By: Thompson (Senate Sponsor - Nichols) H.B. No. 3928

(In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 2025; May 19, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Transportation; May 23, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 23, 2025, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to providing notice of a vehicle towed to a vehicle storage facility by publication on a third-party Internet website.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 2303.152, Occupations Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (e) and adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:

(a) Notice to the registered owner and the primary lienholder of a vehicle towed to a vehicle storage facility may be provided by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the vehicle is stored or on a publicly available Internet website maintained by a department-approved third party if:

(1) the vehicle is registered in another state;

(2) the operator of the storage facility submits to the governmental entity responsible for maintaining the motor vehicle title and registration database for the state in which the vehicle is registered a request for information relating to the identity of the registered owner and any lienholder of record that is either:

(A) written; or

(B) electronic, through the governmental entity's secure access portal;

(3) the identity of the registered owner cannot be determined;

(4) the registration does not contain an address for the registered owner; or

(5) the operator of the storage facility cannot reasonably determine the identity and address of each lienholder.

(e) Notice to the registered owner and the primary lienholder of a vehicle towed to a vehicle storage facility may be provided by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the vehicle is stored or on a publicly available Internet website maintained by a department-approved third party if:

(1) the vehicle does not display a license plate or a vehicle inspection certificate indicating the state of registration;

(2) the identity of the registered owner cannot reasonably be determined by the operator of the storage facility; or

(3) the operator of the storage facility cannot reasonably determine the identity and address of each lienholder.

(f) The department shall include on the department's Internet website a link to any Internet website maintained by a department-approved third party where notice may be provided under Subsection (a) or (e).

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

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