Author: Faron Smith

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Grassroots Movement

What we as a collective group are trying to accomplish, is an attempt at a “Grassroots Movement”. The reason that we have seen such success to this point, is that as a group we have worked together to reach a common goal & we will continue to see the same success if we follow the same path.
This was the first month in a long time that I did not have to worry if we were going to be able to raise the monthly goal to pay the Lobbyist who has been able to get us this far! For me to singularly say Thank You, is simply not enough. We have to understand that when I say Thank You, the reality is that is a Thank You to one another in our “Grassroots Effort”, for your work, for your continued donations.
By definition, a “Grassroots Movement” is when a group of people come together via a district/region, or common interest to correct the negative effects of an economic or even political movement. “Grassroots Movements” use a call to action (if you will) in an effort to invoke a change to local, regional, or even a national level.
It is understood that it feels like we have been sitting on our hands for a while, but I feel that is about to change. We just have to wait for the right time, as there is a VERY fine line between being productive & being a pest.
So again, THANK YOU for your continued support, and continued donations. February’s monthly goal has been sent off, now its time to start worrying about the Monthly goal for March! Again, Thank You!


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Life of a Bill

I have seen this before & thought I should post this… Well Here I am posting it. It is a link to the House of Representatives website explaining how a bill gets passed on the side of the House. It is a long read, but well worth the time.

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Our Bill – 86 (R) HB1755

This is the moment, that we have all been waiting for! Our bill has been introduced by Representative Ed Thompson of House District 29. The bill number is 86 (R) HB1755 , just click the link and you will be able to read it. Rep. Thompson is VERY enthusiastic about our bill, especially after reading some of the transcripts of the Board Meeting that we have attended.
We are still in talks with a couple of Senate Members, but we haven’t narrowed it down to just one member to introduce our bill to the Texas State Senate as of the close of business today!

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/86R/billtext/html/HB01755I.htm

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Slowly but surely…

I just spoke to Ron & he gave me an update. We understand that it seems that things are moving along at a snails pace, and I assure you that they are. But Ron does not seem worried, as this is all perfectly normal. SIGH!

Our bill is in the final stages of draft and we should be getting the final copy soon. Once we finally receive a copy, our team will go over it with a fine tooth comb, in order to make sure that the bill has the correct language to accomplish our collective goal.

The first day for bills to get scheduled for hearings in committees will be February 19th. However, that does not necessarily mean our bill will be heard that day. Ron & the author of our bill will be requesting that the Committee Chairman schedule for our hearing ASAP. It sure as heck feels like we are behind the 8 Ball, but we are tracking along nicely as I understand it.

For those of you who would like to attend the Committee Hearing, the Committee will post the schedule for the bills to be heard… Soon. We should get between 3 to 5 days notice so that we can make arrangements to attend. Hopefully, that will give everyone ample time to plan & travel if needed.
As of this moment, that’s about all we have on the specifics of what is happening with our bill. As per normal, I will post an update as we learn of them.

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And Now We Know!

It has been a pretty active day for us at the Texas State Capitol, as we have a little more news regarding Save the Texas Dune Buggy, Sandrail & Kitcar. We have confirmation as to who it is that is trying to rid Texas roads from Dune Buggies, Sandrails & Kitcars. The lobbyist for TADA (Texas Automobile Dealers Association) spoke with Ron (our lobbyist) at the Capitol & told him TADA is opposing our bill. Even though the bill has not been filed & they have not had the opportunity to read a word of it.

“The Texas Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) is the statewide trade association representing over 1,300 franchised automobile dealerships in nearly 300 communities throughout the state of Texas.TADA advocates on behalf of the dealers at the Texas Legislature, Congress, and all regulatory agencies.”

For those of you who do not know General Counsel for TADA has been involved with this issue from the start, yet they have been VERY Closed lipped at EVERY MEETING!

When discussions on the safety of our cars was brought up, and we asked how a Dune Buggy, Sandrail or Kitcar was less Safe then a Motorcycle. Tada had nothing to say.

