| 1 | 1 | | By: Pickett H.B. No. 3777 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to fees collected for processing and handling vehicle |
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| 7 | 7 | | registration applications. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Sec. 502.1911. REGISTRATION PROCESSING AND |
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| 10 | 10 | | HANDLING FEE. (a) The department may collect a fee, in addition to |
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| 11 | 11 | | other registration fees for the issuance of a license plate, a set |
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| 12 | 12 | | of license plates, or another device used as the registration |
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| 13 | 13 | | insignia, to cover the expenses of collecting those registration |
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| 14 | 14 | | fees, including a service charge for registration by mail. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) The board by rule shall set the fee in an amount that: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) includes the fee established under Section |
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| 17 | 17 | | 502.356(a); and |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) is sufficient to cover the expenses associated |
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| 19 | 19 | | with collecting registration fees by: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (A) the department; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (B) a county tax assessor-collector; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (C) a private entity with which a county tax |
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| 23 | 23 | | assessor-collector contracts under Section 502.197; or |
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| 24 | 24 | | (D) a deputy assessor-collector that is |
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| 25 | 25 | | deputized in accordance with board rule under Section 520.0071. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) The county tax assessor-collector, a private entity |
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| 27 | 27 | | with which a county tax assessor-collector contracts under Section |
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| 28 | 28 | | 502.197, or a deputy assessor-collector may retain a portion of the |
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| 29 | 29 | | fee collected under Subsection (b) as provided by board rule. |
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| 30 | 30 | | Remaining amounts collected under this section shall be deposited |
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| 31 | 31 | | to the credit of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles fund. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 2. Section 502.197(b), Transportation Code, is |
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| 33 | 33 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (b) With the approval of the commissioners court of a |
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| 35 | 35 | | county, a county assessor-collector may contract with a private |
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| 36 | 36 | | entity to enable an applicant for registration to use an electronic |
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| 37 | 37 | | off-premises location. A private entity may collect a service |
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| 38 | 38 | | charge in [retain] an amount determined by the board [under Section |
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| 39 | 39 | | 502.1911] for the service provided. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 3. Section 502.198(a), Transportation Code, is |
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| 41 | 41 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (a) Except as provided by Sections 502.058, 502.060, |
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| 43 | 43 | | [502.1911,] 502.192, and 502.357, this section applies to all fees |
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| 44 | 44 | | collected by a county assessor-collector under this chapter. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 4. Sections 520.006(a) and (a-1), Transportation |
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| 46 | 46 | | Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 47 | 47 | | (a) A county assessor-collector shall collect a service |
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| 48 | 48 | | charge of $1.95 from each applicant registering a vehicle [retain |
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| 49 | 49 | | an amount determined by the board under Section 502.1911 for each |
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| 50 | 50 | | receipt issued] under Chapter 502. |
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| 51 | 51 | | (a-1) A county assessor-collector collecting fees on behalf |
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| 52 | 52 | | of a county that has been declared as a disaster area or that is |
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| 53 | 53 | | closed for a protracted period of time as defined by the department |
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| 54 | 54 | | for purposes of Section 501.023 or 502.040 may retain the service |
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| 55 | 55 | | charge authorized under Subsection (a) and any other commission for |
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| 56 | 56 | | fees collected under Chapter 501 or 502, but shall allocate any |
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| 57 | 57 | | other [the] fees that county assessor-collectors are authorized to |
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| 58 | 58 | | retain under Chapter 501 or 502 to the county declared as a disaster |
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| 59 | 59 | | area or that is closed for a protracted period of time. |
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| 60 | 60 | | SECTION 5. Sections 502.191(f) and 502.197(a), |
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| 61 | 61 | | Transportation Code, are repealed. |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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