Texas Legislature Goofs On License Plate Law

Texas House Bill 2357 was approved in May.  It aimed to simplify the Texas Transportation Code.  Something got lost in the translation.

The 234 page bill divides motor vehicle violations into chapters which include the penalty for violations.  This eliminates the need to go through the large volume of previous code trying to determine punishment information.

Unfortunately the bill omitted the $200 fine outlawing the operation of motor vehicles without license plates.  Texas vehicles since 1934 have had to display plates on the front and back of the vehicle.

You're still required to do so but there's no fine associated with the violation.  The law goes into effect January 1st.

It is undetermined if a legislative fix is required.  If so it could be January 2013 before it is amended.

For more see this source article.