When we asked why the TxDMV felt that a Assembled Vehicle was less safe than that of a Motorcycle, Hot Rod, Rat Rod, etc., and the TxDMV responded with “Those vehicles are in a different catagory”. TADA had nothing to say.
When we asked the TxDMV for data to PROVE that our Vehicles were unsafe. TADA had nothing to say.

When we showed the TxDMV that NHTSA had written a letter talking about how an Assembled Vehicle was not governed by the Federal Government, & that it was up to the individual State to regulate them. TADA had nothing to say.

When we showed Graphics of how other categories of vehicles modified their chassis in much the same way as a person did for an Original Dune Buggy, and the TxDMV only said that those vehicles were in a different category. TADA had nothing to say.

When Jeremiah Kuntz, the Director of the Vehicle Titles & Registration Division for the TxDMV directly asked TADA General Counsel what they had to say about the 3 Working Group Meetings that were set up by the TxDMV Board of Directors. TADA had nothing to say.

Of all the time and money that has been spent thus far during both Working Group Meetings as well as TxDMV Board Meetings that TADA has been DIRECTLY INVOLVED in. TADA has had nothing to say.

Fast forward to today when their lobbyist told ours, that TADA will be opposing our bill BEFORE they have even had a chance to read it. Stating that they are doing so because they heard they were unsafe automobiles. This is 100% disgusting, Friends!

Folks, we now have absolute confirmation who our enemy is! At the right time we will need EVERYONE to call their legislator and give them the facts. They need to hear from US the Builders & Owners what the facts are in regards to our vehicles, and NOT the distorted arguments that TADA will give.

The FIGHT is on. That is all we have for now!


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86th Legislative Session

Monday, January 21st, 2019, Ron our Lobbyist, gave us an update. He said that the Newly appointed Texas State Senate Transportation Committee for the 86th Legislative session was announced. That is good news as it means that they will finally get things underway, we hope.

Chair: Sen. Robert Nichols, Jacksonville
Vice Chair: Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills
Members: Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston
Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D- Edinburg
Sen. Lois W. Kolkhorst, R-Brenham
Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock
Sen. José R. Rodríguez, D-El Paso
Sen. Charles Schwertner, R- Georgetown
Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas

As of the time that I am writing this, our bill is being rewritten by attorneys, once they have put everything into the “legal language”, it will be presented to us in order to look over and make any corrections we feel might be necessary. We will post when this happens.

After the attorneys have done their due diligence Texas State Senator Ed Thompson (R) District 29 will present our bill to the Texas State House Transportation Committee.

After the House Transportation Committee, the bill will be presented to the Texas State Senate Transportation Committee.
Once both the House & Senate Transportation Committees have passed our bill. It will be presented to both the House as well as the Senate Floor for Debate.

At this point, you are probably asking yourself what you can be doing while this LONG process takes place.

Most importantly, you can follow along on the “Save the Texas Dune Buggy, Sandrail, & Kitcar Facebook page.

Be prepared to attend any meetings that we ask you to attend. (On the Save the Texas Dune Buggy, Sandrail, & Kitcar Facebook Page.) So get those dress clothes to the cleaners in order to be prepared, we HAVE GOT TO HAVE LARGER NUMBERS show up to the meetings we ask you to attend than we have in the past. Remember there is strength in numbers.

It is understood that it feels a lot like we are asking everyone to sit on our hands, seeing how we were all so individually active a few months back. But sending letters & making calls at this time very well could do more harm than good at this point. As each Legislator is getting bombarded and their time is very limited right now. What we need to do is let Ron (Our Lobbyist) do the job we are paying him for. I have been with him in Downtown Austin on more than one occasion, it seems everyone who walks around downtown Austin, knows who Ron is & knows who he represents. It’s pretty close to being with a Rock Star. LOL

Lastly, we NEED YOUR continued donations! Please keep in mind that all proceeds go to fund the fight & we can not do this without your donations. If you would like to make a donation, please donate to our PayPal Account.


