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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR HCPAC

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/20/07

3/05/07 HB

CS/475/aHJC#1/aHJC#2

SHORT TITLE Motor Vehicle Insurance Violations

SB

ANALYST Earnest

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)

Department of Public Safety (DPS)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HJC #2 Amendment

The House Judiciary Committee (HJC) amendment corrects the technical error in HJC’s first

amendment. By that correction, the amendment reduces the proposed penalty to $75 from $150

for failure to meet the requirements of the Mandatory Financial Responsibility Act.

Synopsis of HJC #1 Amendment

The House Judiciary Committee (HJC) amendment strikes language restricting the court’s ability

to suspend or defer fines. There is a technical error in the amendment: Item 2 references page 10

instead of page 12.

Synopsis of Original Bill

The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee substitute for House Bill 475 would

establish a flat fine of $150, and provides that the fine shall not be suspended, deferred or taken

under advisement, for failure to meet the requirements of the Mandatory Financial Responsibility

Act.

CS/House Bill 475/aHJC/aHJC – Page

2

The bill would require law enforcement officers to cite any driver not showing proof of

compliance with the Mandatory Financial Responsibility Act and would permit law enforcement

to check for compliance in a computer database of motor vehicle information.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

There will be a minimal administrative cost for statewide update, distribution and documentation

of statutory changes. Revenue collected from these penalty assessments is deposited to the

General Fund. It is possible that lowering the fine from a maximum of $300 to a flat $150 could

lower the amount of revenue deposited in the state treasury.

BE/nt