By: Pickett H.B. No. 3777       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to fees collected for processing and handling vehicle   registration applications.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Sec. 502.1911.   REGISTRATION PROCESSING AND   HANDLING FEE.   (a)   The department may collect a fee, in addition to   other registration fees for the issuance of a license plate, a set   of license plates, or another device used as the registration   insignia, to cover the expenses of collecting those registration   fees, including a service charge for registration by mail.          (b)  The board by rule shall set the fee in an amount that:                (1)     includes the fee established under Section   502.356(a); and                (2)     is sufficient to cover the expenses associated   with collecting registration fees by:                      (A)  the department;                      (B)  a county tax assessor-collector;                      (C)     a private entity with which a county tax   assessor-collector contracts under Section 502.197; or                      (D)     a deputy assessor-collector that is   deputized in accordance with board rule under Section 520.0071.          (c)     The county tax assessor-collector, a private entity   with which a county tax assessor-collector contracts under Section   502.197, or a deputy assessor-collector may retain a portion of the   fee collected under Subsection (b) as provided by board rule.     Remaining amounts collected under this section shall be deposited   to the credit of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles fund.          SECTION 2.  Section 502.197(b), Transportation Code, is   amended to read as follows:          (b)  With the approval of the commissioners court of a   county, a county assessor-collector may contract with a private   entity to enable an applicant for registration to use an electronic   off-premises location.  A private entity may collect a service   charge in [retain] an amount determined by the board [under Section   502.1911] for the service provided.          SECTION 3.  Section 502.198(a), Transportation Code, is   amended to read as follows:          (a)  Except as provided by Sections 502.058, 502.060,   [502.1911,] 502.192, and 502.357, this section applies to all fees   collected by a county assessor-collector under this chapter.          SECTION 4.  Sections 520.006(a) and (a-1), Transportation   Code, are amended to read as follows:          (a)  A county assessor-collector shall collect a service   charge of $1.95 from each applicant registering a vehicle [retain   an amount determined by the board under Section 502.1911 for each   receipt issued] under Chapter 502.          (a-1)  A county assessor-collector collecting fees on behalf   of a county that has been declared as a disaster area or that is   closed for a protracted period of time as defined by the department   for purposes of Section 501.023 or 502.040 may retain the service   charge authorized under Subsection (a) and any other commission for   fees collected under Chapter 501 or 502, but shall allocate any   other [the] fees that county assessor-collectors are authorized to   retain under Chapter 501 or 502 to the county declared as a disaster   area or that is closed for a protracted period of time.          SECTION 5.  Sections 502.191(f) and 502.197(a),   Transportation Code, are repealed.          SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.