HCS HB 1582 -- MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSING

SPONSOR:  Crawford (Schlottach)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on
Transportation and Motor Vehicles by a vote of 18 to 1 with 1
present.

This substitute revises the laws regarding motor vehicle
registration fees and the reissuance of license plates.  It also
establishes a procedure to streamline the creation of special
license plates.

SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES

The substitute gives the Joint Committee on Transportation
Oversight the duty of approving or denying a special license
plate application submitted by the Department of Revenue.

The number of characters allowed on personalized plates is
increased from six to seven, and the personalization fee is
increased from $15 to $25.

The substitute removes the special license plate exemption which
allows organizations to forego the 100-applicant requirement by
paying for the actual cost of the initial issuance.

Organizations, except those seeking a special military license
plate, must submit an application to the department which:

(1)  Describes the proposed license plate;

(2)  Has at least one current member of the General Assembly as a
sponsor;

(3)  Includes a list of at least 100 potential applicants; and

(4)  Includes an application fee, not to exceed $5,000, to defray
the department's cost for reviewing the application and
developing the specialty license plate.

All moneys received by the department, excluding the special
license plate fee, will be deposited in the Department of Revenue
Specialty Plate Fund.  The State Treasurer will be the custodian
of the fund and will make disbursements for personal services,
expenses, and equipment required to prepare, review, develop, and
disseminate a new specialty plate and process the initial 100
applications.  If the application is not approved by the joint
committee, the State Treasurer will refund any deposits for that
specialty plate.  The disposition of the fund at the end of the
year is specified.

The required documents and fees must be submitted to the
department by July 1 prior to the next regular session of the
General Assembly in order to be approved by the joint committee.
If the special license plate application is approved, the
sponsoring organization must submit the proposed art work to the
department no later than 60 days after the approval.  If the
joint committee denies the application, 97% of the application
fee will be refunded to the organization along with all submitted
fees.  The department must begin production and distribution of
the new special license plates within one year after approval.
The department is authorized to discontinue issuance of special
license plates if the organization no longer provides services or
has stopped issuing emblem-use authorization statements.

Any person or organization who receives a notice of denial for a
special license plate may request a hearing to review the joint
committee's decision within 15 days of receiving the notice.

The fee for all specialty license plates, except special military
license plates, will be $25 annually and $50 biennially in
addition to the regular registration fees.  No additional fee
will be charged for personalized specialty plates.

DELINQUENT REGISTRATIONS

Beginning January 1, 2007, a $5 penalty per month, up to a
maximum of $20, will be imposed for delinquent registrations.

ANNUAL REGISTRATION FEES

The substitute revises the laws regarding the annual registration
fees on passenger motor vehicles by removing all references to
horse power ratings and charging a uniform fee of $29.75.  The
substitute also removes references from Sections 301.057 and
301.058, RSMo, relating to commercial motor vehicles having a
gross weight of 12,000 or less and describes the vehicles as
trucks having a gross weight of 12,000 pounds or less and imposes
the uniform fee of $29.75 on the vehicles.  The registration
receipt must be carried in the motor vehicle at all times.

TRAILER REGISTRATION

Trailers and semitrailers will have a one-time registration fee
of $50 or an annual fee of $10.  Cars, sport utility vehicles,
and pickup trucks pulling trailers will pay an annual towing
permit fee of $25 and receive a sticker which must be displayed
in the vehicle's front window.  The department may issue the
trailer sticker and the window sticker at the time of issuance or
renewal of registration.

LICENSE TABS AND WINDOW STICKERS

Beginning January 1, 2008, the department instead of correctional
enterprises of the Department of Corrections will produce tabs on
demand.  Tabs and window stickers will be issued when a vehicle
is registered.

REISSUANCE OF LICENSE PLATES

Beginning January 1, 2006, and every four years thereafter, the
Department of Revenue will issue new license plates.  The
department may charge a fee, up to $2.25, to cover the cost of
reissuance.  The fees to cover the cost of reissuance may be
assessed every four years and increased based on inflation, but
will not be higher than the actual cost of reissuance.

The substitute has an effective date of January 1, 2005, for the
portions of the substitute relating to procedures for obtaining
special license plates, and January 1, 2006, for the portions of
the substitute relating to delinquency penalty fees, tabs, window
stickers, motor vehicle and trailer registration procedures and
reissuance of plates.

FISCAL NOTE:  Not available at time of printing.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that Missouri's motor vehicle
registration process has not been updated and has not kept pace
with other states.  The bill will help upgrade Missouri's
licensing system, generate much needed revenue, and expedite the
special license plate issuance which will save the General
Assembly valuable time.

Testifying for the bill was Representative Schlottach.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Robert Triplett, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:15 am