Many license plate frames illegal: Court ruling gives police power to stop cars with partially obscured plates (Chuck Lindell, Austin American-Statesman)
Texans who unintentionally cover even a small portion of their car’s license plate can be stopped by police, ticketed and perhaps arrested for the offense, the state’s highest criminal court ruled Wednesday.
The 8-1 decision left three Court of Criminal Appeals judges holding their noses
Tommy Williams (Woodlands) has filed Senate Bill 369 and Bill Callegari (Katy) has filed an identical House Bill 348.
Both will modify the 2003 law to clarify it and allow license plate frames and other decorations as long as all of the license number and at least half the issuing state is visible.
The law allows exceptions to even that for installation of a transponder (like what Harris County Toll Road Authority uses on certain vehicles that have metal in the windshield that affects the EZTag Transponders). It also continues to ban anything that would render the main numbers on the plate unreadable on camera (such as covers and sprays).
The House version is being considered in a committee meeting this week, so we’ll have to watch and see if it or the Senate counterpart makes it to the floor.
http://www.capitol.state.tx…