Bill Caption

Relating to the eligibility for indigent status for purposes of the driver responsibility program.

Fiscal Notes

Because the number of individuals who might be found indigent under the provisions of the bill and therefore eligible for waiver from Driver Responsibility Program surcharges is unknown, the fiscal impact from waiver of surcharges cannot be determined at this time.

Bill Analysis

This legislation would amend the Transportation Code, to clarify the process of determining indigency with respect to the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) and the surcharges accrued. If the individual was already determined to be indigent for the purposes of appointing counsel for the criminal case related to the DRP surcharge and if "the court did not make a subsequent finding that the person had the ability to pay, wholly or partly, the cost of the appointed counsel" the person would automatically be considered indigent for the purposes of the DRP.

Vote Recommendation Notes

This legislation would create consistency, and reduce procedural repetitiveness, which exhausts additional judicial resources. If an individual has been considered indigent for a criminal case, it seems unnecessary to have an additional process to reach the same determination for the associated Driver Responsibility Program surcharges. We support this legislation for limiting government, by making the process of determining if someone is indigent simplified and more cost effective.