By Woolley                                            H.B. No. 1532

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to refusing to register a vehicle for a person who owes a

 1-3     fine, fee, or tax to certain counties.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,

 1-6     is amended by adding Section 502.185 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 502.185.  REFUSAL TO REGISTER VEHICLE IN CERTAIN

 1-8     COUNTIES.  (a)  A county assessor-collector or the department may

 1-9     refuse to register a motor vehicle if the assessor-collector or the

1-10     department receives information that the owner of the vehicle owes

1-11     the county money for a fine, fee, or tax that is past due.

1-12           (b)  A county may contract with the department to provide

1-13     information to the department necessary to make a determination

1-14     under Subsection (a).

1-15           (c)  A county that has a contract under Subsection (b) shall

1-16     notify the department regarding a person for whom the county

1-17     assessor-collector or the department has refused to register a

1-18     motor vehicle on:

1-19                 (1)  the person's payment or other means of discharge

1-20     of the past due fine, fee, or tax; or

1-21                 (2)  perfection of an appeal of the case contesting

1-22     payment of the fine, fee, or tax.

1-23           (d)  After notice is received under Subsection (c), the

1-24     county assessor-collector or the department may not refuse to

 2-1     register the motor vehicle under Subsection (a).

 2-2           (e)  A contract under Subsection (b) must be entered into in

 2-3     accordance with Chapter 791, Government Code, and is subject to the

 2-4     ability of the parties to provide or pay for the services required

 2-5     under the contract.

 2-6           (f)  A county that has a contract under Subsection (b) may

 2-7     impose an additional fee to a person paying a fine, fee, or tax to

 2-8     the county after it is past due.  The additional fee may be used

 2-9     only to reimburse the department for its expenses for providing

2-10     services under the contract.

2-11           (g)  In this section:

2-12                 (1)  a fine, fee, or tax is considered past due if it

2-13     is unpaid 90 or more days after the date it is due; and

2-14                 (2)  registration of a motor vehicle includes renewal

2-15     of the registration of the vehicle.

2-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.