86R9989 AJZ-F
By: Menéndez S.B. No. 1173
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the issuance of an occupational driver's license.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 521.242, Transportation Code, is amended
by adding Subsections (b-1), (g), and (h) and amending Subsection
(d) to read as follows:
(b-1) A person whose driver's license is suspended under
Chapter 708 or denied renewal under Chapter 706 may apply for an
occupational license by filing a verified petition with the clerk
of a court in which the person was convicted for an underlying
offense giving rise to the license suspension or denial.
(d) A petition filed under Subsection (b) or (b-1) must
state that the petitioner was convicted in that court for an offense
under the laws of this state.
(g) A court shall notify a person at sentencing that the
person may be entitled to an occupational license if:
(1) the person's driver's license is automatically
suspended following the conviction;
(2) the person's driver's license is suspended for
failure to pay surcharges associated with the conviction under
Chapter 708; or
(3) the person's driver's license is denied renewal
under Chapter 706 for failure to pay or satisfy a judgment ordering
the payment of a fine and cost in the manner ordered by the court.
(h) Each justice and municipal court shall provide a
standard petition form that a person may complete and file with the
clerk to apply for an occupational license. The form must include
instructions for obtaining a waiver of the application fee for
persons who are unable to pay.
SECTION 2. Section 521.2462, Transportation Code, is
amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
(d) This section does not apply to a person who petitioned
for an occupational license solely because the person's driver's
license was suspended under Chapter 708 or the person's driver's
license was denied renewal under Chapter 706.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.