By Ismael M. Belkoura at Fort Worth Report
YES
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law in June 2023 that eliminates paper license plates starting July 1, 2025.
The law, introduced into the Texas Legislature as House Bill 718, substitutes paper license plates with temporary metal license plates.
State Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, introduced the bill because of an increase in the number of counterfeit paper license plates.
Law enforcement officials estimated that more than 1.2 million fraudulent paper license plates were created in Texas in 2021. Investigators also estimated fake paper plates cost the state around $220 million from 2018 to 2021.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles began rolling out the changes in July 2024. Estimated costs range from $13.5 million to $21.5 million annually over the next five years but will be offset by a new $10 license plate fee.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Texas Register Issue July 12, 2024 | Chapter 217. Vehicle titles and registration
- Texas Legislature | House Bill 718
- The Dallas Morning News | Head of Texas Department of Motor Vehicles resigns as agency grapples with fake license tag problems
- KHOU 11 | Fake paper plates in Texas: A multimillion-dollar criminal enterprise hiding in plain sight, police say
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