Public Safety Commission approves Driver Responsibility Program changes 071610

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July 15, 2010

Public Safety Commission approves

Driver Responsibility Program changes

The Texas Public Safety Commission approved proposed changes to the

Driver Responsibility Program rules during their meeting Thursday. The

changes will be published for public comment in the Texas Register and

then be presented for adoption by the Commission, probably at the

September meeting.

The proposed amnesty program:

* Will apply to individuals who have been in default, and the

Department will determine the time in default for each amnesty period

* Reduced amount will be 10 percent of total surcharges owed,

not to exceed $250

* Will rescind suspension for those who receive amnesty while

payments are being made

The proposed indigency program:

* Will apply to individuals at or below 125 percent of poverty

level, or with a debt-to-income ratio of at least 50 percent, using a

sworn affidavit

* Reduced amount will be 10 percent of total surcharges owed,

not to exceed $250

* Will rescind suspension for those who receive indigency while

payments are being made

The proposed incentive program:

* Individuals will pay a reduced amount if all three years are

paid in full

* Reduced to 50 percent of what's owed if paid within 30 days

after notice

* Reduced to 60 percent if paid within 60 days after notice

* Reduced to 70 percent if paid within 90 days after notice

OR

Reduced payments for continued compliance

* First year, pay 100 percent

* Second year, reduced by 50 percent

* Third year, reduced by 75 percent

If approved, the programs would be phased in over several months:

* The Amnesty program would be implemented during tax season

* The Indigency program would be implemented immediately after

Amnesty, which will allow for better fiscal analysis

* The Incentive program would be evaluated for implementation

(The Driver Responsibility law, passed during the 78th Texas Legislative

session, established a system to assess surcharges based on certain

traffic offenses that occurred on or after September 1, 2003. The 81st

Texas Legislature amended the law to require a reduction for indigent

individuals.)

In other business, the Commission:

* Named DPS General Counsel Stuart Platt as the interim

Inspector General for the agency. The commission will initiate a

nationwide search for a permanent Inspector General.

* Approved spending $10 million in bonds for repairs and

renovations to DPS buildings across the state

* Approved accepting the donation of a radio tower from Colorado

County. The radio tower is built on land already owned by DPS.

Also,

* The U.S. Department of Homeland Security presented

certificates of appreciation to a DPS employee and an Austin Police

Department Lieutenant for their assistance in February when a man

intentionally crashed his airplane into the IRS offices in the Echelon

Building in Northwest Austin. Bart R. , principal deputy under

secretary for intelligence and analysis for the Department of Homeland

Security, presented the certificates to Lt. Mark Spangler and

Nunez, who provided critical information about the incident and the man

who crashed his plane into the building. Spangler is the director for

the Austin Regional Intelligence Center. Nunez is a DPS supervisory

intelligence analyst for the Texas Fusion Center.

### (PIO 2010-74)