| 1 | 1 | | 89R7990 JRR-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Schwertner S.B. No. 858 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to certain criminal offenses involving the attachment or |
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| 10 | 10 | | display of a wrong license plate or registration insignia; |
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| 11 | 11 | | increasing criminal penalties. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Section 504.944, Transportation Code, is amended |
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| 14 | 14 | | to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 504.944. OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITH WRONG LICENSE |
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| 16 | 16 | | PLATE. (a) A person commits an offense if the person operates, or |
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| 17 | 17 | | as the owner permits another to operate, on a public highway a motor |
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| 18 | 18 | | vehicle that has attached to it a number plate or registration |
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| 19 | 19 | | insignia issued for a different vehicle. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor |
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| 21 | 21 | | punishable by a fine not to exceed $200, except that the offense is |
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| 22 | 22 | | a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 if it is shown |
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| 23 | 23 | | at the trial of the offense that, at the time of the offense, the |
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| 24 | 24 | | person knows that the license plate or registration insignia is |
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| 25 | 25 | | stolen or otherwise issued for a different motor vehicle. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 2. Section 504.945, Transportation Code, is amended |
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| 27 | 27 | | by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as |
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| 28 | 28 | | follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (b) Except as provided by Subsections (d-1), (e), and (f), |
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| 30 | 30 | | an offense under Subsection (a) is a misdemeanor punishable by a |
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| 31 | 31 | | fine of not more than $200, unless it is shown at the trial of the |
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| 32 | 32 | | offense that the owner knowingly altered or made illegible the |
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| 33 | 33 | | letters, numbers, and other identification marks, in which case the |
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| 34 | 34 | | offense is a Class B misdemeanor. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (d-1) An offense under Subsection (a)(1) is a misdemeanor |
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| 36 | 36 | | punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 if it is shown at the trial |
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| 37 | 37 | | of the offense that, at the time of the offense, the person knows |
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| 38 | 38 | | that the license plate is stolen or otherwise issued for a different |
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| 39 | 39 | | motor vehicle. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 41 | 41 | | an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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| 42 | 42 | | offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed |
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| 43 | 43 | | by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the |
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| 44 | 44 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of |
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| 45 | 45 | | this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of |
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| 46 | 46 | | this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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