Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2022 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R11994 JAM-F
2	2	By: Blanco S.B. No. 2022
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the denial of the registration of a motor vehicle based
10	10	on certain information provided by a county to the Texas Department
11	11	of Motor Vehicles; authorizing a fee.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Section 502.010, Transportation Code, is amended
14	14	by adding Subsection (k) to read as follows:
15	15	(k) This section does not apply to a county described by
16	16	Section 502.0101(a).
17	17	SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,
18	18	is amended by adding Section 502.0101 to read as follows:
19	19	Sec. 502.0101. SCOFFLAW IN CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) This
20	20	section applies only to a county that:
21	21	(1) borders the United Mexican States; and
22	22	(2) contains a municipality with a population of more
23	23	than 500,000.
24	24	(b) In this section:
25	25	(1) a fine, fee, or tax is considered past due if it is
26	26	unpaid 90 or more days after the date it is due; and
27	27	(2) registration of a motor vehicle includes renewal
28	28	of the registration of the vehicle.
29	29	(c) Except as otherwise provided by this section, a county
30	30	assessor-collector may refuse to register a motor vehicle if:
31	31	(1) the assessor-collector receives information from
32	32	the Department of Public Safety driver's license division or the
33	33	department that the owner of the vehicle:
34	34	(A) owes the county money for a fine, fee, or tax
35	35	that is past due; or
36	36	(B) failed to appear in connection with a
37	37	complaint, citation, information, or indictment in a court in the
38	38	county in which a criminal proceeding is pending against the owner;
39	39	and
40	40	(2) the identity of the owner of the vehicle has been
41	41	confirmed:
42	42	(A) through the Department of Public Safety based
43	43	on the owner's name, driver's license number, and date of birth; or
44	44	(B) through the department's motor vehicle
45	45	database by the last four digits of the owner's social security
46	46	number, last four digits of the vehicle identification number, and
47	47	license plate number.
48	48	(d) If the department or the Department of Public Safety
49	49	determines that a county assessor-collector is authorized to refuse
50	50	to register a vehicle under Subsection (c):
51	51	(1) the vehicle may not be registered through an
52	52	online system designated by the department under Section
53	53	520.005(d);
54	54	(2) the department shall refuse to register the
55	55	vehicle through an online system that is available to the public;
56	56	and
57	57	(3) the department or the Department of Public Safety
58	58	shall notify the county assessor-collector that the owner of the
59	59	vehicle owes the county money for a fine, fee, or tax that is past
60	60	due.
61	61	(e) Information that is provided to make a determination
62	62	under Subsection (c)(1) and that concerns the past due status of a
63	63	fine or fee imposed for a criminal offense and owed to the county
64	64	expires on the second anniversary of the date the information was
65	65	provided and may not be used to refuse registration after that
66	66	date. Once information about a past due fine or fee is provided
67	67	under Subsection (f), subsequent information about other fines or
68	68	fees that are imposed for a criminal offense and that become past
69	69	due before the second anniversary of the date the initial
70	70	information was provided may not be used, either before or after the
71	71	second anniversary of that date, to refuse registration under this
72	72	section unless the motor vehicle is no longer subject to refusal of
73	73	registration because of notice received under Subsection (g).
74	74	(f) The department shall develop and implement a system
75	75	through which a county may provide information to the department
76	76	necessary to make a determination under Subsection (d). The
77	77	department may charge a fee for the use of the system. The system
78	78	developed under this section must:
79	79	(1) verify in real time the information described by
80	80	Subsection (c)(1) by searching against the vehicle owner's driver's
81	81	license number, date of birth, or other information provided to the
82	82	department; and
83	83	(2) be used for the registration of a vehicle
84	84	conducted through the department's Internet website.
85	85	(g) A county that provides information under Subsection (f)
86	86	shall immediately notify the department regarding a person for whom
87	87	the county assessor-collector or the department has refused to
88	88	register a motor vehicle on:
89	89	(1) the person's payment or other means of discharge,
90	90	including a waiver, of the past due fine, fee, or tax; or
91	91	(2) perfection of an appeal of the case contesting
92	92	payment of the fine, fee, or tax.
93	93	(h) After notice is received under Subsection (g), the
94	94	county assessor-collector or the department may not refuse to
95	95	register the motor vehicle under Subsection (c) or (d).
96	96	(i) Except as otherwise provided by this section, a county
97	97	may impose an additional reimbursement fee of $20 to:
98	98	(1) a person who fails to pay a fine, fee, or tax to the
99	99	county by the date on which the fine, fee, or tax is due; or
100	100	(2) a person who fails to appear in connection with a
101	101	complaint, citation, information, or indictment in a court in which
102	102	a criminal proceeding is pending against the owner.
103	103	(j) An additional reimbursement fee imposed under
104	104	Subsection (i) may be used only to reimburse the county
105	105	assessor-collector for providing services under this section.
106	106	(k) A municipal court judge or justice of the peace who has
107	107	jurisdiction over the underlying offense may waive an additional
108	108	reimbursement fee imposed under Subsection (i) if the judge or
109	109	justice makes a finding that the defendant is economically unable
110	110	to pay the fee or that good cause exists for the waiver.
111	111	(l) If a county assessor-collector is notified that the
112	112	court having jurisdiction over the underlying offense has waived
113	113	the past due fine or fee, including a reimbursement fee, due to the
114	114	defendant's indigency, the county may not impose an additional
115	115	reimbursement fee on the defendant under Subsection (i).
116	116	(m) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
117	117	department:
118	118	(1) may collect from the Department of Public Safety
119	119	information necessary to implement this section, including a
120	120	vehicle owner's driver's license number or date of birth; and
121	121	(2) may not disclose any personal identifying
122	122	information collected under this section, including a vehicle
123	123	owner's driver's license number or date of birth.
124	124	(n) A county assessor-collector may not refuse to register a
125	125	motor vehicle under this section if the assessor-collector receives
126	126	information that the owner of the vehicle has an income that is less
127	127	than 250 percent of the applicable income level established by the
128	128	federal poverty guidelines.
129	129	(o) This section does not apply to the registration of a
130	130	motor vehicle under Section 501.0234, unless the vehicle is titled
131	131	and registered in the name of a person who holds a general
132	132	distinguishing number.
133	133	SECTION 3. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles shall
134	134	implement the system required by Section 502.0101(f),
135	135	Transportation Code, as added by this Act, not later than September
136	136	1, 2026.
137	137	SECTION 4. Section 502.0101, Transportation Code, as added
138	138	by this Act, applies only to an application for motor vehicle
139	139	registration or registration renewal received by the Texas
140	140	Department of Motor Vehicles on or after the effective date of this
141	141	Act. An application for registration or registration renewal that
142	142	was received before the effective date of this Act is governed by
143	143	the law in effect on the date the application was received, and the
144	144	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
145	145	SECTION 5. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this
146	146	section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2026.
147	147	(b) Section 3 of this Act takes effect September 1, 2025.