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December Fund Raiser

Someone was asking if we were still selling T-Shirts, Hats & Stickers. Yes, Yes we are! We still have T-Shirts in all sizes ($35.00), Black hats with White, Red, Blue or Green Graphics ($35.00) & 6″ Stickers available($10.00). If you would like to donate in order to receive one of the items below. Please pay via PayPal


Also please make sure that you tell us the SIZE SHIRT or color graphics that you would like on the Hat, make sure you include your address. Please note that all profits go to help support OUR Cause & because it is December we are running low on funds! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

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Vote!

I spoke to Ron (Our Lobbyist) and he said that it is NOT a good idea to start a letter-writing campaign at the moment. The Elections are just around the corner, next Tuesday, November 6th to be exact. (So get out and vote!) Soon after the elections, we will get back to work writing letters that will help our cause move forward.

If you have been a member for very long, you know that the waiting game is darn near painful for me. LOL However, we do need to do some fundraising in order to keep this ball rolling. ALL FUNDS raised go directly to the cause!!! Please expect to see a few items up for sale later today! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

On a side note, if you live or vote in the Texas State 22nd Congressional District, please email me at faron@savethetexasdunebuggy.com I will explain more in a reply email!

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Save the Texas Dune Buggy Rally

Successful! That is how we all should look at the Save the Texas Dune Buggy Rally held on the South Lawn of the Texas State Capitol Building, October 25, 2018. The Rally to help build support for Save the Texas Dune Buggy, Sandrail, & Kitcar was successful indeed! We had people from all over the country that took time to show support! We are all grateful to each!

It was interesting to see so many people walk by to see what we were doing, & we know that our Rally got a lot of attention. We truly feel that the Rally reached far more people than what we know, important people. The fact that Empower Texans posted an article about our Rally is huge, as that article went out to people that will have an opportunity to vote on our Bill. Empower Texans is a Conservative Watchdog Group that is very close to Gov. Abbott & Lt. Gov. Patrick & many other very Conservative Legislators. The Rally was ANOTHER Huge step towards the Success of Save the Texas Dune Buggy, Sandrail, & Kitcar!

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Facebook page now Public!

In the past, we had worried about the TxDMV being able to read what was written in this group. We did so because, during the Working Groups, they used our words against us at times. In fact, the talks about ways to get around the rules seemed to push Kuntz to put up more roadblocks. However, in this process, we are no longer worried about the TxDMV. We have moved beyond them, and are now working with their “Boss” if you will. I say all of that to get to my point, I have opened the group so that posts are easier to share. The problem with that, EVERYONE has to THINK before they post! Please be reasonable with your posts, and if we feel your post is offensive. It will be deleted. We haven’t had much of a problem in the past, but the group was not this big. Please be kind, if you notice there is only one Admin on this page. LOL

Check it out here…    Save the Texas Dune Buggy

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Austin Rally

Good Morning! It is time that I take a moment to write another Really Long informative post as I have been getting a few questions about the upcoming Rally on October 25th, 2018.

The Host Hotel will be the Hilton Garden Inn, that is about a 15 to 20-minute drive to the Capitol Building. We reserved 20 rooms for the event, and if you mention that you are with the Save the Texas Dune Buggy Group the room will be $129.00 per night plus tax. They have a nice lobby with a bar where we can all get together and hang out. They also have a nice outside area if the weather is nice. A lot of people have committed to showing up Wednesday the 24th. Some will leave Thursday the 25th after the Rally, but we will have an event planned for all the way through Saturday Evening! (We will post the schedule once everything is fully planned.) As for parking at the hotel, I was told that the front portion would be reserved for us. However, I am not holding my breath that is 100% true, as the Sales-Manager was not happy agreeing to that. There is parking for those of you who have trailers, but as with anything NOTHNG is guaranteed. We did the best we could. There are other hotels in the General area, we will get info on them as well.

