By Jones of Dallas                                    H.B. No. 2543
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to interactive access to driver license records of the
    1-3  Department of Public Safety, creating access to driver license
    1-4  records of the National Driver Register (NDR) through the
    1-5  Department of Public Safety, and establishing fees for access to
    1-6  such information.
    1-7        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-8        SECTION 1.  Section 21 of Article 6687b is amended by
    1-9  addition of Subsection (m) to read as follows:
   1-10        (m)  The Department is authorized to establish a system,
   1-11  separate from the Department's mainframe computer, which will allow
   1-12  interactive access to certain driver record information.  Two
   1-13  levels of service are authorized to be provided in this subsection:
   1-14  the status request described in subsection (e) of this Section, and
   1-15  the three-year record as described in subsection (d) of this
   1-16  Section.  The fee for a status check provided through this system
   1-17  will be $2.50.  The fee for a three-year record will be $4.50.
   1-18  Fifty cents ($.50) of each fee collected under this subsection
   1-19  shall be deposited into a fund appropriated for use by the
   1-20  Department to administer this Article.  The remainder of fees
   1-21  collected will be disposed of in accordance with Section 15 of this
   1-22  Article.
   1-23        SECTION 2.  Section 21 of Article 6687b is amended by
    2-1  addition of Subsection (n) to read as follows:
    2-2        (n)  The Department is authorized to accept requests from
    2-3  individuals licensed in this state for information regarding such
    2-4  individuals in the National Driver Register (NDR).  The Department
    2-5  may also accept requests for NDR information from an employer or
    2-6  prospective employer of an individual licensed in this state, with
    2-7  the written consent of such individual.  The Department shall
    2-8  charge a $4.00 fee for each request.  Upon payment of the fee, the
    2-9  Department shall transmit or relay the request to the NDR.
   2-10        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-11  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-12  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-13  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-14  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-15  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-16  passage, and it is so enacted.