Monitoring the Session

SB 1902

Nichols’s bill on the dealer license plate database

Became law

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Robert NicholsRSenate 3

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 the administration of the dealer-issued license plates database and to the removal and transfer of license plates.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Dealers already cut off from temporary tags can lose plate access too.

The bill lets the Department of Motor Vehicles cut off a car dealer's access to the dealer license plate database if the dealer was already denied access to the old temporary tag database, and it rewrites the rule on what happens to license plates when a car is sold. Plates no longer stay with the car: a dealer must pull the plates and may put them only on a vehicle bought from that dealer, and a private seller must pull the plates and may move them to another vehicle in the seller's name with state approval and a new registration sticker. Plates that are not reused must be disposed of as the department prescribes within 10 days, and the department must write rules by October 1, 2025.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1902 · 2025-03-04

SOLD BY

Sen. Robert NicholsRSenate 3

+ 3 coauthors

ITEM

relating to the administration of the dealer-issued license plates database and to the removal and transfer of license plates.

WHAT IT DOES

Dealers already cut off from temporary tags can lose plate access too.

The bill lets the Department of Motor Vehicles cut off a car dealer's access to the dealer license plate database if the dealer was already denied access to the old temporary tag database, and it rewrites the rule on what happens to license plates when a car is sold. Plates no longer stay with the car: a dealer must pull the plates and may put them only on a vehicle bought from that dealer, and a private seller must pull the plates and may move them to another vehicle in the seller's name with state approval and a new registration sticker. Plates that are not reused must be disposed of as the department prescribes within 10 days, and the department must write rules by October 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

Net to General Revenue · FY 2026$0

LBB estimate, flow · fiscal note version I · ( ) = negative · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 11, 2025

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1902, As Introduced: an impact of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2027. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

First year · FY 2026 · $0

Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Transportation
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Vote taken in committee
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  10. Committee report printed and distributed
  11. Co-author authorized
  12. Placed on intent calendar
  13. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  14. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  15. Vote recorded in Journal
  16. Three day rule suspended
  17. Record vote
  18. Read 3rd time
  19. Passed
  20. Record vote
  21. Reported engrossed
  22. Received from the Senate
  23. Read first time
  24. Referred to Transportation
  25. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  26. Considered in public hearing
  27. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  28. Left pending in committee
  29. Considered in formal meeting
  30. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  31. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  32. Committee report distributed
  33. Committee report sent to Calendars
  34. Considered in Calendars
  35. Placed on General State Calendar
  36. Read 2nd time
  37. Passed to 3rd reading
  38. Record vote RV#3265
  39. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  40. Read 3rd time
  41. Passed
  42. Record vote RV#3343
  43. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  44. House passage reported
  45. Reported enrolled
  46. Signed in the Senate
  47. Signed in the House
  48. Sent to the Governor
  49. Signed by the Governor
  50. Effective on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 1, 2025
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 136 yea · 0 nay

Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 23, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Mar 19, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Robert Nichols

Donors

James I Perkins$25,000Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. PAC$10KTexas REALTORS Political Action Committee$10K

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 Mar 25, 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.

James I Perkins$25,000.00
Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. PAC$10,000.00

Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. PAC

$10,000.00

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

Also funds 2 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 5, 2024 to Oct 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 5, 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: 100965387.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$10,000.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$10,000.00

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

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 5, 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: 100965387.

Money

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

×

Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. PAC

$10,000.00

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

Also funds 2 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 5, 2024 to Oct 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 5, 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: 100965387.

×

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$10,000.00

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

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 5, 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: 100965387.

Votes5

House May 23, 2025

Yea
136
Nay
0
Present, not voting
2
Absent
5
Excused
7
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 3343

SB 1902 was passed by (Record 3343): 136 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 136 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 5 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 7 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 22, 2025

Yea
138
Nay
0
Present, not voting
2
Absent
5
Excused
5
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 3265

SB 1902 was passed to third reading by (Record 3265): 138 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 138 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 5 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 5 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 19, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Nichols moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 1902 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 19, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Nichols moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 1902 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 19, 2025

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses24
For
22
Against
0
On
2
Names

