SRC-DPW S.B. 578 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 578 76R1701 JD-DBy: Armbrister Criminal Justice 3/29/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, under Texas law the term "final conviction" frequently causes confusion for clerks in reporting convictions to the Texas Department of Public Safety for the purpose of suspending a defendant's driver's license. This bill would redefine "final conviction" to clarify the treatment of deferred adjudication and court ordered deferral of final disposition of a case. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 578 sets forth criteria for a final conviction to be reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety for suspension of the defendants' driver's licenses. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 521.347(c), Transportation Code, to redefine "conviction" to mean a conviction is not a final conviction if the defendant receives deferred adjudication, or the court defers final disposition, unless the court subsequently proceeds with an adjudication of guilt and imposes a sentence on the defendant. SECTION 2.Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.