By Maxey                                              H.B. No. 1166
         76R4532 DWS-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to dismissal of certain vehicle and traffic law
 1-3     violations.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 502.407(b), Transportation Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (b)  A justice of the peace or municipal court judge having
 1-8     jurisdiction of the offense may:
 1-9                 (1)  dismiss a charge of driving with an expired motor
1-10     vehicle registration if the defendant:
1-11                       (A)  remedies the defect not later than the 10th
1-12     working day after the date of the offense; and
1-13                       (B)  establishes that the fee prescribed by
1-14     Section 502.176 has been paid; and
1-15                 (2)  assess an administrative fee not to exceed $20
1-16     [$10] when the charge is dismissed.
1-17           SECTION 2.  Section 521.026(b), Transportation Code, is
1-18     amended to read as follows:
1-19           (b)  The judge may assess the defendant an administrative fee
1-20     not to exceed $20 [$10] when the charge of driving with an expired
1-21     driver's license is dismissed under Subsection (a).
1-22           SECTION 3.  Section 547.004, Transportation Code, is amended
1-23     by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
1-24           (c)  A judge having jurisdiction over an offense under this
 2-1     section may:
 2-2                 (1)  dismiss the charge if the defendant remedies the
 2-3     defect within 10 working days; and
 2-4                 (2)  assess an administrative fee not to exceed $20
 2-5     when the charge is dismissed.
 2-6           SECTION 4.  Section 548.605, Transportation Code, is amended
 2-7     to read as follows:
 2-8           Sec. 548.605.  DISMISSAL OF CHARGE; ADMINISTRATIVE FEE.  The
 2-9     court may:
2-10                 (1)  dismiss a charge of driving with an expired
2-11     inspection certificate if the defendant remedies the defect within
2-12     10 working days; and
2-13                 (2)  assess an administrative fee not to exceed $20
2-14     [$10] when the charge of driving with an expired inspection
2-15     certificate has been remedied.
2-16           SECTION 5.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
2-17     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
2-18     Act.  For the purposes of this section, an offense is committed
2-19     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
2-20     occurs before that date.
2-21           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
2-22     Act is governed by the law in effect when the offense was
2-23     committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that
2-24     purpose.
2-25           SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-26           SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-27     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.