HB 2609

bill stops license renewal denials over unpaid fines

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to prohibiting the denial of a driver's license renewal for failure to appear in court, failure to pay a fine or cost, or failure to satisfy a judgment.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

DPS can’t refuse renewal for missed court or unpaid fines.

The bill repeals the state law that lets the Department of Public Safety refuse to renew a driver's license when a person fails to appear in court, fails to pay a fine or cost, or fails to satisfy a judgment. It touches drivers with unpaid tickets or missed court dates, the local courts that report them, and the Department of Public Safety. The money already flowing into the transportation administrative fee account keeps coming in, but it is no longer limited to paying the Department of Public Safety's costs of running the repealed program, so drivers can renew their licenses despite those court problems starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 4074 (Died in committee) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 4074 (Died in committee). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.PENDING FOREVER. Heard by the House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs committee on Apr 23, 2025 and left pending. Never voted out. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB2609 · 2025-02-10

SOLD BY

Rep. Diego M. BernalDHouse 123

ITEM

relating to prohibiting the denial of a driver's license renewal for failure to appear in court, failure to pay a fine or cost, or failure to satisfy a judgment.

WHAT IT DOES

DPS can’t refuse renewal for missed court or unpaid fines.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 22, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

Feb 10, 2025Filed
Mar 18, 2025Read first time
Mar 18, 2025Referred to Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
Apr 23, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 23, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 23, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
Apr 23, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 23, 2025Left pending in committee

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Diego M. Bernal

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$10K Texas Sands PAC$8K Texas HDCC$7K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 2, 2024 to Jun 11, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$10,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$10,000.00

Cash: $10,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $10,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 13, 2024 to Feb 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100987101, 101032904, 101060248.

Texas Sands PAC$8,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$8,000.00

Cash: $8,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $8,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 18, 2024 to Dec 10, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100987101.

Texas HDCC$7,000.00

Texas HDCC

$7,000.00

Cash: $7,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $7,000.00

Also funds 2 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 3, 2024 to May 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Apr 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101060248.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$10,000.00

Cash: $10,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $10,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 13, 2024 to Feb 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100987101, 101032904, 101060248.

Texas Sands PAC

$8,000.00

Cash: $8,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $8,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 18, 2024 to Dec 10, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100987101.

Texas HDCC

$7,000.00

Cash: $7,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $7,000.00

Also funds 2 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 3, 2024 to May 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Apr 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101060248.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 22, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R HB 4074

by Rep. Bernal, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Apr 25, 2023: Left pending in committee

Relating to prohibiting the denial of a driver's license renewal for failure to appear in court, failure to pay a fine or cost, or failure to satisfy a judgment.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Feb 10, 2025

04/23/2025 H Left pending in committee

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Fees & Other Nontax Revenue--State

Vehicles & Traffic--Driver's Licenses

Text

The text as introduced · 158 words

By: Bernal
H.B. No. 2609

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to prohibiting the denial of a driver's license renewal

for failure to appear in court, failure to pay a fine or cost, or

failure to satisfy a judgment.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 133.124, Local Government Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 133.124. ALLOCATION OF FEES TO TRANSPORTATION

ADMINISTRATIVE FEE ACCOUNT. The transportation administrative fee

account is an account in the general revenue fund. The account

consists of money allocated to the account under Section

133.102(e). [ Money in the account may be appropriated only to the

Department of Public Safety to defray the administrative costs

associated with implementing Chapter 706, Transportation Code. ]

SECTION 2. The following provisions of the Transportation

Code are repealed:

(1) Section 521.317;

(2) Section 521.3452(b); and

(3) Chapter 706.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.