Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB554 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	87R24364 SRA-D
2		-	By: Lopez, Cain, Rodriguez, et al. H.B. No. 554
3		-	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 554:
4		-	By: Martinez C.S.H.B. No. 554
	1	+	By: Lopez H.B. No. 554
5	2
6	3
7	4		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	5		AN ACT
9	6		relating to the operation of a motor vehicle passing a pedestrian or
10		-	a person operating a bicycle~~; creating a criminal offense~~.
	7	+	a person operating a bicycle.
11	8		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	9		SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 545, Transportation Code,
13	10		is amended by adding Section 545.0571 to read as follows:
14	11		Sec. 545.0571. MOTOR VEHICLE PASSING PEDESTRIAN OR BICYCLE
15	12		OPERATOR. (a) An operator of a motor vehicle shall exercise due
16	13		care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or a person operating a
17	14		bicycle on a highway or street.
18	15		(b) For the purposes of Section 545.053(a), safe distance
19	16		from a pedestrian or any part of a bicycle is:
20	17		(1) at least three feet if the operator's vehicle is a
21	18		passenger car or a light truck; or
22	19		(2) at least six feet if the operator's vehicle is a
23	20		commercial motor vehicle as defined by Section 522.003 or a truck
24	21		other than a light truck.
25	22		(c) For the purposes of Section 545.057(a), conditions
26	23		permit safely passing a pedestrian or a bicycle to the right only if
27	24		the motor vehicle passes:
28	25		(1) at least three feet from the pedestrian or any part
29	26		of the bicycle if the operator's vehicle is a passenger car or a
30	27		light truck; or
31	28		(2) at least six feet from the pedestrian or any part
32	29		of the bicycle if the operator's vehicle is a commercial motor
33	30		vehicle as defined by Section 522.003 or a truck other than a light
34	31		truck.
35	32		(d) An operator of a motor vehicle passing a pedestrian or a
36	33		person operating a bicycle on a highway or street that has two or
37	34		more marked lanes running in the same direction shall move the motor
38	35		vehicle to a lane other than the lane used by the pedestrian or
39	36		bicycle operator while passing the pedestrian or bicycle operator.
40	37		(e) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this
41	38		section that at the time of the offense the pedestrian or bicycle
42	39		operator was acting in violation of a traffic law in a manner that
43	40		contributed to the offense under this section.
44	41		SECTION 2. Section 545.055, Transportation Code, is amended
45	42		by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as
46	43		follows:
47	44		(b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1), an [An] operator
48	45		may not drive on the left side of the roadway in a no-passing zone or
49	46		on the left side of any pavement striping designed to mark a
50	47		no-passing zone.
51	48		(b-1) Subsection (b) [This subsection] does not prohibit a
52	49		driver from:
53	50		(1) crossing pavement striping, or the center line in
54	51		a no-passing zone marked by signs only, to make a left turn into or
55	52		out of an alley or private road or driveway; or
56	53		(2) passing a pedestrian or a person operating a
57	54		bicycle in a no-passing zone if the operator of the motor vehicle
58	55		otherwise complies with the requirements of this chapter.
59	56		SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
60	57		an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An
61	58		offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed
62	59		by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the
63	60		former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of
64	61		this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of
65	62		this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.
66	63		SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.