Three Texas lawmakers announced Thursday that they are pushing legislation to end the Texas Driver Responsibility Program, an initiative that was started to raise funds for trauma hospitals through surcharges on driving offenses.
State Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, was joined by state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, and state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, in announcing House Bill 104, legislation that would repeal the 10-year old program. All three lawmakers say that though the program was created with good intentions, it has created a headache for many Texans.Turner, author of the original bill creating the program in 2003, said lawmakers need to recognize they made a mistake and repeal the program, which he agrees has been ineffective."It was a good idea, but it has had some very bad outcomes," Turner said.Under the program, DPS administers annual surcharges on the drivers' licenses of people convicted of driving offenses, including minor moving violations or more serious alcohol-related offenses. High-level offenses receive automatic surcharges, and lesser violations are assessed through a point system. Individuals are notified by mail each time a surcharge is added to their driver record. If a driver does not pay fines within 105 days of assessment, his or her license can be revoked.This system of collecting charges has resulted in 1.3 million Texas drivers with invalid licenses, Turner said.Gonzales says this has created a "compounding cycle," where people who cannot pay the surcharges continue to drive, out of necessity, and rack up additional charges from penalties. He said people who have their license revoked and continue to drive are less likely to have auto insurance, causing additional concerns.He also says that only about 40 percent of charges have been collected through the program. That amounts to $370 million, which Burnam said is adequate to fund trauma centers until 2019, if the program is repealed. He added that these funds would secure operations until the Legislature could find a solution for future funding.Trauma centersJohn Hawkins, senior vice president for advocacy and public policy for the Texas Hospital Association, said that there are broad concerns over whether a new funding source for trauma centers can be found, given the political and economic climate. He says that if the state does not expand Medicaid, more burdens will be placed on hospitals, and he is skeptical that current funds would be able to sustain the program until 2019."We are gravely concerned about this legislation," Hawkins said.'New class of criminals'Burnam said that the original intention of the program, to reduce drunken driving offenses and fund emergency trauma centers, has fallen flat.He believes that the program has created an unwarranted "new class of criminals" who continue to drive after receiving fines because in a state that does not have adequate public transportation, they must break the law to get to work.Burnam attempted to end the program in 2011.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
