| 13 | | - | Sec. 502.0025. EXTENDED REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN FLEET |
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| 14 | | - | VEHICLES. (a) In this section, "exempt fleet" means a group of two |
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| 15 | | - | or more nonapportioned motor vehicles, semitrailers, or trailers |
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| 16 | | - | described by Section 502.453(a) and used for the respective |
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| 17 | | - | purposes described in that subsection. |
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| 18 | | - | (b) Notwithstanding the annual registration requirements of |
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| 19 | | - | Sections 502.044(c) and 502.453(a), the department shall develop |
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| 20 | | - | and implement a system of registration to allow an owner of an |
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| 21 | | - | exempt fleet to register vehicles in the fleet for an extended |
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| 22 | | - | registration period of not less than one year or more than eight |
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| 23 | | - | years. |
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| 24 | | - | (c) A system of extended registration under this section |
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| 25 | | - | must allow the owner of an exempt fleet to: |
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| 26 | | - | (1) select the number of years for registration under |
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| 27 | | - | this section; |
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| 28 | | - | (2) register the entire fleet in the county of the |
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| 29 | | - | owner's principal place of business; |
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| 30 | | - | (3) register the motor vehicles in the fleet that are |
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| 31 | | - | operated most regularly in the same county; or |
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| 32 | | - | (4) register the entire fleet directly with the |
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| 33 | | - | department. |
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| 34 | | - | (d) A motor vehicle, semitrailer, or trailer registered |
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| 35 | | - | under this section is subject to the inspection requirements of |
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| 36 | | - | Chapter 548 as if the vehicle, semitrailer, or trailer were |
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| 37 | | - | registered without an extended registration period. |
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| 38 | | - | (e) The department shall adopt rules to implement this |
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| 39 | | - | section, including rules: |
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| 40 | | - | (1) regarding the suspension of an exempt fleet's |
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| 41 | | - | registration under this section if the owner of the exempt fleet |
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| 42 | | - | fails to comply with this section or rules adopted under this |
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| 43 | | - | section; and |
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| 44 | | - | (2) establishing a method to enforce the inspection |
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| 45 | | - | requirements of Chapter 548 for motor vehicles, semitrailers, and |
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| 46 | | - | trailers registered under this section. |
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| 47 | | - | SECTION 2. Section 502.453, Transportation Code, is amended |
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| 48 | | - | to read as follows: |
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| 49 | | - | Sec. 502.453. GOVERNMENT-OWNED VEHICLES; PUBLIC SCHOOL |
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| 50 | | - | BUSES; FIRE-FIGHTING VEHICLES; COUNTY MARINE LAW ENFORCEMENT |
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| 51 | | - | VEHICLES; U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY VEHICLES. (a) The owner of a |
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| 52 | | - | motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer may [annually] apply for |
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| 53 | | - | registration under Section 502.0025 or 502.451 and is exempt from |
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| 54 | | - | the payment of a registration fee under this chapter if the vehicle |
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| 55 | | - | is: |
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| 56 | | - | (1) owned by and used exclusively in the service of: |
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| 57 | | - | (A) the United States; |
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| 58 | | - | (B) this state; |
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| 59 | | - | (C) a county, municipality, or school district in |
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| 60 | | - | this state; or |
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| 61 | | - | (D) an open-enrollment charter school; |
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| 62 | | - | (2) owned by a commercial transportation company and |
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| 63 | | - | used exclusively to provide public school transportation services |
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| 64 | | - | to a school district under Section 34.008, Education Code; |
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| 65 | | - | (3) designed and used exclusively for fire fighting; |
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| 66 | | - | (4) owned by a volunteer fire department and used |
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| 67 | | - | exclusively in the conduct of department business; |
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| 68 | | - | (5) privately owned and used by a volunteer |
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| 69 | | - | exclusively in county marine law enforcement activities, including |
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| 70 | | - | rescue operations, under the direction of the sheriff's department; |
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| 71 | | - | (6) used by law enforcement under an alias for covert |
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| 72 | | - | criminal investigations; or |
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| 73 | | - | (7) owned by units of the United States Coast Guard |
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| 74 | | - | Auxiliary headquartered in Texas and used exclusively for conduct |
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| 75 | | - | of United States Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary business and |
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| 76 | | - | operations, including search and rescue, emergency communications, |
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| 77 | | - | and disaster operations. |
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| 78 | | - | (b) An application for registration under this section or |
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| 79 | | - | Section 502.0025 must be made by a person having the authority to |
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| 80 | | - | certify that the vehicle meets the exemption requirements |
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| 81 | | - | prescribed by Subsection (a). An application for registration |
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| 82 | | - | under this section of a fire-fighting vehicle described by |
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| 83 | | - | Subsection (a)(3) must include a reasonable description of the |
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| 84 | | - | vehicle and of any fire-fighting equipment mounted on the vehicle. |
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| 85 | | - | An application for registration under this section of a vehicle |
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| 86 | | - | described by Subsection (a)(5) must include a statement signed by a |
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| 87 | | - | person having the authority to act for a sheriff's department that |
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| 88 | | - | the vehicle is used exclusively in marine law enforcement |
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| 89 | | - | activities under the direction of the sheriff's department. An |
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| 90 | | - | application for registration under this section of a vehicle |
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| 91 | | - | described by Subsection (a)(7) must include a statement signed by a |
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| 92 | | - | person having authority to act for the United States Coast Guard |
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| 93 | | - | Auxiliary that the vehicle or trailer is used exclusively in |
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| 94 | | - | fulfillment of an authorized mission of the United States Coast |
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| 95 | | - | Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary, including search and rescue, |
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| 96 | | - | patrol, emergency communications, or disaster operations. |
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| 97 | | - | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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| 11 | + | Sec. 502.0025. EXTENDED REGISTRATION AND INSPECTION OF |
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| 12 | + | CERTAIN LOCAL GOVERNMENT FLEET VEHICLES. (a) Notwithstanding the |
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| 13 | + | annual registration requirements of Sections 502.044 and 502.453 |
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| 14 | + | and the annual inspection requirement of Section 548.101, a county |
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| 15 | + | or municipality in this state that owns and operates a motor |
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| 16 | + | vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer that is exempt from the payment of |
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| 17 | + | a registration fee under Section 502.453 may choose to register |
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| 18 | + | some or all of those vehicles under this chapter, and provide for |
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| 19 | + | the inspection of those vehicles under Chapter 548, for an extended |
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| 20 | + | registration and inspection period of three years. |
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| 21 | + | (b) The county or municipality must provide for the timely |
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| 22 | + | inspection of those vehicles before registration in accordance with |
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| 23 | + | Section 502.047. |
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| 24 | + | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 25 | + | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 26 | + | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 27 | + | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 28 | + | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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