Bill Text: TX HB623 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to an exemption for a homeless individual from the payment of a fee for the issuance of a driver's license or personal identification certificate.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-21 - Referred to Homeland Security & Public Safety [HB623 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB623-Introduced.html
86R3718 BEE-D | ||
By: Neave | H.B. No. 623 |
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relating to an exemption for a homeless individual from the payment | ||
of a fee for the issuance of a driver's license or personal | ||
identification certificate. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter R, Chapter 521, Transportation Code, | ||
is amended by adding Section 521.4265 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 521.4265. EXEMPTION FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUAL. (a) In | ||
this section, "homeless individual": | ||
(1) means an individual who: | ||
(A) lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate | ||
nighttime residence; or | ||
(B) has a primary nighttime residence that is: | ||
(i) a supervised publicly or privately | ||
operated shelter designed to provide temporary living | ||
accommodations, including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and | ||
transitional housing for the mentally ill; | ||
(ii) an institution that provides a | ||
temporary residence for individuals intended to be | ||
institutionalized; or | ||
(iii) a public or private place not | ||
designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping | ||
accommodation for human beings; and | ||
(2) does not include an individual who is imprisoned | ||
or otherwise detained in a correctional facility. | ||
(b) Except as provided by Subsections (f) and (i), a | ||
homeless individual is entitled to an exemption from the payment of | ||
fees under this chapter for the issuance of a driver's license or | ||
personal identification certificate. | ||
(c) For the purposes of this section, a person's status as a | ||
homeless individual must be confirmed by a notarized affidavit | ||
from: | ||
(1) an employee of a homeless shelter or transitional | ||
housing facility; | ||
(2) an employee of an organization that provides to | ||
homeless individuals or assists homeless individuals in obtaining | ||
services such as health services, mental or behavioral health | ||
services, substance abuse services, public assistance services, or | ||
employment services; | ||
(3) an attorney licensed to practice law in this | ||
state; | ||
(4) a peace officer who is an official homeless | ||
liaison; | ||
(5) an employee of a faith-based organization that | ||
provides benefits or services to homeless individuals; or | ||
(6) a counselor or administrator at a school attended | ||
by the homeless individual. | ||
(d) A person may not charge a fee for the affidavit | ||
described by Subsection (c). | ||
(e) An affidavit described by Subsection (c) may not be used | ||
for a driver's license or personal identification certificate | ||
application if the affidavit was signed more than 60 days before the | ||
date the application is submitted. | ||
(f) Subsection (b) does not apply to a person subject to the | ||
registration requirements of Chapter 62, Code of Criminal | ||
Procedure. | ||
(g) For each exemption granted under this section the | ||
department shall deposit to the credit of the Texas mobility fund an | ||
amount from the identification fee exemption account under | ||
Subsection (h) that is equal to the amount of the waived fee that | ||
would otherwise be deposited to the mobility fund. | ||
(h) The identification fee exemption account is created as | ||
an account in the general revenue fund of the state treasury. The | ||
fund consists of grants and donations made to the department for the | ||
purposes of this section. The department shall administer the | ||
account. Money in the account may be appropriated for the purposes | ||
of Subsection (g). | ||
(i) The department may not grant an exemption under this | ||
section if money is not available in the identification fee | ||
exemption account to meet the requirements of Subsection (g). | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |