Relative to the registration and licensing of motor vehicles, this bill requires that upon the death of a person who owns and operates a freight motor vehicle registered as weighing 26,001-80,000 pounds, or who operates a freight motor vehicle registered as weighing 26,001-80,000 pounds and who owns 51 percent or more of the stock in the entity that owns the freight motor vehicle ("eligible operator"), in order to secure a refund of the unused portion of the registration fee paid, the certificate of registration and related license plate must be surrendered to, and a copy of the death certificate of the deceased eligible operator must be submitted to the department of revenue ("department").
This bill requires that within 30 days following receipt of the surrendered certificate and plate, death certificate, and any form as may be required by the department, the department must issue a refund of the unused portion of the registration fee paid, which is proportionate to the number of full months remaining in the registration period for which registration was issued, to the surviving spouse of the deceased eligible operator or the personal representative of the deceased eligible operator's estate.
A refund is limited to the unused portions of the registration fees paid for no more than three freight motor vehicles of the eligible operator. This bill authorizes the department to prescribe the form and manner of submitting any proof or documentation required by this section.
This bill applies retroactively to deaths of eligible operators occurring on or after June 1, 2023.
ON MARCH 21, 2024, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2915, AS AMENDED.
AMENDMENT #1 clarifies that the bill does not apply to refunds of another state's apportioned registration fees governed by a reciprocity agreement.
ON APRIL 23, 2024, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 2915 FOR HOUSE BILL 1805, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2915, AS AMENDED.
AMENDMENT #2 names the bill the "Ethan Wade Walls Act."