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March 15, 2001, 5:45PM Bill puts brakes on new teen drivers Nighttime limits aimed at curbing fatal crashes By POLLY ROSS HUGHES Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau AUSTIN -- Teens might persuade parents to give them the keys to the car, but the Texas Senate isn't willing to give new drivers full privileges upon their 16th birthday. Wednesday lawmakers passed Senate Bill 577 by Sen. Teel Bivins, R-Amarillo, to keep newly licensed and unsupervised teen drivers off the …

…favor a hate crimes bill supported by Whitmire and opposed by Bivins, since 42 other states have passed them. Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, revived an argument he used earlier in the week that Houston police could seize on new traffic safety laws to unfairly stop Hispanic drivers who look young for their age. He said unlike Amarillo, in Houston "a lot of folks are working, and they go to work at 11 o'clock at night." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**