SECTION 31.2. State-owned Motor Vehicles

(a) Exemption from inscription requirements for state-owned vehicles.

(1) This subsection implements §721.003, Transportation Code, relating to exemption from inscription requirement for certain state-owned vehicles, which requires the commission to adopt a rule to be exempt from the inscription requirements of Chapter 721.

(2) The primary use of the state-owned vehicles for which an exemption is sought is the transportation of commission employees engaged in the prevention, detection, investigation and enforcement of criminal and regulatory violations of the Alcoholic Beverage Code.

(3) Not printing inscriptions on commission vehicles will: increase effectiveness of enforcement and compliance operations and activities; increase the safety of commission employees engaged in enforcement and compliance operations and activities; and, decrease the risk of damage to state-owned vehicles and property.

(b) Assignment of Vehicles.

(1) This subsection implements §2171.1045, Government Code, relating to the restrictions on assignment of state vehicles.

(2) Vehicles are assigned to commission executive staff whose essential agency duties and functions require them to have vehicles available on a regular or frequent basis to provide state-wide oversight, management and supervision of agency staff.

(3) Pool vehicles are maintained at headquarters to reduce the cost to the state for travel required by qualified agency staff whose essential duties and functions require regular or periodic travel by vehicle.

(4) Vehicles are assigned to field operation employees whose essential agency duties and functions require daily and extensive use of vehicles and the cost to the state of providing a state-owned vehicle is less than the cost of reimbursing employees for the use of personal vehicles.

Source Note: The provisions of this §31.2 adopted to be effective August 30, 2009, 34 TexReg 5911