HOUSE BILL NO. 1995 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE IRWIN.
4121H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT To repeal sections 301.064, 301.120, and 301.130, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof three new sections relating to registration of motor vehicles.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 301.064, 301.120, and 301.130, RSMo, are repealed and three 2 new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 301.064, 301.120, and 301.130, 3 to read as follows: 301.064. 1. The annual registration fee for a land improvement contractors' 2 commercial motor vehicle is three hundred fifty dollars. The maximum gross weight for 3 which such a vehicle may be registered is eighty thousand pounds. Transporting for hire by 4 such a motor vehicle is prohibited. 5 2. Upon application to the director of revenue accompanied by an affidavit signed by 6 the owner or owners stating that the motor vehicle to be licensed as a land improvement 7 contractors' commercial motor vehicle shall not be operated in any manner other than as 8 prescribed in section 301.010, and by the amount of the registration fee prescribed above, and 9 otherwise complying with the laws relating to the registration and licensing of motor vehicles, 10 the owner or owners shall be issued a [set of] land improvement contractors' license [plates] 11 plate. The director of revenue shall by regulation determine the characteristic features of land 12 improvement contractors' license [plates] plate so that they may be readily identified as such. 301.120. 1. When the owner of a motor vehicle moves the vehicle to another state, 2 [he] the owner shall return the license plates to the director of revenue within ninety days or 3 upon the expiration of the period of reciprocity granted by the new state of residence; or if the
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language. HB 1995 2
4 owner of a motor vehicle ceases to operate the vehicle in Missouri, [he] the owner shall 5 return the license plates to the director of revenue within ninety days. 6 2. For motor vehicles that require the issuance of only one license plate under 7 section 301.130 on or after August 28, 2026, an owner whose motor vehicle has a front 8 license plate on August 28, 2026, shall surrender the front license plate to the 9 department of revenue. 301.130. 1. The director of revenue, upon receipt of a proper application for 2 registration, required fees and any other information which may be required by law, shall 3 issue to the applicant a certificate of registration in such manner and form as the director of 4 revenue may prescribe and [a set of] only one license [plates] plate, or other evidence of 5 registration, as provided by this section. The provisions of this subsection regarding 6 issuance of only one license plate shall also apply to personalized license plates issued 7 under section 301.144 and special license plates issued under this chapter, except as 8 otherwise specified in subsection 3 of this section. Each license plate or set of license 9 plates shall bear the name or abbreviated name of this state, the words "SHOW-ME STATE", 10 the month and year in which the registration shall expire, and an arrangement of numbers or 11 letters, or both, as shall be assigned from year to year by the director of revenue. The plate or 12 plates shall also contain fully reflective material with a common color scheme and design for 13 each type of license plate issued pursuant to this chapter. The plate or plates shall be clearly 14 visible at night, and shall be aesthetically attractive. Special plates for qualified disabled 15 veterans will have the "DISABLED VETERAN" wording on the license plates in preference 16 to the words "SHOW-ME STATE" and special plates for members of the National Guard will 17 have the "NATIONAL GUARD" wording in preference to the words "SHOW-ME STATE". 18 2. The arrangement of letters and numbers of license plates shall be uniform 19 throughout each classification of registration. The director may provide for the arrangement 20 of the numbers in groups or otherwise, and for other distinguishing marks on the plates. 21 3. All property-carrying commercial motor vehicles to be registered at a gross weight 22 in excess of twelve thousand pounds, all passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles, local 23 transit buses, school buses, trailers, semitrailers, motorcycles, motortricycles, autocycles, 24 motorscooters, and driveaway vehicles shall be registered with the director of revenue as 25 provided for in subsection 3 of section 301.030, or with the state highways and transportation 26 commission as otherwise provided in this chapter, [but] and only one license plate shall be 27 issued for each such vehicle, except as provided in this subsection. The applicant for 28 registration of any property-carrying commercial vehicle registered at a gross weight in 29 excess of twelve thousand pounds may request and be issued two license plates for such 30 vehicle, and if such plates are issued, the director of revenue shall provide for distinguishing 31 marks on the plates indicating one plate is for the front and the other is for the rear of such HB 1995 3
32 vehicle. The director may assess and collect an additional charge from the applicant in an 33 amount not to exceed the fee prescribed for personalized license plates in subsection 1 of 34 section 301.144. 35 4. The plates issued to manufacturers and dealers shall bear the letters and numbers as 36 prescribed by section 301.560, and the director may place upon the plates other letters or 37 marks to distinguish commercial motor vehicles and trailers and other types of motor 38 vehicles. 