The Texas Department of Public Safety has recently implemented an Amnesty Program for people who are deliquent in surcharge fees. The Amnesty Program began on January 17, 2011 and will end on April 17, 2011. Anyone who has an unpaid surcharge fee that was assessed between September 30, 2004 and December 31, 2008 will be eligible to apply for Amnesty. The surcharge fee must be in default prior to the Amnesty period for a person to be eligible. You can apply for Amnesty through the Municipal Services Bureau website at www.txsurchargeonline.com or by telephone at 1.877.207.3170.
Under the Amnesty program, a person’s delinquent surcharge amount will be reduced to 10% of the original amount owed for all of the surcharge fees combined with the maximum amount set at $250. You will still be responsible for paying service fees and any payment that you made prior to the Amnesty Program will be applied. If you have already paid more than the reduced amount owed, no payment will be required though prior payments made that are more than the reduced amount will not be refunded to you. Once your application is approved, the surcharge suspension will be cleared on your driving record within 3 days. The Amnesty reduction will be voided if fees are not paid by April 17, 2011 and the suspension will be put back on your driving record.
This is a great opportunity for people with current license suspensions due to surcharge defaults. For any questions regarding the Amnesty Program, the Municipal Services Bureau can be contacted at 1.877.207.3170.
My license was suspended after the specified dates, this amnesty program apparently apply, but seems unfair to those that have received after specified dates,who cannot afford these steep surcharges
I like to see if I qualtify for the amnesty program.
need to know if i quafily for this program with my surcharges. have the rest i owe for january $230.00. march 2011 is $260.00. march 2012 $260.00. will i get any of this 10% on my surcharges. my drivers license number is 12445264. please e-mail me and let me know something. thanks bradley floyd. have already paid $1,014.00
hello i was wondering if i were to call the number they would give me guidance of how to handle this oppurtunity
Hi there,
I want to apply for the amnesty program but I have about $7500 in surcharges. I will not be able to pay for it all by April 17th. Is there an extension? Or should I not even try to apply?
i would like to apply for the amnesty program but im having trouble loggin on and seeing if i qualify for the program and im getting no were with the telephone recording. so please contact me
I have paid my $260.00 amnesty fee–how do I get my drivers license back? Please help
i just did it by calling the number and entering my info. I owed over 4000 bucks till dec 2011. I say iv paid 500 over the years so sfter i was approved the amount i owe is 0dollars and 0 cents. Great big weight off my shoulders knowing im legal now.
Hello i have a surcharge for a first offence DWI and I recieved it in 2010 anyone know if i am eligable at all>?
I’m contacting you for my brother, who is still on parole and in a nursing home in Dallas. He paid his fees under the Amnisty program in March of this year. I sent him $ to pay those fees and it would have been done online by The Potters Palace in Dallas who applied for him. He is worried that because he cannot leave the facility to take his testing for his drivers license until next year sometime, that the money he’s paid to clear all his surcharges and fees with the DPS with be null and void. I told him I don’t think that can happen. He asked me to please contact you for information to confirm he’s good to test for drivers license at ANY time since his fees are paid. Will you please let me know?
I really don’t think its fair for some people to get especially the ones that have dwi.My son don’t have a license never had one and it is suspended he has like 3000 worth surcharge
If surcharges are not payed by 4/17/11 is there a possible extension
i enrolled in the amnesty program and paid my whole amount due before april 17th. now i need to know what all do i have to do to get my liscense? do i go back to the DPS, or do i have to take the driving test, what do i do now???
Does this program cover multiple surcharges and my license has been suspended for a while. Please let me know if I qualify.
yes my brother inlaw just realeased from jail 4-22-11 is there any thing you could do for him please let me no.thanks
I want to know will there be another amnesty program coming up
will they have another chance to apply to the amnestry program
I THINK THE AMNESTY PROGRAM IS GREAT FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN’T PAY THERE EXISTING SURCHARGES . DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF HIGH SPEED CHASES , INDIVIDUALS FLEEING ,AND WORST OF ALL,TRYING TO GET JOBS WITH A SUSPENDED LICENSE IS LIKE SWIMMING FROM ONE SIDE OF THE RIVER TO THE OTHER SIDE WITH CONCRETE UNDERWEAR ON , YOU WANT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT . BECAUSE OF THE WEIGHT YOU ARE BEARING . I’M NOT A BAD DRIVER ,MY DRIVERS LICENSE ARE SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF A COUPLE OF TICKETS AND NOT KEEPING UP WITH MY INSURANCE PAYMENTS WHICH IS MY FAULT ,BUT THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY TO DEAL WITH SUCH SITUATIONS . I’VE MISSED NUMEROUS JOBS BECAUSE OF IN VALID LICENSE . I NEED TO NO IF I QUALIFY FOR THE AMNESTY PROGRAM YOU OFFER. D.L. #13967504 . PLEASE E-MAIL ME ! THANKS CONCERNED LAW ABIDING CITIZEN
The amnesty program is over,which means that the great state of Texas can continue to legally extort money from it’s citizens who are already down on their luck…way to go Texas, makes me SO proud!!!
i wanted to see what all i needed to qualify for the amnesty program
Hello i was wondering if there is any chance they will run this again soon i only heard about it after the due date and i owe 3900 from some tickets in 2007 and 2008 is there any chance i can atleast get a reduced monthly payments or something
To cut some people slack and not others is 100 percent unfair!!! And 1000 a year for your first dwi is outrageous, I could understand if you did it a second time. You could be convicted of a dwi just because you can’t afford a lawyer that is good enough to prove you are innocent, now if you get a second dwi then it’s clear you have a problem and then should pay that outrageous amount! If one person is allowed to settle for 300 dollars then EVERYONE should get that opportunity cause there is not one person that deserves more than any other!
