HPD cranks up revenue stream before license plate law revisions kick in
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports that HPD is taking full revenue-stream advantage of a poorly written 2003 Texas law on license plate frames (before revisions kick in later this year):
Houston police officers continue writing tickets to motorists with brackets bordering their license plates despite a new law passed last month making it clear drivers should be cited only if the plate is significantly obscured.
Since January, officers have issued at least 9,500 citations for what they considered license plate obstructions — generally the brackets advertising car dealers or touting sports and alumni loyalties.
Municipal court records also show that since May 4, when Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill that clarified the existing law, at least 2,200 motorists have been cited.
The new law doesn't go into effect until September, but the zeal with which tickets have been issued since Perry signed it has angered some of the cited motorists and disappointed the two Houston-area lawmakers who clarified the rules during the recent legislative session.
"It was never the intention of the Legislature for people to be receiving traffic citations for having license brackets," said state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, who sponsored the bill. "It's clearly out of bounds for them to be issuing tickets now."
He added a common complaint among motorists interviewed by the Houston Chronicle: "It gives the impression that they're just trying to collect revenue."
It does give that impression, yes.
There are more interesting details in the fine story by Stiles, which should be read in its entirety.
If you have a license plate frame on your car, you might want to consider removing it, at least until September.
BLOGVERSATION: NewsWatch: City Hall.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/17/07 09:58 PM | Houston Miscellany | Print | Comments (15)
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