39 5. No motor vehicle or trailer shall be operated on any highway of this state unless it 40 shall have displayed thereon the license plate or set of license plates issued by the director of 41 revenue or the state highways and transportation commission [and authorized by section 42 301.140]. Each such plate shall be securely fastened to the motor vehicle or trailer in a 43 manner so that all parts thereof shall be plainly visible and reasonably clean so that the 44 reflective qualities thereof are not impaired. Each such plate may be encased in a transparent 45 cover so long as the plate is plainly visible and its reflective qualities are not impaired. The 46 license [plates] plate shall be fastened to all motor vehicles except trucks, tractors, truck 47 tractors or truck-tractors licensed in excess of twelve thousand pounds on the [front and] rear 48 of such vehicles not less than eight nor more than forty-eight inches above the ground, with 49 the letters and numbers thereon right side up. The license plates on trailers, motorcycles, 50 motortricycles, autocycles, and motorscooters shall be displayed on the rear of such vehicles 51 either horizontally or vertically, with the letters and numbers plainly visible. The license plate 52 on buses, other than school buses, and on trucks, tractors, truck tractors or truck-tractors 53 licensed in excess of twelve thousand pounds shall be displayed on the front of such vehicles 54 not less than eight nor more than forty-eight inches above the ground, with the letters and 55 numbers thereon right side up or if two plates are issued for the vehicle pursuant to subsection 56 3 of this section, displayed in the same manner on the front and rear of such vehicles. The 57 license plate or plates [authorized by section 301.140] issued by the director of revenue or 58 the state highways and transportation commission, when properly attached, shall be prima 59 facie evidence that the required fees have been paid. 60 6. (1) The director of revenue shall issue annually or biennially a tab or set of tabs as 61 provided by law as evidence of the annual payment of registration fees and the current 62 registration of a vehicle in lieu of the plate or set of plates. Beginning January 1, 2010, the 63 director may prescribe any additional information recorded on the tab or tabs to ensure that 64 the tab or tabs positively correlate with the license plate or plates issued by the department of 65 revenue for such vehicle. Such tabs shall be produced in each license bureau office. 66 (2) The vehicle owner to whom a tab or set of tabs is issued shall affix and display 67 such tab or tabs in the designated area of the license plate, no more than one per plate. HB 1995 4
68 (3) A tab or set of tabs issued by the director of revenue when attached to a vehicle in 69 the prescribed manner shall be prima facie evidence that the registration fee for such vehicle 70 has been paid. 71 (4) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the director of revenue shall issue 72 plates for a period of at least six years. 73 (5) For those commercial motor vehicles and trailers registered pursuant to section 74 301.041, the plate issued by the highways and transportation commission shall be a 75 permanent nonexpiring license plate for which no tabs shall be issued. Nothing in this section 76 shall relieve the owner of any vehicle permanently registered pursuant to this section from the 77 obligation to pay the annual registration fee due for the vehicle. The permanent nonexpiring 78 license plate shall be returned to the highways and transportation commission upon the sale or 79 disposal of the vehicle by the owner to whom the permanent nonexpiring license plate is 80 issued, or the plate may be transferred to a replacement commercial motor vehicle when the 81 owner files a supplemental application with the Missouri highways and transportation 82 commission for the registration of such replacement commercial motor vehicle. Upon 83 payment of the annual registration fee, the highways and transportation commission shall 84 issue a certificate of registration or other suitable evidence of payment of the annual fee, and 85 such evidence of payment shall be carried at all times in the vehicle for which it is issued. 86 (6) Upon the sale or disposal of any vehicle permanently registered under this section, 87 or upon the termination of a lease of any such vehicle, the permanent nonexpiring plate issued 88 for such vehicle shall be returned to the highways and transportation commission and shall 89 not be valid for operation of such vehicle, or the plate may be transferred to a replacement 90 vehicle when the owner files a supplemental application with the Missouri highways and 91 transportation commission for the registration of such replacement vehicle. If a vehicle which 92 is permanently registered under this section is sold, wrecked or otherwise disposed of, or the 93 lease terminated, the registrant shall be given credit for any unused portion of the annual 94 registration fee when the vehicle is replaced by the purchase or lease of another vehicle 95 during the registration year. 96 7. The director of revenue and the highways and transportation commission may 97 prescribe rules and regulations for the effective administration of this section. No rule or 98 portion of a rule promulgated under the authority of this section shall become effective unless 99 it has been promulgated pursuant to the provisions of section 536.024. 100 8. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, owners of motor 101 vehicles other than apportioned motor vehicles or commercial motor vehicles licensed in 102 excess of twenty-four thousand pounds gross weight may apply for special personalized 103 license plates. Vehicles licensed for twenty-four thousand pounds that display special 104 personalized license plates shall be subject to the provisions of subsections 1 and 2 of section HB 1995 5
105 301.030. On and after August 28, 2016, owners of motor vehicles, other than apportioned 106 motor vehicles or commercial motor vehicles licensed in excess of twenty-four thousand 107 pounds gross weight, may apply for any preexisting or hereafter statutorily created special 108 personalized license plates. 109 9. No later than January 1, 2019, the director of revenue shall commence the 110 reissuance of new license plates of such design as approved by the advisory committee under 111 section 301.125 consistent with the terms, conditions, and provisions of section 301.125 and 112 this chapter. Except as otherwise provided in this section, in addition to all other fees 113 required by law, applicants for registration of vehicles with license plates that expire during 114 the period of reissuance, applicants for registration of trailers or semitrailers with license 115 plates that expire during the period of reissuance and applicants for registration of vehicles 116 that are to be issued new license plates during the period of reissuance shall pay the cost of 117 the plates required by this subsection. The additional cost prescribed in this subsection shall 118 not be charged to persons receiving special license plates issued under section 301.073 or 119 301.443. Historic motor vehicle license plates registered pursuant to section 301.131 and 120 specialized license plates are exempt from the provisions of this subsection. Except for new, 121 replacement, and transfer applications, permanent nonexpiring license plates issued to 122 commercial motor vehicles and trailers registered under section 301.041 are exempt from the 123 provisions of this subsection. ✔
Statutes affected: