81R916 DWS-F
By: Gonzalez Toureilles H.B. No. 141
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to evidence of motor vehicle financial responsibility;
providing a penalty.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 601.053, Transportation Code, is amended
by adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read as follows:
(c) A person commits an offense if the person fails or
refuses to provide to a peace officer the evidence of financial
responsibility as required by Subsection (a). An offense under
this subsection is a Class C misdemeanor.
(d) A court shall dismiss a charge of an offense under
Subsection (c) if the defendant presents to the court one of the
documents listed in Subsection (a) that was valid at the time that
the offense occurred. The court may assess the defendant an
administrative fee not to exceed $10 when the charge is dismissed.
Section 51.607, Government Code, does not apply to the
administrative fee.
SECTION 2. Subchapter I, Chapter 601, Transportation Code,
is amended by adding Section 601.2611 to read as follows:
Sec. 601.2611. RELEASE OF VEHICLE ON PROOF OF FINANCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY IN CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES. (a) This section
applies only to a municipality that has a population of more than
one million and is located in the metropolitan area served by a
rapid transit authority eligible to create an advanced
transportation district under Subchapter O, Chapter 451.
(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the owner or operator of
a storage facility shall release a vehicle impounded at the
facility because the vehicle had been operated by a person without
evidence of financial responsibility and waive the impound and
storage fees if the owner of the vehicle provides to the owner or
operator of the facility not later than 48 hours after the vehicle
was impounded evidence of financial responsibility for the vehicle
that was in effect on the date the impoundment began. The
municipality that authorized the impoundment shall pay any
impoundment or storage fee waived under this section.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.