Bill Caption

Fiscal Notes

Bill Analysis

HB 3131 would amend current Transportation Code by including the demolition, wrecking, or dismantling of a motor vehicle, which is owned by the person submitting the application or in possession of a lien.

The department would be allowed to increase the fee for the application from $2 to $10. Once the ownership of the vehicle has been verified, the department must provide notice to the owners and lienholders of the motor vehicle. The department would also be responsible for providing a certificate of authority to the company responsible for disposal of the vehicle, if the application was executed properly, the fee has been paid, and contains proof of notification or ownership.

If the fee has not been paid before the 31st day after the date that a copy of the notice has been filed the county tax assessor – collector’s office and the lienholder may move forward with the disposal of the vehicle, if the vehicle’s only residual value is a source of scrap metal or is not economical to publicly sale.

Vote Recommendation Notes

It is within the legitimate function of government to set up a process administered by state agency to mediate the removal of an abandoned motor vehicle by the owner of the property and the demolisher. This bill provides a process for the legal transfer or ownership from the vehicle owner to the demolisher while upholding individual property rights, therefore we support this bill.