| TO: | Honorable Joe Driver, Chair, House Committee on Law Enforcement |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB499 by Brown, Betty (Relating to certain penalties imposed for the destruction of a mailbox or other address identifier.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure by adding a section that makes damaging or destroying an address identifier (mailbox, sign, 9-1-1 locator system, other property designed to identify an address) an offense punishable under Section 28.03, the Criminal Mischief section, of the Penal Code.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code as it relates to the damage or destruction of an address identifier. The bill would require the Department of Public Safety (DPS), upon a final conviction of damaging or destroying an address identifier, to automatically suspend a person’s driver license. Those persons who did not hold a driver’s license upon final conviction of damaging or destroying an address identifier would also be unable to obtain a driver’s license from DPS.
The bill would also create, upon final conviction, a 180-day driver's license suspension and 180-day driver's license denial period. The denial period would be 180-days after the person applies for reinstatement or issuance of a driver's license. Persons with a license suspended or previously denied under this section of the bill would have a one-year driver's license suspension and denial period. The denial period would be one-year after the person applies for reinstatement or issuance of a driver's license. DPS reports the provisions of the bill would require programming changes, but these can be handled by the current staff of programmers.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2005 and only apply to an offense committed on or after this date.
| Source Agencies: | 405 Department of Public Safety
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, KJG, VDS, SJ, LM
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