HBA-KMH H.B. 2316 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2316 By: Maxey Judicial Affairs 3/24/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Court costs assessed upon conviction of misdemeanor traffic offenses have climbed significantly in the past 25 years. Under limited circumstances, judges may dismiss certain charges without payment of court costs when a presumably unintentional infraction, such as an expired vehicle registration or driver's license, is remedied. In these cases, the driver provides proof of the remedy and pays a $10 dismissal fee. There are numerous unintentional infractions, however, for which a judge does not have the option of dismissing court costs. Specifically, court costs must be applied to infractions related to vehicle equipment violations such as burned out tail lights and cracked windshields. H.B. 2316 authorizes a judge to dismiss a vehicle equipment violation and to assess a $10 court cost if the defendant remedies the defect within 10 working days. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 547.004, Transportation Code, by adding Subsection (c), as follows: (c) Authorizes a judge having jurisdiction over an offense under this section to dismiss the charge if the defendant remedies the defect within 10 working days, and to assess an administrative fee not to exceed $10 when the charge is dismissed. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.