AGGRESSIVE CRIMINAL DEFENSE REACH OUT TODAY

Repeal Of The Driver Responsibility Program

Davis-Jones Law July 31, 2021

The Texas legislature passed a bill to repeal the Driver Responsibility Program this session (H.B. 2048), and it was signed into law by the Governor in June. The bill will go into effect on September 1, 2019. This document is intended to answer common questions about how the repeal will work.

Driver Responsibility Program (“DRP”) Repealed. What Does This Mean?

The bill passed by the Texas legislature eliminates the DRP entirely, including all past, present, and future surcharges. This means any surcharges owed as of September 1, 2019, will no longer be owed. And no surcharges will be assessed after September 1, 2019.

Approximately 1 million individuals’ driver’s license suspensions will be lifted on September 1, because the DRP is the only reason these individuals’ driver licenses are currently suspended; they have no other underlying suspensions.

Another estimated 500,000 individuals’ driver’s licenses will remain suspended after their DRP surcharges are eliminated because their licenses are suspended due to other enforcement actions in addition to the DRP, such as suspensions for certain criminal convictions, entry into the Failure to Appear/Pay database, and other DPS enforcement actions.

You can read the text of H.B. 2048 here: bit.ly/2XpT70L.

Where Can I Get More Information or Ask Additional Questions?

For specific information about your Texas driver’s license and how the DRP repeal impacts you, email the Texas Department of Public Safety at DRPRepeal@dps.texas.gov. This is a special email address that has been created to answer the public’s questions related to the DRP repeal. You can also call the DPS customer service line at (512) 424-2600 though the wait time to speak to someone is often lengthy.

Read the complete FAQ published by Texas Fair Defense Project and Texas Appleseed here.