By: Alvarado S.B. No. 1064
(Schofield)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the extended registration of certain county fleet
vehicles.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,
is amended by adding Section 502.0025 to read as follows:
Sec. 502.0025. EXTENDED REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN COUNTY
FLEET VEHICLES. (a) In this section, "exempt county fleet" means a
group of two or more nonapportioned motor vehicles, semitrailers,
or trailers described by Section 502.453(a) that is owned by and
used exclusively in the service of a county with a population of 3.3
million or more.
(b) Notwithstanding the annual registration requirements of
Sections 502.044(c) and 502.453(a), the department shall develop
and implement a system of registration to allow an owner of an
exempt county fleet to register vehicles in the fleet for an
extended registration period of not less than one year or more than
eight years.
(c) A system of extended registration under this section
must allow the owner of an exempt county fleet to:
(1) select the number of years for registration under
this section;
(2) register the entire fleet in the county of the
owner's principal place of business;
(3) register the motor vehicles in the fleet that are
operated most regularly in the same county; or
(4) register the entire fleet directly with the
department.
(d) A motor vehicle, semitrailer, or trailer registered
under this section is subject to the inspection requirements of
Chapter 548 as if the vehicle, semitrailer, or trailer were
registered without an extended registration period.
(e) The department shall adopt rules to implement this
section, including rules:
(1) regarding the suspension of an exempt county
fleet's registration under this section if the owner of the exempt
county fleet fails to comply with this section or rules adopted
under this section; and
(2) establishing a method to enforce the inspection
requirements of Chapter 548 for motor vehicles, semitrailers, and
trailers registered under this section.
SECTION 2. Section 502.453, Transportation Code, is amended
to read as follows:
Sec. 502.453. GOVERNMENT-OWNED VEHICLES; PUBLIC SCHOOL
BUSES; FIRE-FIGHTING VEHICLES; COUNTY MARINE LAW ENFORCEMENT
VEHICLES; U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY VEHICLES. (a) The owner of a
motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer may [annually] apply for
registration under Section 502.0025 or 502.451 and is exempt from
the payment of a registration fee under this chapter if the vehicle
is:
(1) owned by and used exclusively in the service of:
(A) the United States;
(B) this state;
(C) a county, municipality, or school district in
this state; or
(D) an open-enrollment charter school;
(2) owned by a commercial transportation company and
used exclusively to provide public school transportation services
to a school district under Section 34.008, Education Code;
(3) designed and used exclusively for fire fighting;
(4) owned by a volunteer fire department and used
exclusively in the conduct of department business;
(5) privately owned and used by a volunteer
exclusively in county marine law enforcement activities, including
rescue operations, under the direction of the sheriff's department;
(6) used by law enforcement under an alias for covert
criminal investigations; or
(7) owned by units of the United States Coast Guard
Auxiliary headquartered in Texas and used exclusively for conduct
of United States Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary business and
operations, including search and rescue, emergency communications,
and disaster operations.
(b) An application for registration under this section or
Section 502.0025 must be made by a person having the authority to
certify that the vehicle meets the exemption requirements
prescribed by Subsection (a). An application for registration
under this section of a fire-fighting vehicle described by
Subsection (a)(3) must include a reasonable description of the
vehicle and of any fire-fighting equipment mounted on the vehicle.
An application for registration under this section of a vehicle
described by Subsection (a)(5) must include a statement signed by a
person having the authority to act for a sheriff's department that
the vehicle is used exclusively in marine law enforcement
activities under the direction of the sheriff's department. An
application for registration under this section of a vehicle
described by Subsection (a)(7) must include a statement signed by a
person having authority to act for the United States Coast Guard
Auxiliary that the vehicle or trailer is used exclusively in
fulfillment of an authorized mission of the United States Coast
Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary, including search and rescue,
patrol, emergency communications, or disaster operations.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.