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. 1-52 * * * * *