Hilton Garden Inn
7610 John Glenn Way
Austin, Texas 78741
(512)386-7474

On the 25th we will hold the Rally on the Texas State Capitol Lawn in Austin. The reason for doing the Rally will be to invite Legislators to learn more about Dune Buggies, Sandrails, & Kitcars & why they should not be banned from LEGAL Title & Registration in Texas, or any state for that matter. The Rally will start promptly at 10:00 A.M. and will end at 11:00AM. There will be a list of speakers, but the people most of us really want to see is Bruce & Winnie Meyers.

Texas State Capitol
1100 Congress Ave.
Austin, Texas 78701

It is unfortunate, but the State Preservation Board does not allow for vehicles to be parked in the area where the Rally will take place. However, we can pay to have the State put a bag over the Parking Meters. There are 24 Parking Meters on the South Side of the Capitol Building (That would be considered the front to me) & 50 along the West Side. If you would like one of these spaces, we are going to have to ask that you cover the $15.00 for the day fee the State will charge us. Please let us know ASAP so that we can reserve them. We will also ask that you be open to letting people sit in your vehicle and give Legislators rides if they ask. However, it is your vehicle do what makes you comfortable. IF you do give a Legislator a ride, it is 100% imperative that you obey ALL TRAFFIC LAWS.

There is a large Parking Garage to the East side of the Capitol Building. We are not 100% sure that it is possible to pull a trailer in there, we will be doing a lot of scouting around Austin Wednesday & will let you know Thursday morning.
If you come here from out of state and your vehicle is Titled/Registered in a state other than Texas. You are perfectly legal, and should not have a problem with the law, unless you act a fool and break our traffic laws.

If you are a Texas Resident and are Grandfathered in, you should be safe. If you are a Texas Resident and you are not 100% legal, you are subject to a little trouble. Possibly, but who knows for sure! There is no way to know what will, or could happen & we will not & cannot tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. Basically, you have 3 options. 1. Be ultra-bold and drive your Vehicle to the event knowing that you are in fact taking a risk. 2. Bring your Vehicle on a trailer and pull your vehicle off to put it in a Parking Place. Or finally 3. Leave your Buggy on the trailer showing Legislators the Strong Statement that vehicles from other states are here to support our cause & are perfectly legal & able to enjoy freedoms in their home state. While the State of Texas is reducing the freedoms of its citizens.

The Rally itself will be held the morning of October the 25th, and we will schedule fun for the rest of the day. But that is not where the fun will end. We will have fun scheduled for the Friday 26th, as well as Saturday the 27th. The schedule is not complete as of right now, we will post up the full schedule as soon as everything is finalized.

Time to bring this to a close. The Rally to be held Thursday October 25th is very important to our cause. As Texans we should be THANKFUL that people have already committed to joining us at the Rally from out of state. Listen up Texans, this has the most immediate effect on you as a Assembled Vehicle Owner, PLEASE take the time to join us at the RALLY! We cannot stress enough that it is REALLY IMPORTANT that we have a large crowd in attendance!

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State Capital Rally

We just finished up the application to the Texas State Preservation Board asking for permission to use the South Steps of the Capitol Grounds. The event will be held in late October, and we will need HIGH Attendance in order to make it worth our while. This will be a 3 day event and we will do all we can to make it worth the effort of driving in for the event. As soon as the Preservation Board gives us the okay I will post up the Schedule. I am sorry this is all the information we can give you at this time!

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Sunset Commission Meeting!

