Governor Greg Abbott signed HB-718 into law Monday, ending the problematic temporary system of paper license tags.
The new law will replace all paper tags with metal tags starting July 1, 2025.
A series of journalistic investigations of NBC 5 Investigates for a year, it led the authorities to carry out their own investigations and decisions to solve the problem.
The Serie, “Paper Tag Nation” exposed how criminals obtained car dealer licenses so they could access the Texas DMV’s online system and then print and sell fraudulent paper labels.
Some of those tags were later used on cars involved in serious crimes.
Over the past year, the Texas DMV has implemented new security measures and suspended dozens of licensed car dealers suspected of using the state’s own system to sell fraudulent labels on the black market.
But as the DMV cracked down, counterfeiters stepped in to manufacture and sell outright fake labels and capitalized on the widespread confusion created by the proliferation of fraudulent labels printed from the DMV system.
