texa s f ood & f u el magaz ine
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TFFA Position: Supported Status: Signed by the Governor Effective: September 1, 2019
TFFA Supports Credit Card Skimming Solutions and all other regulatory operations from one state agency to another. TFFA will be reaching out to member companies from all sides of the fuel industry to assist in this transition process over the next few months. TFFA is pushing to make the transition as quickly as possible for the benefit of both the industry and the state agencies involved. TFFA Position: Supported Status: Signed by the Governor Effective: Immediately
TFFA Supports Short Term TDA Fix House Bill 2366 by Rep. Drew Darby (R – San Angelo) Following the passage of HB 2174 last session, our industry saw many problems with TDA’s implementation of the new fuel quality testing regime. HB 2366 would require customers who complain to provide a receipt and further clarifies how the fuel quality program should be run. TFFA expects many of the policy ideas laid out in HB 2366 to be implemented as administrative rules by TDLR as they take over regulatory control of the fuel industry. SB 2119 would not have been possible without the threat and cover of HB 2366 and TFFA sincerely thanks Rep. Darby for fighting for our industry in both the 2107 and 2019 sessions. TFFA Position: Supported Status: With success of SB 2119 TFFA quit pushing HB 2366
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House Bill 2945 by Rep. Mary Ann Perez (D – Houston) and Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D – Laredo) TFFA members agree that the #1 problem that our industry needed to address this session was credit card skimming. HB 2945 creates a credit card fusion center, in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety, to be the central intelligence unit for fighting credit card skimming in Texas. The center will have the responsibility of educating consumers, retailers, service technicians, and law enforcement on how to best combat the spreading problem of credit card skimming. In addition, the bill directs the Attorney General’s office to create a list of guidelines for best practices for retailers to defend against credit card skimmers. TFFA testified before both the House and Senate Committees in favor of the bills. TFFA Position: Supported Status: Signed by the Governor Effective: September 1, 2019
House Bill 869 by Rep. Cole Hefner (R – Mt. Pleasant) and Sen. Bryan Hughes (R – Mineola) TFFA supports efforts to include credit card skimming to the list of predicate charges for prosecution of organized crimes. This change would strengthen penalties for criminals engaged in credit card skimming at fuel pumps, which should in turn deter credit card skimming.
House Bill 2624 by Rep. Mary Ann Perez (D – Houston) and Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D – Laredo) The bill amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to authorize the prosecution of a credit or debit card abuse offense in any county in which the offense was committed or in the county of residence for any person whose credit or debit card was unlawfully possessed or used by the defendant. Perpetrators of credit card or debit card abuse work in groups and may travel to commit their crimes and that the card account holders may be in a different state or counties. Law enforcement groups and District Attorneys asked for this bill to better pursue card skimming crimes. TFFA Position: Supported Status: Signed by the Governor Effective: September 1, 2019
House Bill 2625 by Rep. Mary Ann Perez (D – Houston) and Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D – Laredo) The bill establishes greater penalties for unlawfully possessing multiple credit or debit cards. Many individuals arrested for such an offense have multiple counterfeit cards in their possession in addition to numerous victims’ account numbers. Furthermore, prosecutors hoping to levy more severe punishment for such an offense often find themselves pursuing the offense as fraudulent use or possession of identifying information,