82R8212 TRH-D
By: Oliveira H.B. No. 2204
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the refusal to register motor vehicles by a county
assessor-collector or the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 502.185, Transportation Code, is amended
by amending Subsections (a), (b), and (f) and adding Subsection
(f-1) to read as follows:
(a) A county assessor-collector or the department may
refuse to register a motor vehicle if the assessor-collector or the
department receives information that the owner of the vehicle:
(1) owes the county money for a fine, fee, or tax that
is past due; or
(2) failed to appear in connection with a complaint or
citation relating to a county fine, fee, or tax.
(b) A county may contract with the department or the county
assessor-collector to provide information to the department or the
assessor-collector necessary to make a determination under
Subsection (a).
(f) A county that has a contract under Subsection (b) shall
[may] impose an additional fee of $20 to:
(1) a person who fails to pay [paying] a fine, fee, or
tax to the county by the date on which the fine, fee, or tax is
[after it is past] due; or
(2) a person who fails to appear in connection with a
complaint or citation relating to a county fine, fee, or tax.
(f-1) The additional fee may be used only to reimburse the
department or the county assessor-collector for its expenses for
providing services under the contract.
SECTION 2. Section 702.003, Transportation Code, is amended
by amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (e-1) to
read as follows:
(b) A municipality may contract with the assessor-collector
for the [a] county in which the municipality is located or the
department to provide information to the county assessor-collector
or department necessary to make a determination under Subsection
(a).
(c) A municipality that has a contract under Subsection (b)
shall notify the county assessor-collector or the department
regarding a person for whom the county assessor-collector or the
department has refused to register a motor vehicle on:
(1) entry of a judgment against the person and the
person's payment to the court of the fine for the violation and of
all court costs;
(2) perfection of an appeal of the case for which the
arrest warrant was issued; or
(3) dismissal of the charge for which the arrest
warrant was issued.
(e-1) A municipality that has a contract under Subsection
(b) shall impose an additional $20 fee to a person who has an
outstanding warrant from the municipality for failure to appear or
failure to pay a fine on a complaint that involves the violation of
a traffic law. The additional fee may be used only to reimburse the
department or the county assessor-collector for its expenses for
providing services under the contract.
SECTION 3. The changes in law made by Sections 502.185 and
702.003, Transportation Code, as amended by this Act, apply only to
a failure to appear or a fine, fee, or tax in connection with a
complaint or citation issued on or after the effective date of this
Act. A failure to appear or a fine, fee, or tax in connection with a
complaint or citation issued before the effective date of this Act
is subject to the law in effect on that date, and that law is
continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.