81R5783 JD-D
 
  By: Carona S.B. No. 589
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to certain requirements for sunscreening devices that are
  placed on or attached to a motor vehicle; providing a penalty.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 547.609, Transportation Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 547.609.  REQUIRED LABEL FOR  SUNSCREENING DEVICES
  [PERMITTED].  A sunscreening device must have a label that:
               (1)  is legible;
               (2)  contains information required by the department on
  light transmission and luminous reflectance of the device; [and]
               (3)  if the device is placed on or attached to a
  windshield or a side or rear window, states that the light
  transmission of the device is consistent with Section 547.613(b)(1)
  or (2), as applicable; and
               (4)  is permanently installed between the material and
  the surface to which the material is applied.
         SECTION 2.  Section 547.613, Transportation Code, is amended
  by adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsections (b) and (e) to
  read as follows:
         (a-1)  A person in the business of placing or attaching
  transparent material that alters the color or reduces the light
  transmission to the windshield or side or rear window of a motor
  vehicle commits a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed
  $1,000 if the person:
               (1)  places or attaches such transparent material to
  the windshield or side or rear window of a motor vehicle; and
               (2)  does not install a label that complies with
  Section 547.609 between the transparent material and the windshield
  or side or rear window of the vehicle, as applicable.
         (b)  Subsection (a) [This section] does not apply to:
               (1)  a windshield that has a sunscreening device that:
                     (A)  in combination with the windshield has a
  light transmission of 35 [25] percent or more;
                     (B)  in combination with the windshield has a
  luminous reflectance of 25 percent or less;
                     (C)  is not red, blue, or amber; and
                     (D)  does not extend downward beyond the AS-1 line
  or more than five inches from the top of the windshield, whichever
  is closer to the top of the windshield;
               (2)  a wing vent or a window other than a windshield if
  the vent or window has a sunscreening device that in combination
  with the vent or window has:
                     (A)  a light transmission of 35 [25] percent or
  more; and
                     (B)  a luminous reflectance of 25 percent or less;
               (3)  a rear window, if the motor vehicle is equipped
  with an outside mirror on each side of the vehicle that reflects to
  the vehicle operator a view of the highway for a distance of at
  least 200 feet from the rear;
               (4)  a rearview mirror;
               (5)  an adjustable nontransparent sun visor that is
  mounted in front of a side window and not attached to the glass;
               (6)  a direction, destination, or termination sign on a
  passenger common carrier motor vehicle, if the sign does not
  interfere with the vehicle operator's view of approaching traffic;
               (7)  a rear window wiper motor;
               (8)  a rear trunk lid handle or hinge;
               (9)  a luggage rack attached to the rear trunk;
               (10)  a side window that is to the rear of the vehicle
  operator on a multipurpose vehicle;
               (11)  a window that has a United States, state, or local
  certificate placed on or attached to it as required by law;
               (12)  a motor vehicle that is not registered in this
  state;
               (13)  a window that complies with federal standards for
  window materials, including a factory-tinted or a pretinted window
  installed by the vehicle manufacturer, or a replacement window
  meeting the specifications required by the vehicle manufacturer;
               (14)  a vehicle that is:
                     (A)  used regularly to transport passengers for a
  fee; and
                     (B)  authorized to operate under license or permit
  by a local authority;
               (15)  a vehicle that is maintained by a law enforcement
  agency and used for law enforcement purposes; or
               (16)  a commercial motor vehicle as defined by Section
  644.001.
         (e)  It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)
  [this section] that the defendant or a passenger in the vehicle at
  the time of the violation is required for a medical reason to be
  shielded from direct rays of the sun.
         SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
  only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
  Act. For purposes of this section, an offense was committed before
  the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense
  occurred before that date.
         (b)  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.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.