For

  • AAA Texas1 registration
  • Dallas Police Association1 registration
  • EAN Holdings, LLC and its Affiliates (dba Enterprise Mobility)1 registration
  • Enterprise Mobility1 registration
  • Harris County Deputies' Organization FOP #391 registration
  • Houston automobile dealers assoc1 registration
  • New Car Dealers of West Texas2 registrations
  • North Texas Automobile Dealers1 registration
  • North texas automobile dealers1 registration
  • Self2 registrations
  • Self; Bird Kultgen Ford1 registration
  • Self; Houston Police Officers Union (HPOU)1 registration
  • Self; Houston Police Officers’ Union1 registration
  • Self; TADA1 registration
  • TADA Texas Automobile Association1 registration
  • Texas Automobile Dealers Association1 registration
  • Texas Independent Automobile Dealers Association2 registrations
  • Texas Police Chiefs Association1 registration
  • Texas Recreational Vehicle Association1 registration

On

  • Texas DMV2 registrations
Sources

24 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal
Net to General Revenue · FY 2026$0

LBB estimate, flow · fiscal note version I · ( ) = negative · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 11, 2025

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1902, As Introduced: an impact of $0 through the biennium ending August 31, 2027. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

First year · FY 2026 · $0

Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds

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.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 4, 2025

06/20/2025 E Effective on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report · Enrolled

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

Coauthors
Brent HagenbuchRSenate 30 Borris MilesDSenate 13 Royce WestDSenate 23
Sponsors
John McQueeneyRHouse 97

House committee · Transportation · Committee vote 12 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Transportation · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

Vehicles & Traffic--General

Vehicles & Traffic--Vehicle Registration

LICENSE PLATES

MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS

MOTOR VEHICLES, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF

Text

The text as introduced · 537 words

89R14963 AND-F

By: Nichols
S.B. No. 1902

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the administration of the dealer-issued license plates

database and to the removal and transfer of license plates.

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

SECTION 1. Section 503.0633(f), Transportation Code, as

effective July 1, 2025, is amended to read as follows:

(f) If the department determines that a dealer is

fraudulently obtaining license plates or sets of license plates or

fraudulently using the database of dealer-issued license plates, or

has been denied access to the temporary tag database under former

Section 503.0632(f), the department may, after giving notice

electronically and by certified mail to the dealer, deny access to

the database of dealer-issued license plates to the dealer. A

dealer denied access to the database of dealer-issued license

plates under this subsection may request a hearing on the denial as

provided by Subchapter O, Chapter 2301, Occupations Code.

SECTION 2. Section 504.901, Transportation Code, as

effective July 1, 2025, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 504.901. REMOVAL AND TRANSFER OF LICENSE PLATES. (a)

On the sale or transfer of a motor vehicle to a dealer who holds a

general distinguishing number issued under Chapter 503, the dealer

shall remove each license plate issued for the motor vehicle. The

dealer shall transfer each removed license plate to a motor vehicle

if that motor vehicle is purchased from the dealer and the license

plates are appropriate for the class of vehicle to which the plates

are being transferred [ Each license plate issued for the motor

vehicle shall be assigned to a subsequent purchaser of the motor

vehicle at retail sale as required by Section 503.063 ].

(b) On the sale or transfer of a motor vehicle to a person

who does not hold a general distinguishing number issued under

Chapter 503, the seller shall remove each license plate issued for

the motor vehicle . The removed license plates may be transferred to

another vehicle titled in the seller's name if the license plates

are appropriate for the class of vehicle to which the plates are

being transferred and the seller obtains:

(1) the department's approval of an application to

transfer the license plates; and

(2) a new registration insignia for [ shall remain

with ] the motor vehicle.

(c) A license plate removed from [ (b-1) The purchaser of ] a

motor vehicle that is not transferred to another motor vehicle must

be disposed of in a manner prescribed by the department not later

than the 10th day after the date the license plate is removed from

the motor vehicle [ may request replacement license plates under

Section 504.007 ].

SECTION 3. Not later than October 1, 2025, the Texas

Department of Motor Vehicles shall adopt rules as necessary to

implement or administer the changes in law made by this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect July 1, 2025, if this Act

receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each

house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.

If this Act does not receive the vote necessary to take effect on

that date, this Act takes effect September 1, 2025.