1-1 By: Jones of Dallas (Senate Sponsor - Whitmire) H.B. No. 972 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 1997; 1-3 May 13, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal 1-4 Justice; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to systems for providing access to driver's license record 1-9 information held by the Department of Public Safety. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 521, Transportation Code, 1-12 is amended by adding Sections 521.055 and 521.056 to read as 1-13 follows: 1-14 Sec. 521.055. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERACTIVE SYSTEM. (a) The 1-15 department may establish a system, separate from the department's 1-16 mainframe computer, that will allow interactive access to certain 1-17 driver's license record information. 1-18 (b) The system may provide for the release of the following 1-19 information: 1-20 (1) the status check described in Section 521.045; and 1-21 (2) the three-year driving record under Section 1-22 521.046. 1-23 (c) The fee for a status check under Subsection (b)(1) is 1-24 $2.50. The fee for a three-year driving record under Subsection 1-25 (b)(2) is $4.50. 1-26 (d) Fifty cents of each fee collected under Subsection (c) 1-27 shall be deposited in a special account in the general revenue fund 1-28 that may be appropriated only to the department for administration 1-29 of this chapter. 1-30 (e) The department may contract with private vendors as 1-31 necessary to implement this section. 1-32 (f) The department may adopt rules as necessary to 1-33 administer this section. 1-34 Sec. 521.056. NATIONAL DRIVER REGISTER. (a) The department 1-35 may process file check requests under the National Driver Register 1-36 on behalf of current or prospective employers of individuals 1-37 employed or seeking employment as operators of motor vehicles or 1-38 railway locomotive operators if the individual: 1-39 (1) has given written consent to the release of the 1-40 information; and 1-41 (2) has a license in this state. 1-42 (b) The fee for a request under Subsection (a) is $4. 1-43 (c) The department shall forward a request made under 1-44 Subsection (a) directly to the current or prospective employer. 1-45 (d) The department shall assist and provide procedures for 1-46 an individual to obtain information from the National Driver 1-47 Register on the individual's own driving record. The department 1-48 may by rule establish a reasonable fee for this service, in 1-49 conformity with the policies of the National Driver Register. 1-50 (e) The department may adopt forms and rules as necessary to 1-51 carry out the purposes of this section and comply with the policies 1-52 of the National Driver Register. 1-53 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 1-54 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-55 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-56 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-57 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-58 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-59 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-60 * * * * *