Bill Would Tow Any Driver On The Road Without License
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) - A controversial piece of new legislation could cost drivers their ride if they are caught without a license.
If HB 1047 becomes law, police would be allowed to tow a driver's vehicle if he or she didn't have a valid license.
"It's a very hateful law," said Irving NAACP leader Anthony Bond, "we know that most of the poor people in the state of Texas are black and brown. It's very clear to me that this is just to make money."
Tow truck operator Paul Borselino agrees. But he says the legislation would make the roads safer and benefit his business.
"It'd just be more money in our pockets because that's one less person on the road that might hit us," said Borselino, driver for Dallas Towboys.
It's unclear how many unlicensed drivers travel the roads in Texas.
But more than 12 percent of all drivers in California, which has a similar law, are believed to be unlicensed.
If the Texas bill passes, it would affect many of the state's 1.5 million undocumented immigrants who, along with other illegal drivers, could soon face steep consequences for getting behind the wheel.
Several North Texas cities call for vehicles to be towed if the driver is found to be driving without insurance.
The bill's author, Charles Schwertner (R – Georgetown), did not respond to a request for comment.
