By: Solomons H.B. No. 148
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, or possession
of a counterfeit disabled parking placard; providing penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 681, Transportation Code, is amended by
adding Section 681.0111 to read as follows:
Sec. 681.0111. MANUFACTURE, SALE, POSSESSION, OR USE OF
COUNTERFEIT PLACARD. (a) A person commits an offense if, without
the department's authorization, the person manufactures, sells, or
possesses a placard that is deceptively similar to a disabled
parking placard.
(b) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly
parks a vehicle displaying a counterfeit placard in a parking space
or area designated specifically for persons with disabilities.
(c) An offense under Subsection (a) is a Class A
misdemeanor. An offense under Subsection (b) is a Class C
misdemeanor.
(d) For purposes of this section, a placard is deceptively
similar to a disabled parking placard if the placard is not a
genuine disabled parking placard but a reasonable person would
presume that it was a genuine disable parking placard.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by the Act applies only to
an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An
offense committed before the effective date of this Act is covered
by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former
law is continued in effect for that purpose. For the purposes of
this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of
this Act is any element of the offense occurred before that date.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.