81R5783 JD-D
By: Carona S.B. No. 589
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to certain requirements for sunscreening devices that are
placed on or attached to a motor vehicle; providing a penalty.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 547.609, Transportation Code, is amended
to read as follows:
Sec. 547.609. REQUIRED LABEL FOR SUNSCREENING DEVICES
[PERMITTED]. A sunscreening device must have a label that:
(1) is legible;
(2) contains information required by the department on
light transmission and luminous reflectance of the device; [and]
(3) if the device is placed on or attached to a
windshield or a side or rear window, states that the light
transmission of the device is consistent with Section 547.613(b)(1)
or (2), as applicable; and
(4) is permanently installed between the material and
the surface to which the material is applied.
SECTION 2. Section 547.613, Transportation Code, is amended
by adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsections (b) and (e) to
read as follows:
(a-1) A person in the business of placing or attaching
transparent material that alters the color or reduces the light
transmission to the windshield or side or rear window of a motor
vehicle commits a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed
$1,000 if the person:
(1) places or attaches such transparent material to
the windshield or side or rear window of a motor vehicle; and
(2) does not install a label that complies with
Section 547.609 between the transparent material and the windshield
or side or rear window of the vehicle, as applicable.
(b) Subsection (a) [This section] does not apply to:
(1) a windshield that has a sunscreening device that:
(A) in combination with the windshield has a
light transmission of 35 [25] percent or more;
(B) in combination with the windshield has a
luminous reflectance of 25 percent or less;
(C) is not red, blue, or amber; and
(D) does not extend downward beyond the AS-1 line
or more than five inches from the top of the windshield, whichever
is closer to the top of the windshield;
(2) a wing vent or a window other than a windshield if
the vent or window has a sunscreening device that in combination
with the vent or window has:
(A) a light transmission of 35 [25] percent or
more; and
(B) a luminous reflectance of 25 percent or less;
(3) a rear window, if the motor vehicle is equipped
with an outside mirror on each side of the vehicle that reflects to
the vehicle operator a view of the highway for a distance of at
least 200 feet from the rear;
(4) a rearview mirror;
(5) an adjustable nontransparent sun visor that is
mounted in front of a side window and not attached to the glass;
(6) a direction, destination, or termination sign on a
passenger common carrier motor vehicle, if the sign does not
interfere with the vehicle operator's view of approaching traffic;
(7) a rear window wiper motor;
(8) a rear trunk lid handle or hinge;
(9) a luggage rack attached to the rear trunk;
(10) a side window that is to the rear of the vehicle
operator on a multipurpose vehicle;
(11) a window that has a United States, state, or local
certificate placed on or attached to it as required by law;
(12) a motor vehicle that is not registered in this
state;
(13) a window that complies with federal standards for
window materials, including a factory-tinted or a pretinted window
installed by the vehicle manufacturer, or a replacement window
meeting the specifications required by the vehicle manufacturer;
(14) a vehicle that is:
(A) used regularly to transport passengers for a
fee; and
(B) authorized to operate under license or permit
by a local authority;
(15) a vehicle that is maintained by a law enforcement
agency and used for law enforcement purposes; or
(16) a commercial motor vehicle as defined by Section
644.001.
(e) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)
[this section] that the defendant or a passenger in the vehicle at
the time of the violation is required for a medical reason to be
shielded from direct rays of the sun.
SECTION 3. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
Act. For purposes of this section, an offense was committed before
the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
occurred before that date.
(b) An offense committed before the effective date of this
Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.