Repeal of the Driver Responsibility Program: Frequently Asked Questions

The bill passed by the Texas legislature eliminates the DRP entirely, including all past, present, and future surcharges. This means any surcharges owed as of September 1, 2019, will no longer be owed. And no surcharges will be assessed after September 1, 2019.

Approximately 1 million individuals’ driver’s license suspensions were scheduled to be lifted on September 1 because the DRP is the only reason these individuals’ driver licenses are currently suspended; they have no other underlying suspensions.

Another estimated 500,000 individuals’ driver’s licenses remained suspended after their DRP surcharges were eliminated because their licenses are suspended due to other enforcement actions in addition to the DRP, such as suspensions for certain criminal convictions, entry into the Failure to Appear/Pay database, and other DPS enforcement actions.
 

No. Although all unpaid DRP surcharges were eliminated on September 1, 2019, there will not be reimbursement for any DRP surcharges that have already been paid through the program.

Texas canceled all DRP surcharges on September 1, 2019. You no longer owe any DRP surcharges.

That depends on a number of things including how long your license has been suspended, whether you owe reinstatement fees, and whether you have other suspensions or holds.

If unpaid DRP surcharges are the only reason for your suspension and you owe no reinstatement fees for other suspensions, your license should have been automatically reinstated on September 1. To check if you have other suspensions or owe reinstatement fees, go to texas.gov and select “Driver License Reinstatement & Status.” If your license is suspended under other programs in addition to the DRP, you will need to satisfy the requirements of those programs before you obtain a valid license.

Even if you have no other suspensions or reinstatement fees, you may need to renew or obtain a copy of your driver’s license. For example, if you need a duplicate copy of your license because it has been taken away, you will need to order one through DPS for $11. If your license has expired during the suspension period, you will need to renew it through DPS for $25. This can usually be done online at texas.gov; select “Driver License/ID Renewal/Replacement.”

If your driver’s license has been expired for more than two years, you will need to apply and re-test for a driver’s license. These tests include a written test, vision test, and driving test.

Payments continued to be due on a monthly basis until September 1, 2019. If you missed a payment before then, your license will likely have been suspended in a matter of days. However, beginning September 1, you should stop making payments. After this date, you owe nothing and do not need to make any additional payment to DPS related to DRP surcharges.

In short, they are not affected. It’s very common for a person to have both a suspension for not paying DRP surcharges and an OmniBase hold for not paying a fine at the same time. Only the DRP surcharges are affected by the new law. The OmniBase holds are not affected.

To check to see if you have OmniBase holds, go to Texas DPS and search by your driver’s license number and date of birth. To lift an OmniBase hold, you will need to either pay the fine owed or work out an alternative way to resolve what you owe with the court, usually through a payment plan to pay in monthly installments or through community service. To arrange one of these options, contact the court that has placed the OmniBase hold directly.

The new law only impacts suspensions for not paying DRP surcharges. If you have a suspension for any other reason, like a DWI charge, a drug possession conviction, driving with an invalid license, or driving without insurance, that suspension did not change in September. To see what types of suspensions or holds you have that are preventing you from renewing your driver’s license visit texas.gov and select “Driver License Reinstatement & Status.”

Approximately 350,000 individuals whose driver’s licenses are suspended due to unpaid Driver Responsibility Program surcharges will still need to pay a reinstatement fee that is not related to the DRP repeal before they can reinstate their license. Upon payment of that fee, these individuals’ licenses will be reinstated if they have no other suspensions.

Individuals can check if they have reinstatement fees by going to texas.gov and selecting “Driver License Reinstatement & Status.” You can pay the fees online or through the mail. Unfortunately, there is no program to reduce or waive reinstatement fees. If you have no other holds then once the reinstatement fees are paid you will be able to either request a copy of your driver’s license, renew your driver’s license, or, if your driver’s license has been expired for more than two years, apply and re-test for a driver’s license.

There is currently a lawsuit against DPS for the DRP program. That case is still pending, and it is unclear what impact repeal will have on it. However, monetary damages in that lawsuit were not requested, so you will not be eligible to receive damages.

You can read the text of H.B. 2048 here. Click on the icon on the row marked 'Enrolled' to read the final version of the bill that was sent to the governor. The bill text will pop up in a new window or browser tab.

For specific information about your Texas driver’s license and how the DRP repeal impacts you, email the Texas Department of Public Safety at DRPRepeal@dps.texas.gov. This is a special email address that has been created to answer the public’s questions related to the DRP repeal. You can also call the DPS customer service line at (512) 424-2600 though the wait time to speak to someone if often lengthy.

For more information about driver’s license suspensions on account of unpaid fines and fees and policy solutions to address them, read this report by Texas Appleseed.