State lawmakers pressed the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Tuesday for answers about how the agency allowed the illegal sale of temporary license plates to get so out of control.
In a House Transportation Committee hearing Chairman Terry Canales pointed out the legislature gave the DMV authority in 2021 to begin cutting off small car dealers who were using their dealer licenses to print and sell tags illegally.
But Canales questioned why it took the DMV more than seven months to implement administrative rules to crack down on the fraudsters.
“I am not here to shoot the messenger but at some point, somebody’s got to answer to this committee and the legislature as to why it would take so long and why the media has to be the one that uncovers it so that the agency we gave a directive to can actually do something,” Canales said.
Daniel Avitia, the DMV’s new acting executive director, apologized for the delays. He took over after the previous director, Whitney Brewster, resigned over the tag debacle.
Daniel Avitia, interim executive director of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, during a hearing in Austin, April 26, 2022.
“As painful as it may have been to see our agency in the media and receiving those black eyes, I will say that being in the media was part of the solution,” Avitia said.
For nearly six months, NBC 5 Investigates has exposed the scope of the problem and how security loopholes at the Texas DMV allowed criminals to obtain car dealer licenses and print tags.
One state law enforcement official testified Tuesday about how the fraudulent tags have become a tool for street gangs and Mexican drug cartels to evade police.
Committee members pledged to look into reinstating funding for special law enforcement units that used to track registration fraud — before the governor vetoed that funding in 2017.
The DMV said it’s looking at replacing the current paper tags with a new system.
Look for more on this story Tuesday night during NBC 5 News at 10 p.m.
PREVIOUS REPORTS
April 26, 2022 – Texas House Set to Hold Paper Tag HearingsApril 14, 2022 – Texas DMV Cracks Down on Dealers Selling Temporary Paper TagsApril 13, 2022 – TxDMV Closes Inspection Loophole That Put Unsafe Cars on RoadsApril 12, 2022 – Dallas Police Go Undercover to Fight Illegal Paper TagsApril 7, 2022 – Police Warn of Fake Paper Tags Used to Cheat Car BuyersApril 5, 2022 – Texas Senate Will Investigate Illegal Paper Tag Crimes, SmugglingMarch 9, 2022 – Texas Paper Tag Crime Danger Extends NationwideMarch 5, 2022 – Texas House Will Hold Hearings on Paper Tag MessFeb. 28, 2022 – License to Smuggle: Drug Cartels and Human Smugglers Use Paper Texas Tags to EvadeFeb. 15, 2022 – Fort Worth Police Announce Special Operation Targeting Paper TagsFeb. 14, 2022 — Crash Victim’s Parents Want More Cops to Police Paper Tag FraudFeb. 13, 2022 – More Funding Need to Fight Criminals Using Bogus Paper Tags: PoliceFeb. 10, 2022 – Police Report Drop in Fraudulent Tags But Warn Crooks Are AdaptingFeb. 9, 2022 – Texas DMV Shuts Down Six More Dealers Suspected of Selling Paper License TagsFeb. 7, 2022 – TxDMV Director Resigns Amidst Paper Tag MessJan. 27, 2022 – TxDMV Takes Emergency Action to Keep Crooks From Selling Paper TagsJan. 21, 2022 – Dallas Police Operation Targets Fraudulent Paper TagsJan. 17, 2022 – Recording Shows Police Warned TxDMV of Paper Tag Security Flaw Years AgoDec. 16, 2021 – DMV Committee Recommends Fingerprinting Some Dealers to Slow Paper Tag FraudDec. 14, 2021 – Texas House Transportation Chair Vows to Stop Paper Tag FraudDec. 6, 2021 – Texas DMV Boss Deflects Blame for Paper Tag DebacleNov. 23, 2021 – Illegal Paper Tags Costing Texas Taxpayers and Toll Roads MillionsNov. 10, 2021 – Suspected Paper Tag Peddler Shut Down Tuesday, Reopens Wednesday: InvestigatorsNov. 8, 2021 – How Texas Paper Tags Became a $200M Criminal Enterprise: NBC 5 Investigates
