A House committee was urged by lawmakers Tuesday to repeal the Texas Driver Responsibility Program.

The goal of the Texas Driver Responsibilty Program was to stick people convicted of drunken driving with large surcharges, on top of regular fines and punishment. The revenue from the three-year-long surcharges was supposed to go to hospital trauma centers and highway projects.

Critics of the program told a House committee on Tuesday that it has failed to live up to the original goals of the Legislature. “This is a classic example of legislation that had incredible unintended consequences,” said Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth. “IT was an ill-conceived law and an example of bad tax policy.”

Opponents of the program cited a recent report from the Senate Criminal Justice Committee that found the program had actually decreased DWI conviction rates and increased dismissal rates since it was implemented in 2003. Thousands of drunken driving defendants have asked for a trial, in order to avoid the DWI surcharges, forcing prosecutors to accept plea bargains for lesser offenses such as reckless driving.

If you have been charged with DWI in Houston, please contact the Houston drunk driving lawyers of Johnson Johnson & Baer, P.C., by calling 713-222-0400.