H-3171              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2012

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Representative P. King

Read first time 1/24/86 and referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to motor vehicle licenses; amending RCW 46.12.020; amending section 2, chapter 424, Laws of 1985 (uncodified); and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 46.12.020, chapter 12, Laws of 1961 as last amended by section 1, chapter 424, Laws of 1985 and RCW 46.12.020 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) No vehicle license number plates or certificate of license registration, whether original issues or duplicates, may be issued or furnished by the department unless the applicant, at the same time, makes satisfactory application for a certificate of ownership or presents satisfactory evidence that such a certificate of ownership covering the vehicle has been previously issued.

          (2) The department shall not send a vehicle license renewal form to any registered owner whose driver's license has been suspended or revoked.  When a person applies for renewal of a vehicle license without presentation of the renewal form issued by the department, the department or the renewal agent shall check the records of the department for the drivers' licensing status of that person.  Except as otherwise provided in this section, no ((renewal or duplicate)) vehicle license number plates or certificate of license registration, whether original issues or duplicates, and no renewed vehicle license may be issued by the department unless the applicant possesses a valid driver's license.  In the case of joint application by more than one person, each applicant shall possess a valid driver's license.

          (3) Subsection (2) of this section applies only to applicants who are individual persons and does not apply to corporations.

          (4) Subsection (2) of this section does not apply to any applicant with respect to whom the department determines that:

          (a) The applicant's driver's license is not currently suspended or revoked and the applicant is not in suspended or revoked status;

          (b) The applicant has not been convicted of a violation of RCW 46.20.021, 46.20.342, 46.20.416, 46.20.420, or 46.65.090; and

          (c) Circumstances not related to any violation of Title 46 RCW account for the applicant's current lack of a driver's license and the applicant's need to register a vehicle.  The applicant shall by affidavit indicate:

          (i) The reason for the applicant's lack of a driver's license;

          (ii) The need the applicant has for registering a vehicle; and

          (iii) That the applicant will not knowingly allow a person without a driver's license to drive any vehicle registered in the applicant's name.

          (5) It is unlawful for any person in whose name a vehicle is registered knowingly to allow another person to drive the vehicle knowing that the other person is not authorized to do so under the laws of this state.

          (6) A violation of subsection (5) of this section, or a knowingly made material misstatement on an affidavit under subsection (4)(c) of this section is a misdemeanor.

          (7) No denial under this section of issuance or of renewal of plates or certificates affects the right of any person to maintain, transfer, or acquire title in any vehicle.  Unless the parties to the contract agree otherwise, no such denial affects the rights or obligations of any party to a contract for the purchase, or for the financing of the purchase, of a motor vehicle.

        Sec. 2.  Section 2, chapter 424, Laws of 1985 (uncodified)  is amended to read as follows:

          This act shall take effect on July 1, ((1986)) 1987.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     Section 1 of this act shall take effect on July 1, 1987.