CHAPTER 223

_______________

MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC REGULATION

_______________

HOUSE BILL 02-1066 [Digest]

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Swenson, Kester, Mace, and Williams S.;

also SENATOR(S) May, Perlmutter, and Taylor.

AN ACT

Concerning measures that will stabilize the cash flow associated with the issuance of license plates.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

  SECTION 1.  Legislative declaration. The general assembly hereby finds and determines that certain statutes dealing with the registration of motor vehicles may cause irregular registration and licensing costs and revenues, which will cause cash flow problems within the department of revenue and for county clerks. Therefore, the general assembly declares that it is important to mitigate potential revenue and cost bubbles associated with the registration of motor vehicles.

  SECTION 2.  42-3-113 (5) (b), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

  42-3-113.  Number plates furnished - style - periodic reissuance. (5) (b)  Beginning January 1, 2002, the department of revenue is authorized to require the replacement of any license plate as necessary to ensure that license plates are legible as required by section 42-3-123 (2). On and after such date, the department shall take actions necessary to replace all license plates issued in the state other than the license plates that were issued after January 1, 2000, under paragraph (a) of this subsection (5) or license plates that have been remanufactured under section 42-3-113.5. The department shall complete such license plate replacement on or before January 1, 2004 July 1, 2007.

  SECTION 3.  42-3-134 (29.5), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

  42-3-134.  Registration fees - passenger and passenger-mile taxes - fee schedule for years of TABOR surplus revenue - refund - clean screen fund - repeal. (29.5)  In addition to any other fees imposed by this section, the authorized agent designated under section 42-1-210 (1) (a) is authorized to collect and retain, and an applicant for registration shall pay at the time of registration, a reasonable fee, as determined manually from time to time by the authorized agent, that approximates the direct and indirect costs incurred, not to exceed five dollars, by the authorized agent in shipping and handling those license plates that the applicant has, pursuant to section 42-3-105 (1) (a), requested that the department mail to the owner.

  SECTION 4.  42-3-102 (1) (c), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended, and the said 42-3-102 is further amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SUBSECTION, to read:

  42-3-102.  Periodic registration. (1)  The department may establish by rule a periodic vehicle registration program whereby certain vehicles shall be registered at:

  (c)  Two-year intervals upon payment of a two-year registration fee and a two-year specific ownership tax, if applicable, commencing January 1, 2002. An owner of a motor vehicle that is of a model year 1982 or newer and that is not a motorcycle may elect a two-year registration pursuant to this paragraph (c), which registration shall expire on the last day of the last month of each two-year registration period.

  (2) (a)  Except for motor vehicles of model year 1981 or older and except for motorcycles of any model year, the department may register motor vehicles at two-year intervals upon payment of a two-year registration fee and a two-year specific ownership tax. The owner of a motor vehicle that is eligible as determined by the department for two-year registration may elect a two-year registration pursuant to this subsection (2), which registration shall expire on the last day of the last month of each two-year registration period.

  (b)  This subsection (2) shall not apply to class A property that is registered through the international registration plan. Such vehicles shall continue to be registered every twelve months.

  SECTION 5.  Safety clause.  The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.

Approved: May 30, 2002

----------

Capital letters indicate new material added to existing statutes; dashes through words indicate deletions from existing statutes and such material not part of act.

The information on this page is presented as an informational service only and should not be relied upon as an official record of action or legal position of the State of Colorado, the Colorado General Assembly, or the Office of Legislative Legal Services.