| 1 | 1 | | 88R2691 JRR-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Raymond, Harless H.B. No. 573 |
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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 waiving certain driver's license fees for applicants |
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| 8 | 8 | | who are first responders. |
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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. Subchapter I, Chapter 521, Transportation Code, |
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| 11 | 11 | | is amended by adding Section 521.1813 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 521.1813. WAIVER OF CERTAIN FEES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) In this section, "first responder" means: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) a peace officer whose duties include responding |
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| 15 | 15 | | rapidly to an emergency; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) fire protection personnel, as defined by Section |
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| 17 | 17 | | 419.021, Government Code; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (3) a volunteer firefighter who performs firefighting |
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| 19 | 19 | | duties on behalf of a political subdivision and who is not serving |
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| 20 | 20 | | as a member of the legislature or holding a statewide elected |
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| 21 | 21 | | office; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (4) an ambulance driver; or |
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| 23 | 23 | | (5) an individual certified as emergency medical |
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| 24 | 24 | | services personnel by the Department of State Health Services. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) A person is exempt from the payment of any fee for the |
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| 26 | 26 | | issuance of an original or renewal driver's license, as provided |
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| 27 | 27 | | under this chapter, if at the time of the application for an |
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| 28 | 28 | | original or renewal driver's license the person submits to the |
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| 29 | 29 | | department satisfactory evidence that the person is a first |
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| 30 | 30 | | responder. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (c) The department shall establish a record of the amount of |
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| 32 | 32 | | the fees waived under this section that would otherwise be |
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| 33 | 33 | | deposited to the credit of the Texas mobility fund. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (d) On or before the fifth workday of each month, the |
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| 35 | 35 | | department, using available funds, shall remit to the comptroller |
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| 36 | 36 | | for deposit to the credit of the Texas mobility fund general revenue |
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| 37 | 37 | | in an amount equal to the amount of the fees described by Subsection |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) in the preceding month. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 40 | 40 | | to an application for an original or renewal driver's license |
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| 41 | 41 | | submitted on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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| 42 | 42 | | application submitted before the effective date of this Act is |
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| 43 | 43 | | governed by the law in effect when the application was submitted, |
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| 44 | 44 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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