HB 2540

bill waives registration fees for military award plates

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the issuance of specialty license plates for recipients of certain Texas military awards.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

One set of plates, no normal registration fee.

The bill lets people who get specialty license plates under Section 504.331 and under the Texas Humanitarian Service Medal section receive one set of plates without paying the normal vehicle registration fee. It touches recipients of certain Texas military awards and the state motor vehicle department that issues the plates. It also renumbers two duplicate code sections from 2023, the Operation Freedom's Sentinel plate and the Texas Humanitarian Service Medal plate, so each has its own section number, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Feb 6, 2025 and referred to the House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs subcommittee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB2540 · 2025-02-06

SOLD BY

Rep. Cecil Bell Jr.RHouse 3

ITEM

relating to the issuance of specialty license plates for recipients of certain Texas military awards.

WHAT IT DOES

One set of plates, no normal registration fee.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

Feb 6, 2025Filed
Mar 17, 2025Read first time
Mar 17, 2025Referred to s/c on Defense & Veterans' Affairs by Speaker

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Cecil Bell Jr.

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$303K DUSTIN BURROWS CAMPAIGN$84K Texas Conservative Majority PAC$84K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Aug 30, 2024 to Apr 2, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$303,416.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$303,416.00

Cash: $77,500.00
Paid by others: $225,916.00
Total: $303,416.00

mail $151,916.00advertising $57,250.00polling $16,750.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 14, 2024 to Mar 3, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101012348, 101016762, 101032999, 101036177, 101041213, 101061435.

DUSTIN BURROWS CAMPAIGN$84,000.00

DUSTIN BURROWS CAMPAIGN

$84,000.00

Cash: $75,000.00
Paid by others: $9,000.00
Total: $84,000.00

polling $9,000.00

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 29, 2025 to Jan 27, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101032999, 101036177, 101041213.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC$83,505.68

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$83,505.68

Cash: $0.00
Paid by others: $83,505.68
Total: $83,505.68

canvassing $50,000.00Other filed descriptions $24,666.67polling $7,750.00texting $1,089.01

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Feb 9, 2026 to Mar 3, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101041213, 101061435.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$303,416.00

Cash: $77,500.00
Paid by others: $225,916.00
Total: $303,416.00

mail $151,916.00advertising $57,250.00polling $16,750.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 14, 2024 to Mar 3, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101012348, 101016762, 101032999, 101036177, 101041213, 101061435.

DUSTIN BURROWS CAMPAIGN

$84,000.00

Cash: $75,000.00
Paid by others: $9,000.00
Total: $84,000.00

polling $9,000.00

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 29, 2025 to Jan 27, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101032999, 101036177, 101041213.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$83,505.68

Cash: $0.00
Paid by others: $83,505.68
Total: $83,505.68

canvassing $50,000.00Other filed descriptions $24,666.67polling $7,750.00texting $1,089.01

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Feb 9, 2026 to Mar 3, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101041213, 101061435.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Feb 6, 2025

03/17/2025 H Referred to s/c on Defense & Veterans' Affairs by Speaker : Mar 17 2025 2:32PM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Military & Veterans

Vehicles & Traffic--Vehicle Registration

AWARDS, MEDALS, PRIZES

LICENSE PLATES

Text

The text as introduced · 328 words

89R7445 RDR-F

By: Bell of Montgomery
H.B. No. 2540

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the issuance of specialty license plates for recipients

of certain Texas military awards.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 504.3015(a), Transportation Code, is

amended to read as follows:

(a) A person applying for a set of license plates under this

subchapter shall pay the registration fee required under Chapter

502 and the applicable special plate fee required under this

section, except that one set of license plates shall be issued

without the payment of the registration fee under:

(1) Section 504.308;

(2) Section 504.310(b);

(3) Section 504.315, other than Subsections (c) and

(q) of that section; [ and ]

(4) Section 504.319 ;

(5) Section 504.331; and

(6) Section 504.337 .

SECTION 2. Section 504.331, Transportation Code, as added

by Chapter 1050 (S.B. 280), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular

Session, 2023, is redesignated as Section 504.336, Transportation

Code, to read as follows:

Sec. 504.336 [ 504.331 ]. OPERATION FREEDOM'S SENTINEL. The

department shall issue specialty license plates for persons who

served in the United States armed services and participated in

Operation Freedom's Sentinel. The license plates must include the

words "Freedom's Sentinel."

SECTION 3. Section 504.331, Transportation Code, as added

by Chapter 506 (H.B. 2503), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular

Session, 2023, is redesignated as Section 504.337, Transportation

Code, to read as follows:

Sec. 504.337 [ 504.331 ]. TEXAS HUMANITARIAN SERVICE MEDAL.

The department shall issue specialty license plates for recipients

of the Texas Humanitarian Service Medal. The license plates must

include:

(1) the words "Texas Humanitarian Service Medal"; and

(2) a depiction of the Texas Humanitarian Service

Medal emblem.

SECTION 4. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails

over another Act of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025,

relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted

codes.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.