please send me an applicatioin for amnesty and indgent paper work just want to see if this will help my case so i can get on the right track. thank you
BRING BACK THE AMNISTY! I HEARD ALL OVER THE NEWS ABOUT IT. GOT THE MONEY TOGETHER, CALLED IN AND IT WAS OVER! TOO LATE! I DIDNT HEAR ON THE NEWS TILL ALMOST APR. YOU DID NOT GIVE PEPOLE ENOUGH CHANCE TO PAY! IM PAYING THE MONTHLY PAYMENTS NOW BUT IT TOOK SO LONG TO GO THRU MY ACCNT WENT NEGATIVE. ITS NOT GONNA DO ANY GOOD TO HAVE A LICENSE IF I CANT PAY THE CAR PAYMENT AND LOOSE MY JOB!
BY THE WAY IVE “NEVER HAD A DWI NORE A WRECK” I ONLY WAS GUILTY OF BEING POOR AND COULDNT PAY A COUPLE OF TICKETS ON TIME!!!
Amen! These surcharges are crazy and I really don’t feel like they are necessary. I have 6 different surcharges, haven’t paid a penny to any of them. I already took out loans to pay my tickets and satisfy the court, I’m holding out for the amnesty.
I have 12 of these damn surcharges! 6 on liscense and 6 on id- apparently because i missed all the years of it, i have to pay all three years of each one at one time. Looking at 500 mo pymnt!!! i cant afford that and rent on top of everything else! They need to do another amnesty! I didnt even know for five fricken years that my liscense wasnt any good- no notice- no nothing. I have apparently been driving since 99 with no liscense then spent time in jail which put me back more.
I helped my brother in law with this program he had over 8,000$ in surcharges the dps helped him and all he had to pay was 45$ in surcharge fees nad a reinstatement fee. thank you DPS and surcharge program.
hello i just recieved my surchargers in febuary and they suspended my licences until january, can i still quilify for the amnesty program???
How can i qualify for the amnesty program? My license was suspended on July 2010.. for 2 years.. now I have to pay 3000.00 in surcharges and really I can not afford tha. Any suggestions..???
These surcharges are ridiculous! The state charges you when you pay your tickets to begin with, I have paid my tickets but now I have 6 outstanding surcharges starting in 2008. For whatever reason this program doesn’t apply to surcharges issued after 2008. I guess I will just have to wait until next year and see if my charges apply. Not a smart move Texas. Let us get our licenses back! I had to take out loans to pay my tickets in the first place, I’m not going to take out more for these surcharges.
TO ALL CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. My name is Daniel Montes. I was cited for traffic violations two months ago. Case was before Judge Nash, JP in Lancaster Tx. I filed a motion to declare CH 708 of Tx Trans Code “surcharge program” unconstitutional. Before the prosecutor dismissed the case for lack of witness, I presented the court a notice of application of writ of mandamus to the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas.
Case Number: WR-76,215-01
Date Filed: 7/29/2011
Case Type: OR/MAN
Style: Montes, Daniel Jr.
I ask you and any attorneys, law firms, law schools, civil rights organizations, etc. to file friends of the court briefs in support of relator’s application and motion to declare CH 708 unconstitutional. My angles of attack is not double jeopardy, decided in Ex parte Drake. In fact the 3rd Court of Criminal Appeals in Drake declared the surcharges a tax. My angle is that congress prohibited from delegating its taxing authority to the DPS and MSB. Plus three other legal basis. I can email a copy of my filing. I am asking the court to declare the statute unconstitutional, refund every dollar collected with interest, reinstate all drivers licenses suspended under the program, etc. This is the first time CH 708 is before the high court. I’m pro se. I got it this far. Help me close CH 708 as an unlawful tax. You can call me anytime. Daniel Montes, 469-563-8998.
TO ALL CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas has accepted the case and will consider my motion to declare Ch 708 of TX Trans Code “Surcharge Program” unconstitutional. Writ No. WR-76,215-01. I ask all interested Tx lic attys, law professors, civil rights groups, etc to file their friend of the court briefs in support of relators motion to declare ch 708 of tx trans code unconstitutional. We got the Tx high court’s attention now. Help me shut this ch 708 down, make the state refund every dollar with interest and reinstate all DLs suspended under ch 708. We don’t need congress to repeal and wait for any federal court to intervene. This motion before a Texas high court to review a Texas statute. Its perfect.
Any questions?
Daniel Montes
469-563-8998 cell
how do i find out when the next program is available
I recieved a warning ticket for no insurance…Texas… I was so afraid I paid the ticket instead of going to court to show the insurance and recieved a surcharge of 260.00..I paid it, as well as whatever the ticket was like about 500.00 dollars, not really sure why? but found out i had another one and started paying it but a friend told me I shouldnt pay another one so i stopped….Long story short…I am showing a total of three surcharges, which one was paid and i no longer have a job as of 2009 and have a suspended license..What can I do….The amnesty program would have helped however I didnt find out about it until it was too late..Thanks for your help if any…
My license has been suspended since 2006, and I didn’t even know that there was an amnesty program until today (Oct 2011). I now live in another state, but I can’t get a license here either because of the suspension in Texas. are you all going to do the amnesty program again anytime soon? I can’t afford to pay the whole $3,000.00.
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