FINAL BILL REPORT

                  HB 1457

                         C 241 L 97

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Regulating the issuance and cost of permits and certificates issued by the department of licensing.

Sponsors:  Representatives Chandler, Fisher and Zellinsky; by request of Department of Licensing.

House Committee on Transportation Policy & Budget

Senate Committee on Transportation

Background:  In 1990, application fees for annual and temporary permits for off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, mopeds, and motorcycles were raised by 25 cents, from $1 to $1.25.  The application fee for a duplicate certificate of title or certificate of vehicle registration has been $1.25 since 1990.  Statutory references to these fees have not been updated.

The Department of Licensing (DOL) allows travel trailers and campers to be registered for title purposes only, and annual excise taxes are not imposed on these vehicles.  Some statutory references are ambiguous or contradict this practice.

Although the term Acertificate of license registration@ has been abandoned in favor of Acertificate of ownership,@ there are many places in statute that do not use this new terminology.

In 1995, legislation was passed that allowed the DOL to accept title applications on non-standard forms, so long as the form contained all pertinent data as required by the DOL to issue a title.  This change was not incorporated in all areas of statute.

There is no process authorized in statute that allows an owner to apply for a duplicate certificate of license registration if the owner has lost the old one.

Before the DOL began using its newer computer system, the department could not process vehicle license renewals any sooner than 45 days prior to the renewal date specified on the license tabs.  The DOL=s current computer system, the vehicle field system, will allow renewals up to 18 months prior to the renewal date.  This would allow persons not expecting to be in the state or country during the 45-day renewal period to register their vehicles up to 18 months in advance.  The statute does not permit this flexibility.

Amateur radio operators may purchase special license plates from the DOL, but only for five years.  The Federal Communications Commission issues radio operator licenses for 10 years, but the DOL is not authorized to allow special plates beyond five years.

Summary:  All statutory references to application fees are updated to $1.25.  Conflicting language about travel trailers and campers is clarified to ensure that these trailers and campers may be registered for title purposes only.  References to Acertificate of license registration@ are updated to the current term, Acertificate of ownership.@  The DOL is allowed to accept non-standard title application forms so long as the form contains all data needed by the DOL to issue a title.  A process is established in statute for allowing owners to apply for a duplicate certificate of license registration if the original is lost, destroyed or stolen.  Owners are allowed to register their vehicles up to 18 months prior to the renewal date.  The DOL may issue special license plates to amateur radio operators for more than five years.

State Parks Department vehicles need not be registered, so long as the vehicles are used for maintenance and operate strictly within the state parks system.

Votes on Final Passage:

House930

Senate460(Senate amended)

House910(House concurred)

Effective:July 27,  1997