| 1 | 1 | | 87S10851 BEE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Leach H.B. No. 255 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to waivers for entrance fees to state parks for resident |
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| 8 | 8 | | first responders, military service members, and veterans. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 13.015, Parks and Wildlife Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by amending Subsection (a-2) and adding Subsections (a-3) |
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| 12 | 12 | | and (a-4) to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a-2) The department shall waive the park entrance fee for a |
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| 14 | 14 | | resident of this state who is a first responder. In this |
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| 15 | 15 | | subsection, "first responder" means a person who is: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) a firefighter certified by the Texas Commission on |
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| 17 | 17 | | Fire Protection or by the State Firefighters' and Fire Marshals' |
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| 18 | 18 | | Association of Texas; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) an individual certified as emergency medical |
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| 20 | 20 | | services personnel by the Department of State Health Services; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) a municipal police officer; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (4) a sheriff, deputy sheriff, or reserve deputy |
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| 23 | 23 | | sheriff; or |
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| 24 | 24 | | (5) a constable, deputy constable, or reserve deputy |
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| 25 | 25 | | constable. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a-3) The department shall waive the park entrance fee for |
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| 27 | 27 | | an active duty member or veteran of the armed services of the United |
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| 28 | 28 | | States, the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National |
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| 29 | 29 | | Guard, or the Texas State Guard. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (a-4) The department may promote visits and enhance revenue |
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| 31 | 31 | | at parks, including amounts necessary for salaries, advertising, |
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| 32 | 32 | | consumable supplies and materials, promotional products, fees, and |
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| 33 | 33 | | related expenses. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 2. Sections 13.018(a), (c), and (e), Parks and |
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| 35 | 35 | | Wildlife Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (a) The following people may apply to the department for a |
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| 37 | 37 | | state parklands passport: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) a resident of this state who is 65 years old or |
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| 39 | 39 | | over who has resided in the state for six consecutive months |
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| 40 | 40 | | preceding the date of application for a parklands passport[, a |
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| 41 | 41 | | member of the United States armed forces on active duty who is 65 |
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| 42 | 42 | | years old or over,] or any other individual in a category that the |
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| 43 | 43 | | commission by rule designates as a resident of this state who is 65 |
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| 44 | 44 | | years old or over; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2) [a veteran of the armed services of the United |
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| 46 | 46 | | States who, as a result of military service, has a |
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| 47 | 47 | | service-connected disability, as defined by the Veterans' |
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| 48 | 48 | | Administration, consisting of the loss of the use of a lower |
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| 49 | 49 | | extremity or of a 60 percent disability rating and who is receiving |
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| 50 | 50 | | compensation from the United States because of the disability; and |
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| 51 | 51 | | [(3)] an individual who has a physical or mental |
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| 52 | 52 | | impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life |
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| 53 | 53 | | activities of the individual. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (c) The holder of a state parklands passport issued on or |
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| 55 | 55 | | before August 31, 1995, or a person whose birth date is before |
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| 56 | 56 | | September 1, 1930, [or a veteran described by Subsection (a)(2)] is |
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| 57 | 57 | | entitled to enter any state park without payment of an entrance or |
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| 58 | 58 | | admission fee. When a fee is charged by the department for entrance |
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| 59 | 59 | | of a vehicle into a state park, the vehicle of the holder of a state |
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| 60 | 60 | | parklands passport is exempt from the fee when the holder is |
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| 61 | 61 | | present. |
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| 62 | 62 | | (e) The commission by rule shall establish eligibility |
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| 63 | 63 | | requirements and privileges available to the holder of a state |
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| 64 | 64 | | parklands passport described by Subsection (a)(2) [(a)(3)]. |
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| 65 | 65 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the |
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| 66 | 66 | | last day of the legislative session. |
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