New HB2012 law Question can anyone help me understand this new law passed in texas?

Well because in texas we are not allowed to get a driver's license i dont usually like to drive but because i just started working to be able to pay for my school i have had to drive because i live out in leander with my parents and there is no city bus out here. Well unfortunately the other day i got stopped for a dumb reason and got a ticket in which one of the charges was driving without a license. I just heard of this new law that starts tommorow here in texas, it used to be that if you were caught driving w/out a license you got fined up to $200 which is what i got....but now i dont understand the new law on the news they said if you get stopped w/out a license you get 5 months jail or $4000 fine but on the internet it says if you are involved in an accident where a person is injured you get 5 months jail or $2000 fine, if you are involved in an accident where a person is killed then you get up to 1 year in jail and a $4000 fine....so what does this mean does the law only apply in case you are in an accident or even if you are just stopped for a traffic infraction? please someone explain it to me if you know for sure bcuz i dont want to have to wait to be stopped to find out (lets hope that doesnt happen) im even thinking of moving to austin so i can ride the bus from now on....

Hey I also live in Texas, going to school in San Antonio, but family lives in Austin. I however have not yet heard of this bill. I usually use public transportation, but I have driven my cousin's cars' several times.. for whatever reasons. I'm lucky I have not yet been stopped, I want to slow down on the risk though, it's not worth it. The bill sounds like it may apply to accident-bound incidents only...but I'm not sure. If you hear anything new, please keep us Texans updated.. thanks

Well from what i can understand it is more for people who are involved in accidents but it also changes the transportation code sec. 521.457 into classifying that driving without a license would be a class B misdemeanor as opposed to a class C misdemeanor in which all you would get was a citation of no more than 500 dollars. Since they turned it into a class B misdemeanor it means that now if you are caught driving without a license you would be subject to a fine of no more than 2,000 dollars and or 180 days in jail. you can check out the details here: http://www.hro.house.state.tx.us/pdf/ba81r/hb2012.pdf

Furthermore, i would also be careful because since Pres. Obama is expanding the 287g program you could get caught and while your doing your fingerprinting in jail it could come out that you are not in the country legally. That's what happened to my cousin and he was deported.

do yourself a favor and stop driving without a license. its not a great idea, why risk everything. take the bus, ride your bike,walk or find a friend that can drive you. you said so yourself, you already got a ticket, do you really want to get a second one and get in serious trouble. think about it

There have been exhaustive debates on DAP regarding Dreamers understanding the true dangers of driving without a license,but it appears personal choice overshadows caution.

If you had used the public transportation in my town, you'd take that personal choice every time . On a sidenote, i drive w/a foreign license, and in the 7+ I've been driving i've only been stopped once for driving w/headlights off (noticed they were off just as the officer stopped me). Obviously that's perhaps of little help except maybe proof that we are overly law-abiding. But do measure the risks vs consequences, for 200 yeah i'd say go for it, for 4 k and prison time, no way.

yeah your right ianus.but they need to follow the law.your not supposed to be driving without a license,especially if your undocumented. what are you thinking?? try getting a license then you can drive. you dont want to go to jail knowing its something you could've prevented from happening. good luck with everything

doesn't the law say that you aren't allowed to be in this country? As far as the driving though, I have to. I have a job that is 30miles from my home + school. I've been stopped before, got a ticket, paid my fine. It's scary, but you have to do what you gotta do to survive. And if you have to drive, just be a cautious driver. Stay off your phones and turn the music down. Pay attention to the road. Either way, good luck to all my fellow dreamers that drive.

Wow, this is the first time that I'm hearing this.
Does this apply to driving with expired license?
My dad's been expired for about 10 months now and we're worried about him driving.