89R7990 JRR-D
By: Schwertner S.B. No. 858
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to certain criminal offenses involving the attachment or
display of a wrong license plate or registration insignia;
increasing criminal penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 504.944, Transportation Code, is amended
to read as follows:
Sec. 504.944. OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITH WRONG LICENSE
PLATE. (a) A person commits an offense if the person operates, or
as the owner permits another to operate, on a public highway a motor
vehicle that has attached to it a number plate or registration
insignia issued for a different vehicle.
(b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor
punishable by a fine not to exceed $200, except that the offense is
a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 if it is shown
at the trial of the offense that, at the time of the offense, the
person knows that the license plate or registration insignia is
stolen or otherwise issued for a different motor vehicle.
SECTION 2. Section 504.945, Transportation Code, is amended
by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as
follows:
(b) Except as provided by Subsections (d-1), (e), and (f),
an offense under Subsection (a) is a misdemeanor punishable by a
fine of not more than $200, unless it is shown at the trial of the
offense that the owner knowingly altered or made illegible the
letters, numbers, and other identification marks, in which case the
offense is a Class B misdemeanor.
(d-1) An offense under Subsection (a)(1) is a misdemeanor
punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 if it is shown at the trial
of the offense that, at the time of the offense, the person knows
that the license plate is stolen or otherwise issued for a different
motor vehicle.
SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An
offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed
by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the
former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of
this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of
this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.