BILL ANALYSIS
Office of House Bill Analysis
H.B. 1827
By: Hochberg
Public Safety
3/10/1999
Introduced
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
On the back of the current Texas driver’s license there is a writing surface that allows a person to
respond to the phrases “directive to physician has been filed at tel. #” (physician’s directive) and
“allergic reaction to drugs.” H.B. 1827 requires the Department of Public Safety to include on
the back of a driver’s license space on that writing surface to indicate a person’s emergency
contact telephone number (emergency contact statement). This bill requires the department to
include a space to the right of the physician’s directive and emergency contact statement on
which a person may write the appropriate telephone number. This bill also requires the
department to include a box to the left of the physician’s directive and emergency contact
statement which a person may use to indicate the purpose of the telephone number.
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.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 521.125, Transportation Code, as follows:
Sec. 521.125. New Title: MEDICAL AND EMERGENCY INFORMATION ON
LICENSE. Requires the Department of Public Safety (department) to print “emergency
contact tel. #” (emergency contact statement) on the back of a Texas driver’s license,
including to the right of the “directive to physician has been filed at tel. #” (physician’s
directive) and emergency contact statement a surface, rather than a line, on which the
license holder may write, rather than indicate, the appropriate emergency contact
telephone number. Requires the department on the reverse side of a driver’s license to
include to the left of the physician’s directive and emergency contact statement a box that
the license holder may use to indicate the purpose of the telephone number. Makes
conforming changes.
SECTION 2. Authorizes the department, notwithstanding Section 521.125 (Medical Information
on License), Transportation Code, to use any materials that are used for driver’s licenses that the
department has on the effective date of this Act regardless of whether the materials comply with
that section.
SECTION 3. Emergency clause.
Effective date: upon passage.
HBA-DMD H.B. 1827 76(R)