Bill Text: TX SB976 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the notification of a peace officer through an indication associated with vehicle registration that a person has a health condition or disability that may impede effective communication.
Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-10 - Effective on 9/1/19 [SB976 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB976-Enrolled.html
| S.B. No. 976 | ||
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| relating to the notification of a peace officer through an | ||
| indication associated with vehicle registration that a person has a | ||
| health condition or disability that may impede effective | ||
| communication. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 502, Transportation Code, | ||
| is amended by adding Section 502.061 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 502.061. REGISTRATION BY OWNER WITH CONDITION THAT | ||
| IMPEDES EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. (a) An application for | ||
| registration must provide space for the applicant to voluntarily | ||
| indicate that the applicant has a health condition or disability | ||
| that may impede effective communication with a peace officer. The | ||
| department may request from a person who makes an indication under | ||
| this subsection verification of a condition in the form of: | ||
| (1) for a physical health condition, a written | ||
| statement from a licensed physician; or | ||
| (2) for a mental health condition, a written statement | ||
| from a licensed physician, a licensed psychologist, or a | ||
| non-physician mental health professional, as defined by Section | ||
| 571.003, Health and Safety Code. | ||
| (b) The department shall provide to the Department of Public | ||
| Safety the vehicle registration information of a person who | ||
| voluntarily indicated on an application under Subsection (a) that | ||
| the person has a health condition or disability that may impede | ||
| effective communication. The department may not provide to the | ||
| Department of Public Safety information that shows the type of | ||
| health condition or disability a person has. | ||
| (c) The Department of Public Safety shall establish a system | ||
| to include information received under Subsection (b) in the Texas | ||
| Law Enforcement Telecommunications System for the purpose of | ||
| alerting a peace officer who makes a traffic stop that the operator | ||
| of the stopped vehicle may have a health condition or disability | ||
| that may impede effective communication. | ||
| (d) The Department of Public Safety may not make information | ||
| received under Subsection (b) available in the Texas Law | ||
| Enforcement Telecommunications System to a person who has access to | ||
| the system under a contract unless the contract prohibits the | ||
| person from disclosing that information to a person who is not | ||
| subject to the contract. | ||
| (e) The department may not issue to a person without the | ||
| person's consent a license plate with a visible marking that | ||
| indicates to the general public that the person voluntarily | ||
| indicated on an application under Subsection (a) that the person | ||
| has a health condition or disability that may impede effective | ||
| communication. | ||
| (f) Except as provided by Subsection (d), information | ||
| supplied to the department relating to an applicant's health | ||
| condition or disability is for the confidential use of the | ||
| department and the Department of Public Safety and may not be | ||
| disclosed to any person. | ||
| SECTION 2. A Department of Public Safety contract that | ||
| allows a person to access the Texas Law Enforcement | ||
| Telecommunications System and that is in effect before the | ||
| effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the | ||
| date on which the contract was entered into, and that law is | ||
| continued in effect for that purpose, except that the contract: | ||
| (1) continues only for the term of the contract; and | ||
| (2) may not be renewed unless the renewed contract | ||
| includes the prohibition required by Section 502.061(d), | ||
| Transportation Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 976 passed the Senate on | ||
| April 11, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 976 passed the House on | ||
| May 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 0, two | ||
| present not voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| Approved: | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
