| 4 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 7 | | relating to the extended registration of certain county fleet |
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| 6 | 8 | | vehicles. |
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| 7 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, |
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| 9 | 11 | | is amended by adding Section 502.0025 to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 12 | | Sec. 502.0025. EXTENDED REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN COUNTY |
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| 11 | 13 | | FLEET VEHICLES. (a) In this section, "exempt county fleet" means a |
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| 12 | 14 | | group of two or more nonapportioned motor vehicles, semitrailers, |
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| 13 | 15 | | or trailers described by Section 502.453(a) that is owned by and |
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| 14 | 16 | | used exclusively in the service of a county with a population of 3.3 |
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| 15 | 17 | | million or more. |
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| 16 | 18 | | (b) Notwithstanding the annual registration requirements of |
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| 17 | 19 | | Sections 502.044(c) and 502.453(a), the department shall develop |
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| 18 | 20 | | and implement a system of registration to allow an owner of an |
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| 19 | 21 | | exempt county fleet to register vehicles in the fleet for an |
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| 20 | 22 | | extended registration period of not less than one year or more than |
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| 21 | 23 | | eight years. |
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| 22 | 24 | | (c) A system of extended registration under this section |
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| 23 | 25 | | must allow the owner of an exempt county fleet to: |
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| 24 | 26 | | (1) select the number of years for registration under |
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| 25 | 27 | | this section; |
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| 26 | 28 | | (2) register the entire fleet in the county of the |
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| 27 | 29 | | owner's principal place of business; |
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| 28 | 30 | | (3) register the motor vehicles in the fleet that are |
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| 29 | 31 | | operated most regularly in the same county; or |
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| 30 | 32 | | (4) register the entire fleet directly with the |
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| 31 | 33 | | department. |
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| 32 | 34 | | (d) A motor vehicle, semitrailer, or trailer registered |
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| 33 | 35 | | under this section is subject to the inspection requirements of |
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| 34 | 36 | | Chapter 548 as if the vehicle, semitrailer, or trailer were |
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| 35 | 37 | | registered without an extended registration period. |
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| 36 | 38 | | (e) The department shall adopt rules to implement this |
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| 37 | 39 | | section, including rules: |
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| 38 | 40 | | (1) regarding the suspension of an exempt county |
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| 39 | 41 | | fleet's registration under this section if the owner of the exempt |
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| 40 | 42 | | county fleet fails to comply with this section or rules adopted |
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| 41 | 43 | | under this section; and |
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| 42 | 44 | | (2) establishing a method to enforce the inspection |
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| 43 | 45 | | requirements of Chapter 548 for motor vehicles, semitrailers, and |
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| 44 | 46 | | trailers registered under this section. |
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| 45 | 47 | | SECTION 2. Section 502.453, Transportation Code, is amended |
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| 46 | 48 | | to read as follows: |
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| 47 | 49 | | Sec. 502.453. GOVERNMENT-OWNED VEHICLES; PUBLIC SCHOOL |
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| 48 | 50 | | BUSES; FIRE-FIGHTING VEHICLES; COUNTY MARINE LAW ENFORCEMENT |
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| 49 | 51 | | VEHICLES; U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY VEHICLES. (a) The owner of a |
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| 50 | 52 | | motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer may [annually] apply for |
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| 51 | 53 | | registration under Section 502.0025 or 502.451 and is exempt from |
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| 52 | 54 | | the payment of a registration fee under this chapter if the vehicle |
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| 53 | 55 | | is: |
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| 54 | 56 | | (1) owned by and used exclusively in the service of: |
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| 55 | 57 | | (A) the United States; |
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| 56 | 58 | | (B) this state; |
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| 57 | 59 | | (C) a county, municipality, or school district in |
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| 58 | 60 | | this state; or |
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| 59 | 61 | | (D) an open-enrollment charter school; |
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| 60 | 62 | | (2) owned by a commercial transportation company and |
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| 61 | 63 | | used exclusively to provide public school transportation services |
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| 62 | 64 | | to a school district under Section 34.008, Education Code; |
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| 63 | 65 | | (3) designed and used exclusively for fire fighting; |
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| 64 | 66 | | (4) owned by a volunteer fire department and used |
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| 65 | 67 | | exclusively in the conduct of department business; |
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| 66 | 68 | | (5) privately owned and used by a volunteer |
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| 67 | 69 | | exclusively in county marine law enforcement activities, including |
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| 68 | 70 | | rescue operations, under the direction of the sheriff's department; |
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| 69 | 71 | | (6) used by law enforcement under an alias for covert |
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| 70 | 72 | | criminal investigations; or |
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| 71 | 73 | | (7) owned by units of the United States Coast Guard |
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| 72 | 74 | | Auxiliary headquartered in Texas and used exclusively for conduct |
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| 73 | 75 | | of United States Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary business and |
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| 74 | 76 | | operations, including search and rescue, emergency communications, |
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| 75 | 77 | | and disaster operations. |
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| 76 | 78 | | (b) An application for registration under this section or |
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| 77 | 79 | | Section 502.0025 must be made by a person having the authority to |
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| 78 | 80 | | certify that the vehicle meets the exemption requirements |
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| 79 | 81 | | prescribed by Subsection (a). An application for registration |
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| 80 | 82 | | under this section of a fire-fighting vehicle described by |
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| 81 | 83 | | Subsection (a)(3) must include a reasonable description of the |
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| 82 | 84 | | vehicle and of any fire-fighting equipment mounted on the vehicle. |
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| 83 | 85 | | An application for registration under this section of a vehicle |
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| 84 | 86 | | described by Subsection (a)(5) must include a statement signed by a |
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| 85 | 87 | | person having the authority to act for a sheriff's department that |
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| 86 | 88 | | the vehicle is used exclusively in marine law enforcement |
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| 87 | 89 | | activities under the direction of the sheriff's department. An |
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| 88 | 90 | | application for registration under this section of a vehicle |
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| 89 | 91 | | described by Subsection (a)(7) must include a statement signed by a |
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| 90 | 92 | | person having authority to act for the United States Coast Guard |
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| 91 | 93 | | Auxiliary that the vehicle or trailer is used exclusively in |
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| 92 | 94 | | fulfillment of an authorized mission of the United States Coast |
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| 93 | 95 | | Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary, including search and rescue, |
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| 94 | 96 | | patrol, emergency communications, or disaster operations. |
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| 95 | 97 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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