JWW S.B. 881 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS PUBLIC SAFETY S.B. 881 By: Brown (Oakley) 5-6-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND S.B. 1504, passed by the 74th Legislature, authorized the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to contract with private entities to set up a statewide traffic warrant database and to deny a renewal of a driver's licence for failure to pay for traffic warrants. This bill was the first attempt to link city, county, and state outstanding warrants into a central database. After the passage of S.B. 1504, it was discovered that several offenses were not included under the definition of "traffic law," such as failure to show completion of a driver safety course. This bill will expand the list of outstanding offenses that result in denial of driver's license renewal. PURPOSE This bill expands the list of outstanding offenses that result in denial of driver's license renewal. 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. Amends Section 1, Article 6687d, Revised Statutes, by amending Subdivision (5) to clarify the definition of "traffic law." Subdivisions (6)-(9) are added to define "highway or street," "motor vehicle," "operator," and "public place." SECTION 2. Amends Section 2(a), Article 6687d, Revised Statutes, to authorize a political subdivision to contract with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to provide information necessary for the DPS to deny renewal of the driver's license of a person who has failed to appear for a complaint, citation, or court order to pay a fine involving an offense under Section 38.10, Penal Code, if the underlying offense is a traffic offense; an offense under Section 543.009(b) or 543.107(b), Transportation Code. SECTION 3. Amends Sections 4(a)-(c), Article 6687d, Revised Statutes, to make conforming changes. SECTION 4. Effective Date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 5. Emergency Clause.