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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the installation of unsafe motor vehicle tires; |
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providing a civil penalty. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 547.001, Transportation Code, is amended |
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by adding Subdivision (9-a) to read as follows: |
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(9-a) "Unsafe tire" means a tire that: |
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(A) has tire tread less than one-sixteenth of an |
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inch deep; |
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(B) has a localized worn spot that exposes the |
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ply or cord through the tread; |
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(C) has a tread or sidewall crack, cut, or snag as |
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measured on the outside of the tire that is more than an inch long |
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and deep enough to expose the body cords; |
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(D) has any visible bump, bulge, or knot |
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apparently related to tread or sidewall separation or partial |
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failure of the tire structure, including the bead area; |
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(E) has been repaired temporarily by the use of a |
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blowout patch or boot; |
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(F) has worn tread wear indicators that contact |
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the road in any two adjacent major grooves in the center or middle |
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of the tire; or |
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(G) does not otherwise meet applicable |
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department safety standards for the tire adopted under Section |
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547.101. |
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SECTION 2. Section 547.612, Transportation Code, is amended |
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by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows: |
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(f) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, a |
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person who owns or operates a business that installs tires on motor |
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vehicles or an employee of the person may not knowingly install an |
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unsafe tire on a motor vehicle to be used on a public street or |
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highway. A person who violates this subsection is liable to this |
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state for a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed $500. This |
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subsection does not apply to the reinstallation of a tire on a motor |
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vehicle that had been removed from the motor vehicle. Section |
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542.301 does not apply to a violation of this subsection. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |