(a) A person commits an offense if the person, during a period that a suspension of the person's vehicle registration is in effect under this chapter, knowingly permits a motor vehicle owned by the person to be operated on a highway.
(b) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the person had not received notice of a suspension order concerning the person's vehicle registration. For purposes of this subsection, notice is presumed to be received if the notice was sent in accordance with this chapter to the last known address or e-mail address of the person as shown by department records.
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), an offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by:
(1) a fine of not less than $100 or more than $500; and
(2) confinement in county jail for a term of not less than 72 hours or more than six months.
(d) If it is shown on the trial of an offense under this section that the person has previously been convicted of an offense under this section, the offense is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor.
(e) In this section, a conviction for an offense that involves operation of a motor vehicle after August 31, 1987, is a final conviction, whether the sentence for the conviction is imposed or probated.