Over the objections of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) approved a rule change prohibiting vehicle registration for individuals who cannot provide valid proof of lawful presence in the state. A detailed explanation of the rule change was opposed by car dealers, bankers, counties and others.
“The proposed rules would impose substantial new administrative duties on county offices without providing the tools, funding or legal authority necessary to carry them out. Counties would be required to receive, handle, store and — in some cases — ‘verify’ copies of highly sensitive personal identification documents submitted by mail or electronically,” said the Conference of Urban Counties in written testimony.
“County offices are not law enforcement agencies and are not equipped to authenticate federal, out-of-state or immigration-related identification documents,” said Adam Haynes, Policy Director with the group.
“IBAT has raised concerns about the practicalities of public policy and the effect on Texas businesses, including car dealers and those who finance automobiles,” said IBAT President and CEO Christopher Williston. “We will continue to document the unintended consequences of this policy decision and communicate them to the Governor’s office.”
