1-1     By:  Woolley (Senate Sponsor - Whitmire)              H.B. No. 1532

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 21, 1997;

 1-3     April 22, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; May 1, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 13, Nays 0; May 1, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to refusing to register a vehicle for a person who owes a

 1-9     fine, fee, or tax to certain counties.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 502, Transportation Code,

1-12     is amended by adding Section 502.185 to read as follows:

1-13           Sec. 502.185.  REFUSAL TO REGISTER VEHICLE IN CERTAIN

1-14     COUNTIES.  (a)  A county assessor-collector or the department may

1-15     refuse to register a motor vehicle if the assessor-collector or the

1-16     department receives information that the owner of the vehicle owes

1-17     the county money for a fine, fee, or tax that is past due.

1-18           (b)  A county may contract with the department to provide

1-19     information to the department necessary to make a determination

1-20     under Subsection (a).

1-21           (c)  A county that has a contract under Subsection (b) shall

1-22     notify the department regarding a person for whom the county

1-23     assessor-collector or the department has refused to register a

1-24     motor vehicle on:

1-25                 (1)  the person's payment or other means of discharge

1-26     of the past due fine, fee, or tax; or

1-27                 (2)  perfection of an appeal of the case contesting

1-28     payment of the fine, fee, or tax.

1-29           (d)  After notice is received under Subsection (c), the

1-30     county assessor-collector or the department may not refuse to

1-31     register the motor vehicle under Subsection (a).

1-32           (e)  A contract under Subsection (b) must be entered into in

1-33     accordance with Chapter 791, Government Code, and is subject to the

1-34     ability of the parties to provide or pay for the services required

1-35     under the contract.

1-36           (f)  A county that has a contract under Subsection (b) may

1-37     impose an additional fee to a person paying a fine, fee, or tax to

1-38     the county after it is past due.  The additional fee may be used

1-39     only to reimburse the department for its expenses for providing

1-40     services under the contract.

1-41           (g)  In this section:

1-42                 (1)  a fine, fee, or tax is considered past due if it

1-43     is unpaid 90 or more days after the date it is due; and

1-44                 (2)  registration of a motor vehicle includes renewal

1-45     of the registration of the vehicle.

1-46           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-47           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-48     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-49     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-50     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-51     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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