HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 5250

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                       Transportation

Title:  An act relating to motor vehicle equipment.

Brief Description:  Regulating collection of historic and special interest motor vehicles.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Owen, Haugen, Hargrove, Rasmussen, Prince, Morton and Prentice).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Transportation:  2/14/96, 2/20/96 [DPA].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 25 members:  Representatives K. Schmidt, Chairman; Benton, Vice Chairman; Mitchell, Vice Chairman; Skinner, Vice Chairman; R. Fisher, Ranking Minority Member; Hatfield, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Backlund; Blanton; Buck; Cairnes; Chopp; Elliot; Hankins; Horn; Johnson; McMahan; Ogden; Patterson; Quall; Robertson; Romero; D. Schmidt; Scott; Sterk and Tokuda.

Staff:  Jeff Doyle (786-7322).

Background:  There is no current statutory definition of a "street rod."  Cars that are constructed out of parts or from kits are titled as new model year cars, even though the cars are replicas of vintage or antique cars.

Currently, the Washington State Patrol has much discretion in whether it issues a vehicle identification number (VIN) to a street rod.

Summary of Amended Bill:  Motor vehicles that are manufactured before 1949, or reconstructed primarily with original parts to look like a vehicle manufactured before 1949, may carry the official designation "street rod," and must be titled as the make and year of the vehicle originally manufactured.

A "kit vehicle" is defined as a passenger car or light truck assembled from a manufactured kit.  To obtain a certificate of ownership for such a vehicle, the owner must meet certain procedural criteria.  The criteria are in place primarily to deter the sale of stolen vehicle parts in Washington.  Additional provisions relate to the licensing requirements, and kit vehicles qualifying as "street rods" are allowed to carry that designation on their titles.

Vehicles that are licensed under the statute relating to license plates for horseless carriages and collector cars may  be used only for occasional pleasure driving.

Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  Titles for kit vehicles must disclose that the vehicle is a "replica."

An owner of a parts car must provide proof of ownership but need not obtain a title for the parts car.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Amended Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The bill will allow car collectors and hobbyists to have their cars titled as the vehicles they most closely resemble.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Scott R. Cedergreen, Washington Car Club Council (pro); Larry Johnson, Corvettes de Olympia (pro); Charline Faulkner, Pacific Northwest Thunderbird Club (pro); Liz Kjosness, Washington Car Club Council (pro); Ted Slatten, Independent Business Association (pro); Pete Spiller, citizen (pro, with amendment); and Dick Ducharme, citizen (pro, with amendment).