Committee approves allowing disabled-parking placards to be displayed on vehicle dashboards

The Senate Transportation Committee voted to recommend a due pass on House Bill 1137, which would permit disabled parking placards to be displayed on a vehicle dashboard as an alternative to hanging the placard from the rearview mirror.

Representative Toman, sponsor of the bill, said the measure responds to a constituent who is permanently disabled and must often exit the vehicle and deploy mobility equipment before remembering to hang a placard on the mirror. Representative Toman said allowing placement on the dash ‘‘maintains compliance’’ without requiring the driver to re-enter the vehicle to hang the placard.

Committee members discussed practical reasons for the change: some vehicles’ rearview mirror mounts or interior layouts make it difficult to hang placards, and a permanently disabled driver may be unable to get back into the vehicle to move the placard to the mirror. Senator Romo and others noted they had observed placards commonly placed on dashboards and that the proposed change would give a compliant, lawful option for those cases.

Action The committee voted to recommend a due pass. The motion passed with the members present voting in favor. Senator Rommel agreed to carry the bill to the floor.

Provenance: - topicintro: sponsor described constituent’s difficulty and the rationale for letting placards be displayed on dashboards. - topfinish: roll call and motion to recommend a due pass.