Over all, I would say that today was a great success! A great success in that we were able to see that Legislators are visibly confused as to why the TxDMV passed an Administrative Rule that keeps so many of our Dune Buggies, Sandrails, & Kitcars off the road. We now have even more Legislators on our side! It was interesting to see Legislators ask questions about Save the Texas Dune Buggy before we got to the open forum to speak. That means that Ron, our Lobbyist has been able to get them to see just how ridicules this issue is, as well as tells us that our letters are in fact making an impact that we need to push forward with.
I think that one of the most interesting things I witnessed during todays Sunset Commission Meeting, was watching the TxDMV on Defense after seeing them act so smug for so long.
Lonny Doyle who owns DF Kitcar spoke about how he lives here in Texas and is losing multiple sales because of Administrative Rule 217.3. Although they are able to sell kits anywhere in the US, they are in Texas and cannot sell to people in their home state, heck they can’t even let them take a test drive. This helps the TxDMV see that this has a larger economic impact than what can be seen on the surface. Justin spoke about how he had the DF Kitcar he built Titled/Registered for 33 months when he got his letter to revoke. When I spoke I talked about how people from all over the nation, as well as other hobbyist groups were keeping a close eye on how this all plays out, as we all fear that this is just the beginning. I also spoke to the fact that our Member Caleb was at a carshow in Colorado and overheard a guy talking about how he had just picked up a Buggy that someone sold in Texas for next to nothing. I mentioned that when I moved back to Texas from New Mexico my Buggy was Titled/Registered, and that all changed when I tried to get my Buggy Title/Registered in Texas. You could see the concern and disgust on all their faces; I look forward to hearing where things go from here with regards to the TxDMV and the Sunset Commission.
I am not sure when but the State will post up a recording of todays meeting at https://www.sunset.texas.gov/meetings
no After we spoke our Lobbyist Ron had set up a meeting between Governor Abbotts Policy Advisor, Justin, Ron, DF Kitcar Owners Lonny & Adam, and me. He mentioned that there had been an influx of new Letters that had started to roll in this week, and that he is the guy tasked with reading them all. He then looked at me and said that he can’t help but think that was by design. I smiled and said that he should expect more! SO DO YOURSELVES AS WELL AS EVERYOTHER DUNE BUGGY, SANDRAIL, & KITCAR OWNER A FAVOR AND KEEP WRITING THOSE LETTERS! They are working! He said that he felt the Rule was out of line & that he was on our side! He feels that we will get this turned around; he just had no definitive answer as to how long it will take.
Okay time for me to bring this to an end… FINALLY! I am REALLY going to start pushing for two things! 1. We all need to write more Letters, I will post to the details as we go along. I watched it FIRST HAND in todays meeting that our Letter writing DOES IN FACT HAVE A LARGE IMPACT! 2. We really need to work on the Donations, as Ron (Our Lobbyist) has done some amazing things for us. But that does come at a price; he needs to eat as well. As soon as I can pull it all together I am going to post and expenditure report so everyone can see where their donations are being spent. Last, but not least Thank you for staying involved with all of this. I know we have been working on it for a long time, but I assure you there is light at the end of the tunnel now!

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Letter from Sen. Stickland to Executive Director of the TxDMV

Texas State Rep. Stickland of District 92, sent a letter to Whitney Brewster, Executive Director of the TxDMV. Rep. Stickland mentions that he has personally reviewed all of our recommendations and is in full agreement. He asked that she make the Necessary changes so that our personal freedoms and liberties are not infringed upon. I have permission from Rep. Stickland to attach a copy of the letter that he sent to Ms. Brewster.
For those of you who live in District 92, please remember State Representative, Johnathan Stickland when it comes time to vote in your area!

Click the link to see the actual letter.

Stickland

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What we plan to do next.

This is going to be another long, informative post, but it will give a clearer picture of what we have planned for the future. First, let me tell you that we are now working on “Government Time” so it is doubtful that speed will take place anywhere during the next phase that we started. So please be patient, as more is going on than it seems. Unfortunately, we are going to feel like we are watching Grass grow for a while. In other words, I am asking for your patience please.

Our Lobbyist, Justin, and myself are scheduled to attend the May 23rd Sunset Commission Meeting to talk about the problems with Administrative Rule 217.3. In addition they have been keeping a VERY close eye on what has been happening during the “Working Group Meetings” with the TxDMV. In fact the members who we are in contact with are upset with how things were handled by the TxDMV this far. It is VERY important that the Sunset Commission is kept up to date, as the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles; Title & Registrations Division is under review with them right now. Just in case you don’t know what the Sunset Commission is… The Sunset Advisory Commission is an agency of the Texas Legislature that makes recommendations to the Legislature on whether or not to continue various state agencies.

