SB 5481-S - DIGEST
(DIGEST AS ENACTED)

Requires the department of transportation to: (1) Develop rules to allow an individual who has been issued a notice of civil penalty to present evidence of mitigating circumstances as to why a toll bill was not timely paid;

(2) Before issuing a notice of civil penalty to a registered owner of a vehicle listed on an active prepaid electronic toll account, send an e-mail notice and call the phone numbers provided in the account to provide notice of unpaid pay-by-mail toll bills;

(3) When acquiring a new photo toll system, enable the new system to connect with the department of licensing's vehicle record system and document when a toll is assessed for a vehicle listed in a prepaid electronic toll account in the monthly statement that is made available to the electronic toll account holder; and

(4) For an electronic toll collection system that uses an in-vehicle device to identify a particular customer for the purposes of paying an electronic toll from that customer's toll collection account, allow the in-vehicle devices to be offered for sale at vehicle dealers.

Allows the department of transportation, when vehicle owners incur fees and penalties associated with late payment of tolls for the first time, to waive penalties and fees if the issue that resulted in the toll not being timely paid has been resolved and the vehicle owner establishes an electronic toll account, if practicable.

Relieves the department of transportation of its obligation to provide notice if the customer has declined to receive communications from the department through those methods.