HBA-DMH H.B. 1777 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1777 By: Brimer Transportation 3/8/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Tow truck drivers sometime use a door-unlocking device to enter a locked vehicle. Under current law, registered tow truck companies may hire individuals who have a theft-related criminal conviction. House Bill 1777 requires the Texas Department of Transportation to deny registration to a tow truck carrier if the carrier employs a person to operate a tow truck who has a specified criminal conviction, and to deny the application of a vehicle storage facility if the facility employs any person that has been convicted of a specified felony or misdemeanor in the ten years preceding the date of the application. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1777 amends the Transportation Code to require the Texas Department of Transportation (department) to deny the registration of any tow truck carrier who has or who employs another person to operate a tow truck who has a criminal conviction involving theft or burglary of a business, residence, or automobile. The bill amends the Vehicle Storage Facility Act to provide that the department is required to approve an application to operate a vehicle storage facility unless specified persons, including any person employed by the vehicle storage facility, has been convicted of a specified offense in the 10, rather than 3, years preceding the date of the application. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.