76R9920 E                           
         By Goolsby                                              H.B. No. 19
         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 19:
         By Turner of Coleman                                C.S.H.B. No. 19
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the denial of a motor vehicle registration for failure
 1-3     to pay municipal parking fines.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subtitle I, Title 7, Transportation Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Chapter 707 to read as follows:
 1-7       CHAPTER 707.  DENIAL OF VEHICLE REGISTRATION FOR FAILURE TO PAY
 1-8                           MUNICIPAL PARKING FINES
 1-9           Sec. 707.001.  DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter:
1-10                 (1)  "Department" means the Texas Department of
1-11     Transportation.
1-12                 (2)  "Registration" of a motor vehicle includes a
1-13     renewal of the registration of that vehicle.
1-14           Sec. 707.002.  REFUSAL TO REGISTER VEHICLE.  (a)  A county
1-15     assessor-collector or the department may refuse to register a motor
1-16     vehicle if the assessor-collector or the department receives under
1-17     a contract information from a municipality that the owner of the
1-18     vehicle has an unpaid fine for a violation of an ordinance of the
1-19     municipality regulating the parking, standing, or stopping of a
1-20     vehicle.
1-21           (b)  A municipality may contract with a county in which the
1-22     municipality is located or the department to provide information to
1-23     the county or department necessary to make a determination under
1-24     Subsection (a).
 2-1           (c)  A municipality may report an unpaid fine for a violation
 2-2     of an ordinance of the municipality under this section only if:
 2-3                 (1)  the fine is past due;
 2-4                 (2)  the person failed to make a timely challenge to
 2-5     the imposition of the fine;
 2-6                 (3)  the person owes the municipality more than $100 in
 2-7     the aggregate in past due fines, including the fine for which a
 2-8     report is made, for violations of ordinances of the municipality
 2-9     regulating the parking, standing, or stopping of a vehicle; and
2-10                 (4)  the municipality has sent a notice to the person
2-11     via first-class mail indicating the person may be denied
2-12     registration of any motor vehicle owned by the person for past due
2-13     fines.
2-14           (d)  A contract under this section must be made in accordance
2-15     with Chapter 791, Government Code.  A contract under this section
2-16     is subject to the ability of the parties to provide or pay for the
2-17     services required under the contract.
2-18           (e)  A municipality that has a contract under Subsection (b)
2-19     shall notify the county or the department regarding a person the
2-20     municipality has reported under this section on:
2-21                 (1)  the person's payment of all unpaid fines to the
2-22     municipality and any late fees associated with those fines; or
2-23                 (2)  dismissal of the unpaid fines by the municipality.
2-24           (f)  After notice is received under Subsection (e), the
2-25     county assessor-collector or the department may not refuse to
2-26     register the motor vehicle under Subsection (a).
2-27           Sec. 707.003.  WARNING; CITATION.  If a municipality makes a
 3-1     contract under this chapter, a citation for a violation of an
 3-2     ordinance of the municipality regulating the parking, standing, or
 3-3     stopping of a vehicle must include a warning as required by Section
 3-4     702.004.  The warning must state in substance that if the person
 3-5     fails to pay a fine associated with the violation, the person may
 3-6     be denied registration of any motor vehicle owned by the person.
 3-7           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
 3-8     to the violation of a municipal ordinance regulating the parking,
 3-9     standing, or stopping of a vehicle that occurs on or after the
3-10     effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this section, a
3-11     violation is committed before the effective date of this Act if any
3-12     element of the violation occurs before that date.
3-13           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
3-14           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
3-15     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-16     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-17     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-18     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.