| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the refusal to register motor vehicles by a county |
|
|
assessor-collector or the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles; |
|
|
authorizing a fee. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. The heading to Chapter 702, Transportation Code, |
|
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
CHAPTER 702. CONTRACTS FOR ENFORCEMENT OF CERTAIN ARREST WARRANTS |
|
|
OR PAYMENT OF CERTAIN FINES |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 702.003, Transportation Code, is amended |
|
|
by amending Subsections (a), (c), and (e-1) and adding Subsections |
|
|
(e-2) and (g) to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) A county assessor-collector or the department may refuse |
|
|
to register a motor vehicle if the assessor-collector or the |
|
|
department receives under a contract information from a |
|
|
municipality that the owner of the vehicle: |
|
|
(1) has an outstanding warrant from that municipality |
|
|
for failure to appear or failure to pay a fine on a complaint that |
|
|
involves the violation of a traffic law; or |
|
|
(2) is past due in the payment of a fine from that |
|
|
municipality on a complaint that involves the violation of a |
|
|
traffic law. |
|
|
(c) A municipality that has a contract under Subsection (b) |
|
|
shall notify the county assessor-collector or the department |
|
|
regarding a person for whom the county assessor-collector or the |
|
|
department has refused to register a motor vehicle on: |
|
|
(1) entry of a judgment against the person and the |
|
|
person's payment to the court of the fine for the violation and of |
|
|
all court costs; |
|
|
(2) perfection of an appeal of the case for which the |
|
|
arrest warrant was issued or the case contesting payment of the |
|
|
fine; or |
|
|
(3) dismissal of the charge for which the arrest |
|
|
warrant was issued or discharge of the past due fine. |
|
|
(e-1) A municipality that has a contract under Subsection |
|
|
(b) may impose an additional $20 fee to: |
|
|
(1) a person who has an outstanding warrant from the |
|
|
municipality for failure to appear or failure to pay a fine on a |
|
|
complaint that involves the violation of a traffic law; or |
|
|
(2) a person paying a past due fine from the |
|
|
municipality on a complaint that involves the violation of a |
|
|
traffic law. |
|
|
(e-2) The additional fee imposed under Subsection (e-1) may |
|
|
be used only to reimburse the department or the county |
|
|
assessor-collector for its expenses for providing services under |
|
|
the contract, or another county department for expenses related to |
|
|
services under the contract. |
|
|
(g) In this section: |
|
|
(1) a fine is considered past due if it is unpaid 90 or |
|
|
more days after the date it is due; and |
|
|
(2) registration of a motor vehicle includes renewal |
|
|
of the registration of the vehicle. |
|
|
SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
|
|
a fine in connection with a complaint or citation issued on or after |
|
|
the effective date of this Act. A fine in connection with a |
|
|
complaint or citation issued before the effective date of this Act |
|
|
is subject to the law in effect on the date the complaint or |
|
|
citation was issued, and that law is continued in effect for that |
|
|
purpose. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |