| TO: | Honorable John Carona, Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB2012 by Vaught (Relating to the criminal consequences of operating without a valid driver's license a motor vehicle for which financial responsibility is not established.), Committee Report 2nd House, As Amended |
The bill would amend Section 521.457 of the Transportation Code to stipulate that a person commits a Class B misdemeanor if a person commits an offense of driving without a valid driver's license and at the time is also operating a motor vehicle without maintaining liability insurance. If at the time a person is driving without a valid driver's license, that person causes or is at fault in a motor vehicle accident that results in serious bodily injury to or the death of another and is driving without maintaining liability insurance, the offense would be a Class A misdemeanor. The bill would require the Legislative Budget Board to prepare an annual criminal justice policy impact statement relating to the offense of driving without a valid driver's license.
The punishment for a Class B misdemeanor is a fine not to exceed $2,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days, or both. The punishment for a Class A misdemeanor is a fine not to exceed $4,000; confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or both a fine and confinement.
It is anticipated that unless the increased offense level applies to a high number of the offenses committed, there would be no significant fiscal impact.
| Source Agencies: | 405 Department of Public Safety
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, KJG, MS, DB
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