Texas 2009 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB4061 House Committee Report / Bill

Filed 02/01/2025

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                    81R17280 PEP-D
 By: Smith of Tarrant, Callegari, Vo, Merritt H.B. No. 4061
 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 4061:
 By: Frost C.S.H.B. No. 4061


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the consequences of an arrest for or conviction of
 certain intoxication offenses.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1. Sections 13(i) and (n), Article 42.12, Code of
 Criminal Procedure, are amended to read as follows:
 (i) If a person convicted of an offense under Sections
 49.04-49.08, Penal Code, is placed on community supervision, the
 court shall [may] require as a condition of community supervision
 that the defendant have a device installed, on the motor vehicle
 owned by the defendant or on the vehicle most regularly driven by
 the defendant, that uses a deep-lung breath analysis mechanism to
 make impractical the operation of the motor vehicle if ethyl
 alcohol is detected in the breath of the operator and that the
 defendant not operate any motor vehicle that is not equipped with
 that device. [If it is shown on the trial of the offense that an
 analysis of a specimen of the person's blood, breath, or urine
 showed an alcohol concentration level of 0.15 or more at the time
 the analysis was performed, or if the person is convicted of an
 offense under Sections 49.04-49.06, Penal Code, and punished under
 Section 49.09(a) or (b), Penal Code, or of a second or subsequent
 offense under Section 49.07 or 49.08, Penal Code, and the person
 after conviction of either offense is placed on community
 supervision, the court shall require as a condition of community
 supervision that the defendant have the device installed on the
 appropriate vehicle and that the defendant not operate any motor
 vehicle unless the vehicle is equipped with that device. Before
 placing on community supervision a person convicted of an offense
 under Sections 49.04-49.08, Penal Code, the court shall determine
 from criminal history record information maintained by the
 Department of Public Safety whether the person has one or more
 previous convictions under Sections 49.04-49.08, Penal Code, or has
 one previous conviction under Sections 49.04-49.07, Penal Code, or
 one previous conviction under Section 49.08, Penal Code. If it is
 shown on the trial of the offense that an analysis of a specimen of
 the person's blood, breath, or urine showed an alcohol
 concentration level of 0.15 or more at the time the analysis was
 performed, or if the court determines that the person has one or
 more such previous convictions, the court shall require as a
 condition of community supervision that the defendant have that
 device installed on the motor vehicle owned by the defendant or on
 the vehicle most regularly driven by the defendant and that the
 defendant not operate any motor vehicle unless the vehicle is
 equipped with the device described in this subsection.] The court
 shall require the defendant to obtain the device at the defendant's
 own cost before the 30th day after the date of conviction unless the
 court finds that to do so would not be in the best interest of
 justice and enters its findings on record. The court shall require
 the defendant to provide evidence to the court within the 30-day
 period that the device has been installed on the appropriate
 vehicle and order the device to remain installed on that vehicle for
 a period not less than 50 percent of the supervision period. If the
 court determines the offender is unable to pay for the device, the
 court may impose a reasonable payment schedule not to exceed twice
 the period of the court's order. The Department of Public Safety
 shall approve devices for use under this subsection. Section
 521.247, Transportation Code, applies to the approval of a device
 under this subsection and the consequences of that approval.
 Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, if a person is
 required to operate a motor vehicle in the course and scope of the
 person's employment and if the vehicle is owned by the employer, the
 person may operate that vehicle without installation of an approved
 ignition interlock device if the employer has been notified of that
 driving privilege restriction and if proof of that notification is
 with the vehicle. This employment exemption does not apply,
 however, if the business entity that owns the vehicle is owned or
 controlled by the person whose driving privilege has been
 restricted. [A previous conviction may not be used for purposes of
 restricting a person to the operation of a motor vehicle equipped
 with an interlock ignition device under this subsection if:
 [(1)     the previous conviction was a final conviction
 under Section 49.04, 49.045, 49.05, 49.06, 49.07, or 49.08, Penal
 Code, and was for an offense committed more than 10 years before the
 instant offense for which the person was convicted and placed on
 community supervision; and
 [(2)     the person has not been convicted of an offense
 under Section 49.04, 49.045, 49.05, 49.06, 49.07, or 49.08 of that
 code, committed within 10 years before the date on which the instant
 offense for which the person was convicted and placed on community
 supervision.]
 (n) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or
 other law, the judge who places on community supervision a
 defendant who is younger than 21 years of age and convicted for an
 offense under Sections 49.04-49.08, Penal Code, shall[:
 [(1)] order that the defendant's driver's license be
 suspended for 90 days beginning on the date that the person is
 placed on community supervision [; and
 [(2)     require as a condition of community supervision
 that the defendant not operate a motor vehicle unless the vehicle is
