BWH C.S.H.B. 1532 75(R) BILL ANALYSIS COUNTY AFFAIRS C.S.H.B. 1532 By: Woolley 4-2-97 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND Large counties are plagued by outstanding fines, fees, and taxes. County tax assessor-collectors are required by law to register the motor vehicles of residents and have no ability to refuse to register the vehicles of persons who owe the county money. Refusal to register a motor vehicle can be an effective collection tool. Municipalities have the ability to provide for the refusal to register a motor vehicle or the denial of a driver's license of a person who has not paid tickets to the municipality. PURPOSE This legislation provides counties with a tool to collect past due fines, fees, and taxes by allowing a county assessor-collector or the Texas Department of Transportation to refuse to register a motor vehicle upon receiving information that the owner owes the county a past due fine, fee, or tax. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Adds Section 502.185, Transportation Code, to allow a county assessor-collector or the Texas Department of Transportation to refuse to register a motor vehicle upon receiving information through an interlocal county-department contract that the owner has an outstanding fine, fee, or tax imposed by the county; requires notification of payment, appeal, or dismissal of the fine, fee, or tax; prohibits refusal of registration upon such notification. Allows a county to recoup costs of the contract by charging an additional fee to the delinquent taxpayers. SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 3.Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The C.S.H.B. 1532 makes the following changes to the original: 1) Deletes SECTIONS 2-5 of the original bill, and renumbers SECTIONS 6 and 7 accordingly; and 2) Removes the population brackets from the original whereby the bill applies to all counties in Texas.