Governmental Issues

April 2009 - Bills for Consideration in Texas Legislature

HB400: The court shall dismiss a charge for parking in a disabled parking space without a valid placard if:(A)€€the vehicle displayed a disabled parking placard that was not valid as expired;(B)€€the defendant remedies the defect by renewing the expired disabled parking placard within 20 working days from the date of the offense or before the defendant's first court appearance date(C)€€the disabled parking placard has not been expired for more than 60 days€The court may dismiss a charge of unlawfully parking a vehicle in a space designated specifically for persons with disabilities, if at the time of the offense the defendant's vehicle displays a disabled parking placard that has been expired for more than 60 days. Status: Passed out of the House.

HB618: Parking privileges: certain veterans and military award recipients:A vehicle on which license plates issued under Section 504.202 (POW, Purple Heart, Congressional Medal of Honor, Legion of Valor, Silver Star) are displayed is exempt from the payment of a parking fee collected through a parking meter charged by a governmental authority other than a branch of the federal government, when being operated by or for the transportation of the person eligible for the specialty place. Status: Voted favorably out of House Committee.

HB2020: A vehicle may be parked for an unlimited period in a parking space or area that is designated specifically for persons with physical disabilities if displays license plates issued by another state of the United States that indicate on the face of the license plates that the owner or operator of the vehicle is a disabled veteran of the United States armed forces. Status: Voted favorably out of House Committee.

HB2346: An employee designated by the municipality may be authorized to€request the removal of a vehicle parked illegally in an area designated as a tow-away zone in a residential area where on-street parking is regulated by municipal ordinance. Status: Referred to Transportation Committee.

HB3095: White on a blue shield for a placard issued to a person with a permanent disabilityWhite on a red shield for a placard issued to a person with a temporary disability. €Status: Left Pending in Transportation Committee.

HB3507: If the initial application for specialty license plates under this section is made by or on behalf of a person with a mobility problem that substantially impairs the person's ability to ambulate, the written statement required by Subsection (d) may be issued by a person licensed to practice chiropractic in this state or a state adjacent to this state. €Status: Left pending in Transportation subcommittee.

HB4349: Relating to certification of a person as eligible for disabled parking privileges has another debilitating condition that limits or impairs the person 's ability to walk. €Status: Referred to Transportation Committee.

SB52: Relating to the penalties for the illegal use of a parking space or area designated specifically for persons with disabilities:An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $500or more than $750; if it is shown on the trial of an offense under this section that the person has been previously convicted one time of an offense under this section, the offense is punishable by a fine of not less than $550 or more than $800 and 10 hours of community service.If it is shown on the trial of an offense under this section that the person has been previously convicted two times of an offense under this section, the offense is punishable by a fine of not less than $550 or more than $800 and not less than 20 or more than 30 hours of community service.If it is shown on the trial of an offense under this section that the person has been previously convicted three times of an offense under this section, the offense is punishable by a fine of not less than $800 or more than $1,100 and not less than 20 or more than 50 hours of community service. Status: Bill passed out of the Senate.

SB793: A written prescription for a disabled parking placard can be issued by a person acting under the delegation and supervision of a licensed physician. Status: Voted favorably out Senate Committee, being scheduled for public hearing.

SB1021: Relating to a prohibition on parking a commercial motor vehicle in certain residential subdivisions:After 10 p.m. and before 6 a.m., a person may not park a commercial motor vehicle or leave the vehicle parked in a private driveway that is located in a residential subdivision.€ Status: Voted favorably out Senate Committee.

SB1984: Identical to HB4349. Status: Voted favorably out Senate Committee, being scheduled for public hearing.

SB2153: Relating to booting of vehicles by private entities in parking facilities; providing penalties. Status: Voted favorably out Senate Committee. Public Hearing 4/15/09