 272 By: Hancock Transportation Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Special Olympics Texas is an organization that provides sports training and athletic activities for persons with intellectual disabilities. Interested parties believe that providing a mechanism by which a person could voluntarily contribute to this organization would help ensure that persons with disabilities continue to have many opportunities to stay involved in recreational activities. S.B. 272 seeks to provide such a mechanism. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS S.B. 272 amends the Transportation Code to create the Special Olympics Texas fund as a trust fund outside the state treasury to be held by the comptroller of public accounts and administered by the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) as trustee on behalf of Special Olympics Texas. The bill requires money in the fund to be disbursed at least monthly, without appropriation, to Special Olympics Texas to provide training and athletic competitions for persons with mental illness and intellectual disabilities. The bill authorizes a person to contribute any amount to the fund when the person registers or renews the registration of a motor vehicle and specifies that the fund is composed of such contributed money deposited to the credit of the fund. S.B. 272 requires the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to provide, in a conspicuous manner, an opportunity to contribute to the fund in any registration renewal system used by TxDMV. The bill authorizes the county assessor-collector, if a person makes such a contribution and does not pay the full amount of the registration fee, to credit all or a portion of the contribution to the person's registration fee and requires the county assessor-collector to send a contribution to the comptroller for deposit to the fund before the 31st day after the date the contribution is made. The bill requires TxDMV to consult with DADS in performing TxDMV's duties regarding the fund. EFFECTIVE DATE January 1, 2016. BILL ANALYSIS # BILL ANALYSIS S.B. 272 By: Hancock Transportation Committee Report (Unamended) S.B. 272 By: Hancock Transportation Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Special Olympics Texas is an organization that provides sports training and athletic activities for persons with intellectual disabilities. Interested parties believe that providing a mechanism by which a person could voluntarily contribute to this organization would help ensure that persons with disabilities continue to have many opportunities to stay involved in recreational activities. S.B. 272 seeks to provide such a mechanism. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS S.B. 272 amends the Transportation Code to create the Special Olympics Texas fund as a trust fund outside the state treasury to be held by the comptroller of public accounts and administered by the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) as trustee on behalf of Special Olympics Texas. The bill requires money in the fund to be disbursed at least monthly, without appropriation, to Special Olympics Texas to provide training and athletic competitions for persons with mental illness and intellectual disabilities. The bill authorizes a person to contribute any amount to the fund when the person registers or renews the registration of a motor vehicle and specifies that the fund is composed of such contributed money deposited to the credit of the fund. S.B. 272 requires the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to provide, in a conspicuous manner, an opportunity to contribute to the fund in any registration renewal system used by TxDMV. The bill authorizes the county assessor-collector, if a person makes such a contribution and does not pay the full amount of the registration fee, to credit all or a portion of the contribution to the person's registration fee and requires the county assessor-collector to send a contribution to the comptroller for deposit to the fund before the 31st day after the date the contribution is made. The bill requires TxDMV to consult with DADS in performing TxDMV's duties regarding the fund. EFFECTIVE DATE January 1, 2016. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Special Olympics Texas is an organization that provides sports training and athletic activities for persons with intellectual disabilities. Interested parties believe that providing a mechanism by which a person could voluntarily contribute to this organization would help ensure that persons with disabilities continue to have many opportunities to stay involved in recreational activities. S.B. 272 seeks to provide such a mechanism. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS S.B. 272 amends the Transportation Code to create the Special Olympics Texas fund as a trust fund outside the state treasury to be held by the comptroller of public accounts and administered by the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) as trustee on behalf of Special Olympics Texas. The bill requires money in the fund to be disbursed at least monthly, without appropriation, to Special Olympics Texas to provide training and athletic competitions for persons with mental illness and intellectual disabilities. The bill authorizes a person to contribute any amount to the fund when the person registers or renews the registration of a motor vehicle and specifies that the fund is composed of such contributed money deposited to the credit of the fund. S.B. 272 requires the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to provide, in a conspicuous manner, an opportunity to contribute to the fund in any registration renewal system used by TxDMV. The bill authorizes the county assessor-collector, if a person makes such a contribution and does not pay the full amount of the registration fee, to credit all or a portion of the contribution to the person's registration fee and requires the county assessor-collector to send a contribution to the comptroller for deposit to the fund before the 31st day after the date the contribution is made. The bill requires TxDMV to consult with DADS in performing TxDMV's duties regarding the fund. EFFECTIVE DATE January 1, 2016.