One of the ways in which Texas disciplines DWI offenders is by sentencing them to DWI offender education courses. There are two versions – one of first-time DWI offenders and a second, more onerous version for repeat offenders. Teachers of these courses must be licensed, and their licenses must be renewed periodically for them to remain eligible to teach. The Internet can be used to locate these teachers.
Instructions
Take the following steps to locate a DWI offender education program teacher in your area:
- Navigate to https://vo.ras.dshs.state.tx.us/datamart/login.do, the “Online Licensing Services” page of the Texas Department of State Health Services website.
- Click the “license search” link under the heading “Check License Status or Search for a License”.
- Click the link “Search by City for a Specified License Type” or “Search by County for a Specified License Type”, depending on your preferred search parameter.
- After the “Select License Type” page appears, select “DWI Education Program Instructor” or “DWI Intervention Program Instructor”, depending on whether you are seeking a teacher for a first-offense DWI class or a teacher for a DWI Intervention Program class (for repeat offenders) and press “next”. Another search page will appear.
- The drop-down menu will display a list of locations in Texas. Select HOUSTON, TX from the drop-down menu (assuming that you are seeking an instructor in that location). Select the number of rows per page you wish displayed and press “Search”.
- A search results page will appear that displays the instructor’s name, license number and license type – DWI Education Program for first offenders and DWI Intervention Program for repeat offenders.
- The list will also display whether the instructor’s license is current or expired, as well as the exact expiration date of the instructor’s license.
- The next page will display the instructor’s primary location, main address and mailing address.
Important Notes
- Unfortunately, some of the instructor addresses may be out of date or incomplete. Texas appears to update these entries less frequently than once a year.
- Remember that Texas applies no “lookback” period for determining whether or not a particular DWI conviction is a first offense. Even a 30-year-old conviction will count as a previous offense, regardless of whether the conviction took place in Texas or elsewhere in the United States. This matters because the DWI education program for first offenders is different from the program for repeat offenders.
- If you simply wish to complete a DWI education program because you were sentenced to attend such a class a result of a DWI conviction, please navigate to
http://alcoholandtrafficsafetyinstitute.com/driving-while-intoxicated-dwi/ to sign up.
Houston criminal defense lawyer Mario Madrid has been practicing law for two decades, serving as a lawyer, prosecutor and judge at various points in his career. He has been certified as a specialist in Criminal Law and he is a member of the National College of DUI Defense Attorneys. If you have been charged with DWI in the Houston area, call Madrid Law, PLLC at 713-877-9400 for a free initial consultation.
