86R9610 BEE-F
By: Klick H.B. No. 4005
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to certification by a physical therapist of a person's
eligibility for license plates or parking placards issued to
persons with disabilities.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 504.201(d), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(d) Except as provided by Subsection (d-1), 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 or physical therapist licensed to
practice physical therapy in this state or in a state adjacent to
this state or who is authorized by applicable law to practice
medicine or physical therapy, as applicable, 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 executes a statement attesting to
the person's disability before the county assessor-collector.
SECTION 2. Section 681.003(c), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(c) Subject to Subsections (e) and (f), the first
application must be accompanied by a notarized written statement or
written prescription of a physician licensed to practice medicine
or physical therapist licensed to practice physical therapy in this
state or a state adjacent to this state, or authorized by applicable
law to practice medicine or physical therapy, as applicable, in a
hospital or other health facility of the United States Department
of Veterans Affairs, 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.
SECTION 3. Section 681.004(d), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(d) A disabled parking placard issued to a person with a
temporary disability expires after the period set by the department
and may be renewed at the end of that period if the disability
remains as evidenced by a physician's or physical therapist's
statement or prescription submitted as required for a first
application under Section 681.003(c).
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2019.