By: Guillen (Senate Sponsor - Huffman) H.B. No. 2186
(In the Senate - Received from the House April 23, 2009;
May 1, 2009, read first time and referred to Committee on
Transportation and Homeland Security; May 11, 2009, reported
favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 11, 2009, sent
to printer.)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the payment of a vehicle registration fee by a check
drawn against insufficient funds.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 502.181(a), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(a) A county assessor-collector who receives from any
person a check or draft drawn on a bank or trust company in payment
of a registration fee for a registration year that has not ended on
a motor vehicle, trailer, or motorcycle sidecar that is returned
unpaid because of insufficient funds or no funds in the bank or
trust company to the credit of the drawer of the check or draft
shall [immediately] certify the fact to the sheriff or a constable
or highway patrol officer in the county after attempts to contact
the person fail to result in the collection of payment. The
certification must be made before the 30th day after the date the
check or draft is returned unpaid and:
(1) be under the assessor-collector's official seal;
(2) include the name and address of the person who gave
the assessor-collector the check or draft;
(3) include the license plate number and make of the
vehicle; [and]
(4) be accompanied by the check or draft; and
(5) be accompanied by documentation of any attempt to
contact the person and collect payment.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to a payment of a registration fee submitted to a county
assessor-collector on or after the effective date of this Act. A
payment submitted before the effective date of this Act is governed
by the law in effect on the date the payment was submitted, and the
former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.
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