Bill S.326 proposes significant amendments to Vermont's motor vehicle laws, focusing on the issuance and management of identification cards and operators' licenses. Key provisions include a clarification that individuals cannot hold both a state-issued nondriver identification card and an operator's license simultaneously, and it allows certain incarcerated individuals to renew their licenses or permits upon completing their sentences. The bill also empowers the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to suspend licenses or registrations for non-payment of fees, increases penalties for operating prohibited vehicles in Smugglers Notch, and establishes the use of electronic signatures for salvage titles.

Additionally, the bill introduces provisions for individuals in correctional facilities to apply for replacement licenses and permits at no cost before their release, and it sets a fee for a one-year nondomiciled commercial driver's license. It clarifies the applicability of the purchase and use tax on various vehicles and amends processes related to duplicate titles, appeals, and abandoned vehicles. The bill also specifies definitions for taxable costs and introduces new penalties for snowmobile violations, while allowing certain state agency employees to operate heavy vehicles without a commercial driver's license during weather emergencies. The act is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 23-115, 23-613, 23-617, 23-110, 23-511, 23-1006b, 23-2502, 23-2091, 23-2022, 23-3815, 23-2005, 23-2012, 23-2158, 23-3015, 32-8902, 32-8903, 23-3207, 23-4107, 23-4110