Relating to the registration of vehicles, the issuance of disabled parking placards, and certain benefits associated with that registration or issuance for certain peace officers with disabilities; authorizing a fee.

Contracts

• Parking Management Vendors: Municipalities and private operators managing government lots must amend agreements with enforcement vendors (e.g., SP+, LAZ) to explicitly prohibit ticketing or towing vehicles displaying DPO plates for unpaid meters.
• Toll Technology Providers: Contracts with back-office toll processors and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) vendors must be updated to include the DPO plate class in the "Exempt" or "Discounted" billing logic.
• Towing Operators: Review indemnity clauses. Property owners face heightened liability for wrongful removal of these vehicles; contracts should require tow drivers to visually verify plate types against the new DPO standard before hooking a vehicle.

Hiring/Training

• Law Enforcement HR: Personnel departments must train staff to validate historical "line of duty" injury records before the Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) signs certification forms.
• Parking Enforcement: Frontline staff must be trained to recognize the DPO plate design. Crucially, they must be instructed that these vehicles are exempt from government meter fees and authorized for disabled parking spots even if the plate lacks the International Symbol of Access, provided the registration is valid.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Law Enforcement Agencies: Must retain copies of all CLEO certifications issued to former officers. These records serve as the primary validation document if the officer's eligibility is later challenged.
• TxDMV: Will require two specific documents for issuance: a physician’s statement of substantial impairment and the CLEO’s statement of line-of-duty injury.

Fees & Costs

• Registration Revenue: The standard registration fee is waived; the officer pays only a $3.00 specialty plate fee.
• Toll Revenue: Toll authorities must budget for revenue loss on these accounts. The law mandates inclusion in a discount program but allows the entity to determine if the passage is free or merely discounted.
• Parking Revenue: Municipalities will lose meter revenue from these vehicles; this cannot be recouped through ticketing.