HB3012

Regular Session

Relating to the fee for a driving safety course.

LowStandard timeline

Low Cost

Effective:2025-09-01

Enforcing Agencies

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

Effective Date: September 1, 2025
Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025 (Systems must reflect the change at 12:01 AM).
Agency Rulemaking: Minimal. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) will eventually update administrative rules to match the statute, but the repeal is self-executing. Do not wait for agency guidance to update your billing.

Immediate Action Plan

Direct IT/Web Development to remove the hard-coded $3 fee logic from the Point of Sale (POS) system effective 9/1/2025.
Audit all public-facing website copy to remove references to "state-mandated materials fees."
Issue a directive to the accounting department to consolidate revenue codes for the new fiscal year.
Review and amend third-party affiliate contracts to redefine "Net Tuition" if necessary.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Student Enrollment Agreements: Clauses stating that fees include a "mandatory state administrative charge" or "statutory materials fee" must be removed or amended.
Affiliate Agreements: Review contracts with third-party marketers. If you pay commissions based on "Net Tuition" (Gross Price minus Statutory Fees), the elimination of this $3 statutory deduction effectively increases your commissionable revenue base. You may need to renegotiate these terms to maintain current margin levels.

Hiring/Training

Sales & Support Scripts: Staff must be retrained immediately. Stating that the $3 fee is "required by the state" after September 1, 2025, will constitute a false representation.
Customer Service: Prepare FAQs for students who may question why the fee structure changed if they are repeat customers.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

Invoicing: Remove the itemized "Statutory Admin Fee: $3.00" from receipts and invoices.
Revenue Recognition: Adjust general ledger codes. If you previously segregated this $3 for compliance tracking, it should now be recognized as standard tuition revenue.

Fees & Costs

Pricing Strategy: You are no longer legally compelled to charge the separate $3 fee. You may either absorb the cost (lowering the total price) or bundle it into the base tuition.
Price Floor: You must ensure your total charge to the student does not drop below the statutory minimum of $25.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

Deceptive Trade Practices Risk: The law does not forbid charging for materials; it simply stops *mandating* it. The regulatory danger lies in labeling. If you continue to charge a separate $3 fee and label it as "State Required" or "Legislative Fee," you expose the company to liability under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA).
Bundling: The safest compliance strategy is to move to "All-Inclusive" pricing to eliminate line-item scrutiny by TDLR auditors.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

TopicsEducation Education--driver Education & Training

Official Analysis

View HRO Analysis View All Bill Documents

BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3012

By: Walle

Licensing & Administrative Procedures

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, state law requires driving safety course providers to charge each student, in addition to a fee for a driving safety course, a minimum $3 fee for course materials and for supervising and administering the course. The bill author has informed the committee that this required additional fee is unnecessary because providers already have the ability to set rates for driving safety courses under current law and that the switch to virtual programs for many providers makes a fee for services like printing course documents unnecessary. H.B. 3012 seeks to address these issues and give driving safety course providers more flexibility in deciding whether an additional charge for course materials and administrative services is warranted by removing the requirement for a driving safety course provider to charge each student a minimum $3 fee for course materials and for supervising and administering the course.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 3012 amends the Education Code to remove the requirement for a driving safety course provider to charge each student a minimum $3 fee for course materials and for supervising and administering the course.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

House Authors

Rep. Armando WalleDemocrat · Primary Author

Senate Sponsor

Sen. Robert NicholsRepublican · Primary Sponsor

Bill Text(with markup)

H.B. No. 3012

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

	AN ACT
	relating to the fee for a driving safety course.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Section 1001.352, Education Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 1001.352. FEE [~~FEES~~] FOR DRIVING SAFETY COURSE. A
	driving safety provider shall charge each student[:
	[~~(1)~~] at least $25 for a driving safety course[~~; and~~
	[~~(2)~~ ~~a fee of at least $3 for course materials and for~~
	~~supervising and administering the course~~].
	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


March 28, 2025

TO:	Honorable Dade Phelan, Chair, House Committee on Licensing & Administrative Procedures

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB3012 by Walle (Relating to the fee for a driving safety course.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

It is assumed that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

452 Department of Licensing and Regulation

LBB Staff:

JMc, TUf, BFa

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB3012

What does Texas HB3012 do?

HB3012 repeals the statutory requirement for driving safety course providers to charge a separate $3 administrative/materials fee. Effective September 1, 2025, all TDLR-licensed providers must update billing systems and consumer contracts to remove this specific line item, while strictly adhering to the remaining $25 minimum course fee. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: September 1, 2025 Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025 (Systems must reflect the change at 12:01 AM).

Who authored HB3012?

HB3012 was authored by Texas Representative Armando Walle during the Regular Session.

When was HB3012 signed into law?

HB3012 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on May 28, 2025.

Which agencies enforce HB3012?

HB3012 is enforced by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

How urgent is compliance with HB3012?

The compliance urgency for HB3012 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

What is the cost impact of HB3012?

The cost impact of HB3012 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

What topics does HB3012 address?

HB3012 addresses topics including education and education--driver education & training.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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