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        |  | AN ACT | 
      
        |  | relating to the refusal to register motor vehicles by a county | 
      
        |  | assessor-collector or the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. | 
      
        |  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
        |  | SECTION 1.  Section 502.185, Transportation Code, is amended | 
      
        |  | by amending Subsections (a) and (f) and adding Subsection (f-1) to | 
      
        |  | read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (a)  A county assessor-collector or the department may | 
      
        |  | refuse to register a motor vehicle if the assessor-collector or the | 
      
        |  | department receives information that the owner of the vehicle: | 
      
        |  | (1)  owes the county money for a fine, fee, or tax that | 
      
        |  | is past due; or | 
      
        |  | (2)  failed to appear in connection with a complaint, | 
      
        |  | citation, information, or indictment in a court in the county in | 
      
        |  | which a criminal proceeding is pending against the owner. | 
      
        |  | (f)  A county that has a contract under Subsection (b) may | 
      
        |  | impose an additional fee of $20 to: | 
      
        |  | (1)  a person who fails to pay [ paying] a fine, fee, or | 
      
        |  | tax to the county by the date on which the fine, fee, or tax is | 
      
        |  | [ after it is past] due; or | 
      
        |  | (2)  a person who fails to appear in connection with a | 
      
        |  | complaint, citation, information, or indictment in a court in which | 
      
        |  | a criminal proceeding is pending against the owner. | 
      
        |  | (f-1)  The additional fee may be used only to reimburse the | 
      
        |  | department or the county assessor-collector for its expenses for | 
      
        |  | providing services under the contract, or another county department | 
      
        |  | for expenses related to services under the contract. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 2.  Section 702.003, Transportation Code, is amended | 
      
        |  | by amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (e-1) to | 
      
        |  | read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (b)  A municipality may contract with a county in which the | 
      
        |  | municipality is located or the department to provide information to | 
      
        |  | the county assessor-collector or department necessary to make a | 
      
        |  | determination under Subsection (a). | 
      
        |  | (c)  A municipality that has a contract under Subsection (b) | 
      
        |  | shall notify the county assessor-collector or the department | 
      
        |  | regarding a person for whom the county assessor-collector or the | 
      
        |  | department has refused to register a motor vehicle on: | 
      
        |  | (1)  entry of a judgment against the person and the | 
      
        |  | person's payment to the court of the fine for the violation and of | 
      
        |  | all court costs; | 
      
        |  | (2)  perfection of an appeal of the case for which the | 
      
        |  | arrest warrant was issued; or | 
      
        |  | (3)  dismissal of the charge for which the arrest | 
      
        |  | warrant was issued. | 
      
        |  | (e-1)  A municipality that has a contract under Subsection | 
      
        |  | (b) may impose an additional $20 fee to a person who has an | 
      
        |  | outstanding warrant from the municipality for failure to appear or | 
      
        |  | failure to pay a fine on a complaint that involves the violation of | 
      
        |  | a traffic law.  The additional fee may be used only to reimburse the | 
      
        |  | department or the county assessor-collector for its expenses for | 
      
        |  | providing services under the contract, or another county department | 
      
        |  | for expenses related to services under the contract. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 3.  The changes in law made by Sections 502.185 and | 
      
        |  | 702.003, Transportation Code, as amended by this Act, apply only to | 
      
        |  | a failure to appear or a fine, fee, or tax in connection with a | 
      
        |  | complaint, citation, information, or indictment issued on or after | 
      
        |  | the effective date of this Act.  A failure to appear or a fine, fee, | 
      
        |  | or tax in connection with a complaint, citation, information, or | 
      
        |  | indictment issued before the effective date of this Act is subject | 
      
        |  | to the law in effect on that date, and that law is continued in | 
      
        |  | effect for that purpose. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. | 
      
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        |  | ______________________________ | ______________________________ | 
      
        |  | President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | 
      
        |  | 
      
        |  | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1386 passed the Senate on | 
      
        |  | May 9, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 3; and that the | 
      
        |  | Senate concurred in House amendment on May 25, 2011, by the | 
      
        |  | following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 3. | 
      
        |  |  | 
      
        |  | 
      
        |  | ______________________________ | 
      
        |  | Secretary of the Senate | 
      
        |  | 
      
        |  | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1386 passed the House, with | 
      
        |  | amendment, on May 20, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 140, | 
      
        |  | Nays 9, one present not voting. | 
      
        |  |  | 
      
        |  | 
      
        |  | ______________________________ | 
      
        |  | Chief Clerk of the House | 
      
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        |  | Approved: | 
      
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        |  | ______________________________ | 
      
        |  | Date | 
      
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        |  |  | 
      
        |  | ______________________________ | 
      
        |  | Governor |