BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 625

By: Neave

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding those in the towing industry who unlawfully tow the vehicles of vulnerable individuals. It has been suggested that the deadline by which individuals victimized by this practice may request a hearing and contest the tow does not afford those individuals a sufficient amount of time to understand their right to do so and to seek legal redress. C.S.H.B. 625 seeks to address this issue by extending the deadline to request such a hearing.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 625 amends the Occupations Code to extend the deadline by which a person entitled to a hearing under the Texas Towing and Booting Act must deliver a written request for the hearing to the court from before the 14th day after the date the applicable vehicle was removed and placed in a vehicle storage facility or booted, excluding weekend days and legal holidays, to before the 60th day after that date, excluding those days and holidays. The bill limits this extension to a person whose vehicle is released from the vehicle storage facility before the 20th day after the date the vehicle was removed and placed in the facility, excluding those days and holidays.          

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 625 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute limits the applicability of the deadline extension for the written notice to a person whose vehicle is released from a vehicle storage facility before the 20th day after the date the vehicle was removed and placed in the facility, excluding weekends and holidays.