HB 1582 -- Motor Vehicle Licensing

Sponsor:  Schlottach

This bill 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 bill 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 bill 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)  Includes a list of at least 100 potential applicants; and

(3)  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 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.

The bill has an effective date of January 1, 2005.

DELINQUENT REGISTRATIONS

Beginning January 1, 2006, a $5 penalty per month, up to a
maximum of $20, will be imposed for delinquent registrations.

ANNUAL REGISTRATION FEES

The bill 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 bill
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 will produce tabs on
demand instead of correctional enterprises of the Department of
Corrections.  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 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 bill has an effective date of January 1, 2005, for the
portions of the bill relating to procedures for obtaining special
license plates and January 1, 2006, for the portions of the bill
relating to motor vehicle and trailer registration procedures and
reissuance of plates.

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