 equipped with the device described by Subsection (i) of this
 section].
 SECTION 2. Section 521.246, Transportation Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 Sec. 521.246. IGNITION INTERLOCK DEVICE REQUIREMENT. (a)
 If the person's license has been suspended after a conviction under
 Sections 49.04-49.08 [Section 49.04, 49.07, or 49.08], Penal Code,
 as [the judge, before signing an order, shall determine from the
 criminal history record information maintained by the department
 whether the person has any previous conviction under those laws.
 [(b)     As part of the order the judge may restrict the person
 to the operation of a motor vehicle equipped with an ignition
 interlock device if the judge determines that the person's license
 has been suspended following a conviction under Section 49.04,
 49.07, or 49.08, Penal Code. As] part of the order, the judge shall
 restrict the person to the operation of a motor vehicle equipped
 with an ignition interlock device [if the judge determines that:
 [(1)     the person has two or more convictions under any
 combination of Section 49.04, 49.07, or 49.08, Penal Code; or
 [(2)     the person's license has been suspended after a
 conviction under Section 49.04, Penal Code, for which the person
 has been punished under Section 49.09, Penal Code].
 (b) [(c)] The person shall obtain the ignition interlock
 device at the person's own expense unless the court finds that to do
 so is not in the best interest of justice and enters that finding in
 the record. If the court determines that the person is unable to
 pay for the device, the court may impose a reasonable payment
 schedule for a term not to exceed twice the period of the court's
 order.
 (c) [(d)] The court shall order the ignition interlock
 device to remain installed for at least half of the period of
 supervision.
 (d) [(e)] A person to whom this section applies may operate
 a motor vehicle without the installation of an approved ignition
 interlock device if:
 (1) the person is required to operate a motor vehicle
 in the course and scope of the person's employment;
 (2) the vehicle is owned by the person's employer;
 (3) the employer is not owned or controlled by the
 person whose driving privilege is restricted;
 (4) the employer is notified of the driving privilege
 restriction; and
 (5) proof of that notification is with the vehicle.
 [(f)     A previous conviction may not be used for purposes of
 restricting a person to the operation of a motor vehicle equipped
 with an interlock ignition device under this section if:
 [(1)     the previous conviction was a final conviction
 under Section 49.04, 49.07, or 49.08, Penal Code, and was for an
 offense committed more than 10 years before the instant offense for
 which the person was convicted; and
 [(2)     the person has not been convicted of an offense
 under Section 49.04, 49.07, or 49.08 of that code committed within
 10 years before the date on which the instant offense for which the
 person was convicted.]
 SECTION 3. Section 521.251, Transportation Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 Sec. 521.251. EFFECTIVE DATE OF OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE.
 (a) If a person's license is suspended under Chapter 524 or 724 and
 the person has not had a prior suspension arising from an
 alcohol-related or drug-related enforcement contact in the five
 years preceding the date of the person's arrest, an order under this
 subchapter granting the person an occupational license takes effect
 immediately. However, the court shall order the person to comply
 with the counseling and rehabilitation program required under
 Section 521.245.
 (b) An order under this subchapter granting the person an
 occupational license may not take effect before the 45th day after
 the effective date of the person's driver's license suspension
 under Chapter 524 or 724 if [If] the person's [driver's] license has
 been suspended as a result of:
 (1) an alcohol-related or drug-related enforcement
 contact during the five years preceding the date of the person's
 arrest; or
 (2) [, the order may not take effect before the 91st
 day after the effective date of the suspension.
 [(c)     If the person's driver's license has been suspended as
 a result of a conviction under Section 49.04, 49.07, or 49.08, Penal
 Code, during the five years preceding the date of the person's
 arrest, the order may not take effect before the 181st day after the
 effective date of the suspension.
 [(d)     Notwithstanding any other provision in this section,
 if the person's driver's license has been suspended as a result of]
 a second or subsequent conviction under Section 49.04, 49.045,
 49.07, or 49.08, Penal Code, committed within five years of the date
 on which the most recent preceding offense was committed[, an order
 granting the person an occupational license may not take effect
 before the first anniversary of the effective date of the
 suspension].
 (c) [(e)] For the purposes of this section,
 "alcohol-related or drug-related enforcement contact" has the
 meaning assigned by Section 524.001.
 SECTION 4. Except as provided by Section 5 of this Act, the
 change in law made by this Act applies only to an offense committed
 on or after the effective date of this Act. An offense committed
 before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in
 effect when the offense was committed, and the former law is
 continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section,
 an offense was committed before the effective date of this Act if
 any element of the offense was committed before that date.
 SECTION 5. The change in law made by this Act in amending
 Section 521.251, Transportation Code, applies only to a person who
 applies for an occupational driver's license on or after September
 1, 2009.
 SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.