BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3374

By: Pacheco

Business & Industry

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

State law requires that a person seeking to rent a motor vehicle to another person verify the renter's signature in person. This requirement creates a potential barrier to entry for modern rental companies, which may operate primarily in the digital space with little to no opportunity for in-person interaction, as it creates a de facto requirement for rental companies to have physical locations in Texas. C.S.H.B. 3374 seeks to remove the in-person signature verification requirement.

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. 3374 amends the Transportation Code to remove the requirement for a person seeking to rent a motor vehicle to another person to compare and verify the signature on the renter's driver's license with the renter's signature written in the person's presence.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3374 differs from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways by conforming to certain bill drafting conventions.