88R938 BEE-D
By: Wu H.B. No. 497
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the display of a license plate only on the rear of a
motor vehicle; authorizing a fee.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 504.010, Transportation Code, is amended
by adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:
(d) Rules adopted under Subsection (c) must:
(1) authorize a motor vehicle to display only a rear
license plate if the applicant for the vehicle's registration pays
to the department an annual fee of $50; and
(2) require a motor vehicle that displays only a rear
license plate as authorized by Subdivision (1) to display on the
vehicle's windshield a distinctive insignia issued by the
department for validation of that authorization.
(e) The department shall deposit a fee collected under
Subsection (d) to the credit of the state highway fund.
SECTION 2. Sections 504.943(a) and (d), Transportation
Code, are amended to read as follows:
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a person commits
an offense if the person operates on a public highway, during a
registration period, a motor vehicle that does not:
(1) display two license plates that:
(A) [(1)] have been assigned by the department
for the period; and
(B) [(2)] comply with department rules regarding
the placement of license plates; or
(2) display:
(A) a rear license plate that:
(i) has been assigned by the department for
the period; and
(ii) complies with department rules
regarding the placement of a rear license plate; and
(B) a windshield insignia described by Section
504.010(d) that complies with department rules.
(d) A court may dismiss a charge brought under Subsection
(a)(1)(A), (a)(2)(A)(i), or (a)(2)(B) [(a)(1)] if the defendant:
(1) remedies the defect before the defendant's first
court appearance; and
(2) pays a reimbursement fee not to exceed $10.
SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,
and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For
purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the
effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred
before that date.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.