Legislators propose five new laws for drivers

Texas’ legislative session is a lot like the morning commute: Everyone is racing to be first and crowding a somewhat taxed system.

By Friday afternoon, more than 1,000 bills and resolutions had been filed for the upcoming session.

Here are five bills, some repeats from past sessions, that could affect Texas drivers in some way.

1. Baby on board

Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-deer Park, would let anyone driving for two be entitled to a carpool lane in Texas. His House Bill 521 says a driver is entitled to use carpool lanes “regardless of whether the vehicle is occupied by a passenger other than the operator’s unborn child.”

The bill follows an episode in which a Plano woman challenged her HOV lane violation, citing her fetus as the second passenger, pointing at her belly when a police officer issued her the ticket.

The proposal comes as abortion laws are certain to be a point of discussion with lawmakers, both those looking to toughen state law and those seeking to lift some restrictions.

2. Digital driver’s license

Rep. Terry Canales, D-edinburg, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, has the Texas Department of Public Safety going digital under a plan to make driver’s licenses similar to insurance documents and allow for their display on a smartphone. House Bill 71 would require DPS to create rules and acquire an app that allows people to show their driver’s license via phone in a way that can be verified.

No word yet on whether that will be accepted at the door of any nightclubs.

3. Ban cellphones, totally

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-laredo, who worked for 10 years to create a state law to ban texting while driving, again seeks to strengthen the ban. Senate Bill 41 would make call use of a cellphone illegal if it is in the driver’s hand. Hands-free use, such as through a vehicle’s onboard features or use of a speaker or headset, would be allowed.

Lawmakers have been reluctant, since creating the texting ban, to toughen any of the state’s cellphone laws.

Drivers have been banned from using hand-held phones for calls, texts and other uses within San Antonio city limits

since 2015, but not all of the cities in the metropolitan area have a similar ban.

4. Back plates only

Rep. Gene Wu, D-houston, wants to mullet your car or truck, for a price. Party in the front, business in the back.

House Bill 497 would allow drivers to display only a rear license plate, but only if they meet certain conditions.

First, the vehicle owner would pay the state $50 and display a special insignia designed by the state on the vehicle’s windshield.

Some drivers, notably of some sports cars, have said having front plates is a problem, forcing them to make cumbersome modifications and ruin the appearance and in some cases confuse diagnostics on the car or truck.

5. Bandit sign fines

Sen. Borris Miles, Dhouston, again is trying to make bandit signs a costlier crime.

The signs, which litter utility poles and line streets at busy intersections, long have been considered a nuisance by some.

Senate Bill 190 would double the penalty for a first offense to $1,000 and make repeat violators pay up to $5,000 per offense.

Miles’ bill also makes those advertising on the signs — not just the person or company that placed them — liable for penalties. That, he said two years ago, would make them more involved in policing the proliferators.