On Saturday, the House passed a bill allowing pregnant women, parents, or legal guardians to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes regardless of the number of occupants in the vehicle.
Originally, Plano Rep. Jeff Leach’s proposed legislation only permitted pregnant women to access carpool lanes. However, Rep. Gina Hinojosa proposed an amendment to broaden the bill’s coverage to include all mothers.
The bill contains certain exceptions that could hinder its enactment, such as circumstances that might lead to the loss of federal funding or breach federal laws. A similar proposal was put forward in 2024 after a pregnant woman in Dallas argued she should not have been ticketed for driving in the HOV lane.
The bill has now moved to the Senate for further review.