The Texas State Governor Greg Abbotts Chief of Staff is in close contact with our Lobbyist, and Governor Abbott is kept up to date frequently. When the Chief of Staff was first summarized, he was surprised at the rogue nature the TxDMV took on passing Administrative Rule 217.3. When the Lobbyist told him how the last “Working Group Meeting” was handled, he was upset at the way the TxDMV managed & even more upset that the TxDMV never called to brief him after the meeting.

The Texas Senators that are choosing to work with us. You can contact them at, look them up at www.senate.texas.gov if you send them an email give them the information you want them to know, but please know that if you get long winded. You will lose their attention, and nothing will be gained.
Senator Joe Pickett, District 79
Senator-elect Pat Fallon, District 106
Senator Brian Birdwell, District 22
Senator Kirk Watson, District 14
Senator Dawn Buckingham, District 24
Senator Kelly Hancock, District 9
Senator Robert Nichols, District 3
Senator Larry Taylor, District 11

The Texas State Representatives that are choosing to work with us. You can look them up at www.house.state.tx.us if you do send them an email give them the information you want them to know. But please know that if you get long winded, you will lose their attention & nothing will be gained.
State Rep Ed Thompson, District 29
State Rep Chris Peddie, District 9
State Rep Johnathan Strickland, District 92
State Rep Dan Flynn District 2
State Rep Stan Lambert, District 71
State Rep DeWayne Burns, District 58
State Rep John Wray, District 10
State Rep Craig Goldman, District 97
State Rep Matt Schaefer, District 6
State Rep Poncho Nevarez, District 74

The Lobbyist and Faron are working on a Press conference that will be held on the South Side of the Capitol Building. Nothing is set in stone; we will let you know as things develop.

Faron is in the planning process of organizing a gathering of Dune Buggies, Sandrails, & Kitcars to be held somewhere in the Austin area for sometime later this year. The purpose of doing so will have a long list in the near future. This is just a tad bit of information, because we are still in the planning stages to be honest. We will let you know as things progress!

What we need from you! As many of you know the Lobbyist has done a lot for us on our journey, and plans to do even more. But he does not work for free! So please make donations, buy the cool stuff we offer up for sale from time to time. Please take the time to print up a copy of the poster that is provided on the Facebook Page, and ask to put it up anywhere and everywhere you know an Automotive Hobbyist will hang out. We are in the process of getting things in line to offer up as Auction items, so please bid on items that you feel is worth your hard earned money. Again this is just around the corner. The last thing that we ask that you do is to talk about this with everyone, we have said it before & we will say it again. There is strength in numbers! Please direct your friends to the following websites!!!

www.savethetexasdunebuggy.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SavetheTexasDuneBuggy/
https://www.gofundme.com/SavetheTexasDuneBuggy

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Media Links

Link to Hemmings November 6th, 2017
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/11/06/texas-begins-revoking-titles-for-dune-buggies-and-other-kit-cars/

Link to Motor Authority November 6th 2017
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1113661_texas-revoking-titles-for-dune-buggies-and-other-kit-cars

Link to AutoBlog November 6th, 2017
https://www.autoblog.com/2017/11/06/dune-buggies-registration-license-texas/

Link to Hemmings May 4th, 2018
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/05/04/txdunebuggy-03/?refer=news

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Texas Administrative Code, Title 43, Part 10, Chapter 217, Subchapter A, Rule 217.3

(6) Not eligible for Title. The following are not eligible for a Texas Title regardless of the vehicles previous title/or registration in this or any jurisdiction.
(A) Vehicles that are missing or stripped of their motor, frame, or body, to the point that it materially alters the manufacturer’s original design or makes the vehicle unsafe for on-road operation as determined by the department.
(B) Vehicles designed or determined by the department to be a Dune Buggy.
Additionally, Transportation Code 502.048 allows the department to refuse registration to any motor vehicle the department determines to be unsafe, improperly equipped, or otherwise unfit to be operated on a [public highway.