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      By: Birdwell, et al. S.B. No. 2199     (Little)           A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to increasing the criminal penalty for loading certain   overweight vehicles transporting hazardous materials at a weight   that exceeds the weight limitations authorized for the vehicle.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 621.506, Transportation Code, is amended   by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-4) to read as   follows:          (b)  Except as provided by Subsections (b-1), (b-2), [ and ]   (b-3), and (b-4), an offense under this section is a misdemeanor   punishable:                (1)  by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than   $250;                (2)  on conviction of an offense involving a vehicle   having a single axle weight or tandem axle weight that is heavier   than the vehicle's allowable weight, by a fine according to the   following schedule:   Pounds Overweight Fine Range   less than 2,500 $100 to $500   2,500-5,000 $500 to $1,000   more than 5,000 $1,000 to $2,500; or                (3)  on conviction of an offense involving a vehicle   having a gross weight that is heavier than the vehicle's allowable   weight, by a fine according to the following schedule:   Pounds Overweight Fine Range   less than 2,500 $100 to $500   2,500-5,000 $500 to $1,000   5,001-10,000 $1,000 to $2,500   10,001-20,000 $2,500 to $5,000   20,001-40,000 $5,000 to $7,000   more than 40,000 $7,000 to $10,000.           (b-4)     Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,   an offense under Subsection (a)(2) is a felony of the second degree   if the offense involves a vehicle with at least three axles that is   transporting fuel or other hazardous materials in a cargo tank, as   defined by Section 162.001, Tax Code, and was loaded at a weight   that exceeds the weight limitations authorized for the vehicle.          SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only   to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.   An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is   governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,   and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For   purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the   effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred   before that date.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.