| TO: | Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB2012 by Vaught (Relating to the criminal consequences of operating without a valid driver's license a motor vehicle for which financial responsibility is not established.), As Passed 2nd House |
The bill would amend Section 521.457 of the Transportation Code to stipulate that a person commits a Class B misdemeanor if a person commits an offense of driving without a valid driver's license and at the time is also operating a motor vehicle without maintaining liability insurance. If at the time a person is driving without a valid driver's license, that person causes or is at fault in a motor vehicle accident that results in serious bodily injury to or the death of another and is driving without maintaining liability insurance, the offense would be a Class A misdemeanor. The punishment for a Class B misdemeanor is a fine not to exceed $2,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days, or both. The punishment for a Class A misdemeanor is a fine not to exceed $4,000; confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or both a fine and confinement. It is anticipated that unless the increased offense level applies to a high number of the offenses committed, there would be no significant fiscal impact.
The bill would amend Section 545.401 of the Transportation Code to enhance the level of punishment for the offense of reckless driving if the offense results in the serious bodily injury or death of an operator or passenger of another motor vehicle. Costs of enforcement and confinement of an offender and revenue gains from the proposed increase in fines are not anticipated to have a significant fiscal impact to the state or units of local government.
| Source Agencies: | 405 Department of Public Safety
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, KJG, MS, DB
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