The department may issue specialty license plates for qualifying professional sports teams and must follow specific approval and money-distribution rules.
Sec. 504.614. PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM LICENSE PLATES. (a) The department may issue specialty license plates that include the name and insignia of a professional sports team located in this state. The department shall design the license plates in consultation with the professional sports team and may enter a trademark license with the professional sports team or its league to implement this section. A license plate may be issued under this section only for a professional sports team that: (1) certifies to the department that the requirements of Section 504.702 are met; and (2) plays its home games in a facility: (A) constructed or operated, in whole or in part, with public funds; or (B) owned, in whole or in part, by a public entity. (b) After deduction of the department's administrative costs, the remainder of the fee for issuance of the license plates shall be sent to the public entity that provided public funds for the construction or renovation of the facility in which the professional sports team plays its home games or that provides public funds for the operation of that facility. The funds shall be deposited to the credit of the venue project fund, if the public entity has created a venue project fund under Section 334.042 or 335.072, Local Government Code. If the public entity has not created a venue project fund, funds distributed to a public entity under this section must first be used to retire any public debt incurred by the public entity in the construction or acquisition of the facility in which the professional sports team plays its home games. After that debt is retired, funds distributed to the public entity may be spent only for maintenance or improvement of the facility. (b-1) A public entity that receives money under Subsection (b) may contract with the private vendor under Section 504.6011 to distribute the entity's portion of the money in a manner other than that described by Subsection (b). (c) In this section: (1) "Public entity" includes a municipality, county, industrial development corporation, or special district that is authorized to plan, acquire, establish, develop, construct, or renovate a facility in which a professional sports team plays its home games. (2) "Professional sports team" means a sports team that is a member or an affiliate of a member of the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, or a major league baseball team. Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1320, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Amended by: Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1296 (H.B. 2357), Sec. 204, eff. January 1, 2012. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 423 (H.B. 1778), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 423 (H.B. 1778), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2023.