Honorable Robert Nichols, Chair, Senate Committee on Transportation
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB398 by Schwertner (Relating to fingerprints collected by the Texas Department of Public Safety from an applicant for a driver's license or personal identification certificate and used for the department's image verification system.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code to clarify that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) may only require individuals to provide either thumbprints or index fingerprints for identification purposes when applying for a driver license or state identification card.
Currently, Transportation Code Sec. 521.142(b)(1) specifies the following relating to fingerprints is required for identification purposes for a driver license or identification card: "...the thumbprints of the applicant or, if thumbprints cannot be taken, the index fingerprints of the applicant."
Also, Sec. 521.059(a)(2) of the Transportation Code authorizes DPS to require "...an applicant's thumbprints or finger prints" in driver license and identification card applications.
Both the above sections of the Transportation Code authorize DPS to require driver license and identification card applicants to submit either their thumbprints or fingerprints, but not both.
The bill would amend Transportation Code Sec. 521.059(a)(2) to clarify DPS may require driver license and identification card applicants to submit either their thumbprints or index fingerprints.
It is assumed any costs associated with DPS making system modifications to return their systems from a ten-fingerprint system to current and proposed statutory requirements could be absorbed within existing resources.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2015.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.