Bill Text: TX HB1222 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to a study on authorizing a passenger car or light truck to be operated with only a rear license plate.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-05-11 - Placed on General State Calendar [HB1222 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB1222-Comm_Sub.html
| 88R23574 BEE-D | |||
| By: Metcalf | H.B. No. 1222 | ||
| Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1222: | |||
| By: Canales | C.S.H.B. No. 1222 | ||
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| relating to a study on authorizing a passenger car or light truck to | ||
| be operated with only a rear license plate. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. STUDY. (a) The Texas Department of Motor | ||
| Vehicles and the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas | ||
| shall jointly conduct a study on the feasibility, cost, and effect | ||
| on law enforcement of authorizing a passenger car or light truck to | ||
| be operated with a rear license plate and a windshield sticker | ||
| instead of a front and rear license plate. | ||
| (b) The study must evaluate a license plate and windshield | ||
| sticker system under which: | ||
| (1) the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles would: | ||
| (A) issue a set of two license plates to an | ||
| applicant for registration of a passenger car or light truck; and | ||
| (B) adopt rules to: | ||
| (i) authorize a passenger car or light | ||
| truck to display only a rear license plate if the motor vehicle is | ||
| not equipped by the manufacturer with an exterior front feature to | ||
| which a license plate may be fastened without drilling through the | ||
| exterior of the vehicle; | ||
| (ii) require a vehicle that displays only a | ||
| rear license plate under Subparagraph (i) to display a windshield | ||
| sticker; | ||
| (iii) prescribe the manner and form of an | ||
| application for a windshield sticker; | ||
| (iv) establish a reasonable fee for a | ||
| windshield sticker; | ||
| (v) determine the information and | ||
| documentation required to demonstrate eligibility for a windshield | ||
| sticker; and | ||
| (vi) prescribe the form of the windshield | ||
| sticker and the manner in which the sticker must be displayed; | ||
| (2) a person commits an offense that is a Class C | ||
| misdemeanor if the person operates a passenger car or light truck | ||
| that displays a windshield sticker and only a rear license plate | ||
| and: | ||
| (A) the unmounted license plate issued for the | ||
| vehicle is not in the vehicle; or | ||
| (B) the person fails to produce for inspection, | ||
| on the request of a peace officer, the unmounted license plate | ||
| issued for the vehicle; | ||
| (3) a peace officer may not stop a passenger car or | ||
| light truck that displays a windshield sticker and only a rear | ||
| license plate solely to enforce the requirements that the unmounted | ||
| license plate issued for the vehicle be in the vehicle and produced | ||
| at the request of the officer; and | ||
| (4) a person commits an offense if the person operates | ||
| on a public highway, during a registration period, a vehicle that | ||
| does not display all license plates and any windshield sticker | ||
| required to be displayed on the vehicle. | ||
| SECTION 2. REPORT. Not later than October 1, 2024, the | ||
| Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Public | ||
| Safety of the State of Texas shall jointly submit to the legislature | ||
| a report of the results of the study conducted under this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. EXPIRATION DATE. This Act expires September 1, | ||
| 2025. | ||
| SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September | ||
| 1, 2023. | ||
