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Texas House Bill ensures Texans are not paying twice for vehicle registrations

Posted at 5:52 AM, Jul 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-19 06:52:40-04

Last year our very own Nueces County Tax Assessor-Collector Kevin Kieschnick helped write a House Bill that was passed by the Texas legislature. 

Texas House Bill 2663 ensures Texans are not paying twice for vehicle registrations. 

The no-fee replacement sticker House Bill, that was filed during the 85th Texas Legislature session, went into effect September 1 of 2017.   

"It allows us to issue that sticker without having to charge you the $6.75 replacement fee that was mandated by state law," said Nueces County Tax Assessor-Collector, Kevin Kieschnick. 

A big reason this House Bill was created was the fact that registration stickers were getting lost in the mail, causing people to come to the courthouse seeking replacements. This bill was filed because the state said the county didn’t have authority to re-issue the stickers at no fee. 

"The reason I got my hand in it is because we wanted to get people out of lines and not make you come and wait in line unnecessarily here at the courthouse or at one of the H.E.B.s unnecessarily. We don’t want people to pay for something they already paid for. It is unnecessary and just not right. That was really the main thing behind filing this bill," said Kieschnick. 

The vehicle registration sticker displays your vehicle’s license plate number, county of registration and partial vehicle identification number. This customization helps protect you against theft and fraud. 

"Big word of caution here, don’t put it on a car that it does not match the plate and the VIN number because if you get pulled over, and you have the wrong sticker on the wrong vehicle, you could get your vehicle impounded," said Kieschnick. 

Common reasons for having to request a replacement registration item include your registration receipt, sticker, or plate being:

  • Lost
  • Stolen
  • Damaged beyond the point of legibility
  • Lost in the mail/never received after a renewal