SB 532-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

03/21/2024   0974s

9May2024... 1569h

9May2024... 1802h

9May2024... 1847h

2024 SESSION

24-3075

11/10

SENATE BILL 532-FN

AN ACT requiring all municipalities and school governing bodies to post on their official town or school website within 30 days the amount of funds received by the state either by allocation or grant, allowing new vehicles purchased in the model year or before to be inspected in the second year after purchase, and allowing title exemption for certain motor vehicles whose manufacturer's model year is 20 or more years old.

SPONSORS: Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Gannon, Dist 23; Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. Gendreau, Dist 1; Sen. Ward, Dist 8; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Murphy, Dist 16

COMMITTEE: Election Law and Municipal Affairs

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill:

I.  Requires all municipalities and school governing bodies to post on their official town or school website within 30 days the amount of funds received by the state either by allocation or grant.

II  Allows new vehicles purchased in the model year or before to be inspected in the second year after purchase.

III.  Exempts vehicles 20 or more years old from having a certificate of title.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03/21/2024   0974s

9May2024... 1569h

9May2024... 1802h

9May2024... 1847h 24-3075

11/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four

AN ACT requiring all municipalities and school governing bodies to post on their official town or school website within 30 days the amount of funds received by the state either by allocation or grant, allowing new vehicles purchased in the model year or before to be inspected in the second year after purchase, and allowing title exemption for certain motor vehicles whose manufacturer's model year is 20 or more years old.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1  New Section; Disclosure of State Funding Received.  Amend RSA 32 by inserting after section 5-c the following new section:

32:5-d  Disclosure of State Funding Received.  All municipalities and school district governing bodies shall post the amount of funds received from the state, either by allocation or grant, on their official town or school website within 30 days of receipt, for a period of at least 90 days.  In the absence of a website a political subdivision shall post the information in 2 appropriate places.

2  Motor Vehicles; Inspection Exempt.  Amend RSA 266:1, II to read as follows:

II.  Any vehicle registered under this title, except an OHRV, snowmobile, moped, roadable aircraft, or other exempt vehicle, shall be inspected once a year, except as provided in paragraph IV-a, during the month in which the birth date of the owner is observed, if the owner is a natural person.  An inspection sticker shall be valid for the same duration as the vehicle's registration, which shall not exceed 16 months.  If the month in which the anniversary of the owner's birth occurs will be one of the next 4 months, an inspection sticker may be issued, with an expiration date of the birth month in the following year, of the first person named on the title application.  Nothing in this paragraph shall require any person who has registered and had inspected a vehicle with temporary plates to have the vehicle reinspected upon receipt of permanent motor vehicle plates.  An inspection sticker shall not expire when a vehicle is transferred to a licensed dealer.

3  Model Year Purchase Excepted.  Amend RSA 266:1, II-a to read as follows:

II-a.  Notwithstanding RSA 266:1, II, if the month in which the anniversary of the owner's birth occurs will be one of the next 4 months, and the vehicle owner provides written verification of absence from New Hampshire during the entire anniversary month, an inspection sticker may be issued, with an expiration date of the birth month in the following year, except as provided in paragraph IV-a, of the first person named on the title application.

4  Newly Registered Vehicles.  Amend RSA 266:1, IV to read as follows:

IV.  Except as provided in paragraph IV-a, notwithstanding paragraphs II and III, newly registered vehicles, other than vehicles transferred to a licensed dealer, OHRVs, snowmobiles, mopeds, roadable aircraft, and vehicles, other than vehicles transferred to a licensed dealer, OHRVs, snowmobiles, mopeds, and roadable aircraft, the ownership of which has been transferred, shall be inspected not later than 10 days after the registration or transfer of ownership of said vehicle.  However, if a new vehicle not described in paragraph IV-a is purchased at retail from a licensed dealer, as defined in RSA 259:18, the vehicle shall be inspected not later than 20 days after the date of transfer.  A used vehicle for which a dealer has issued a 20-day plate pursuant to RSA 261:109 shall be inspected by the dealer or an authorized inspection station on behalf of the dealer at the time of the attachment of the plate unless a valid inspection sticker issued by the dealer is in place, in which case the vehicle shall be inspected within 20 days or before the sticker expires, whichever occurs first.  All other expired motor vehicle inspections shall be subject to the 10-day grace period in RSA 266:5.

5  New Paragraph; New Model Year Vehicle.  Amend RSA 266:1 by inserting after paragraph IV the following new paragraph:

IV-a.  A vehicle purchased prior to or during the vehicle’s model year, from a licensed dealer by a natural person as the first owner, shall be exempt from inspection until the last day of the registered owner’s birth month in second year after purchase.  A vehicle purchased prior to or during the vehicle’s model year, from a licensed dealer by a corporation as the first owner, shall be exempt from inspection until the last day of the purchase anniversary month in the second year after purchase.

6  Certificate of Title; Exempted Vehicles.  Amend RSA 261:3, I(k) to read as follows:

(k)  Any motor vehicle whose manufacturer's model year is [before the year 2000] 20 or more years old, except heavy trucks and truck-tractors whose gross vehicle weight exceeds 18,000 pounds.

7  Effective Date.

I.  Sections 2-5 of this act shall take effect January 1, 2025.

II.  The remainder of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBA

24-3075

Amended 5/20/24

SB 532-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE (AMENDMENTS #2024-1569h, #2024-1802h and #2024-1847h)

AN ACT requiring all municipalities and school governing bodies to post on their official town or school website within 30 days the amount of funds received by the state either by allocation or grant, allowing new vehicles purchased in the model year or before to be inspected in the second year after purchase, and allowing title exemption for certain motor vehicles whose manufacturer's model year is 20 or more years old.

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [ X ] Local              [    ] None

METHODOLOGY:

Section 1 of this bill requires all municipalities and school governing bodies to post on their official town or school website within 30 days the amount of funds received by the state either by allocation or grant. In the absence of a website a political subdivision shall post the information in 2 appropriate places.  This section of the bill has no fiscal impact to the State, County or local revenues or expenditures.

Section 2 thru 5 of this bill, effective January 1, 2025, exempts a vehicle purchased prior to, or during, the vehicle’s model year, from a licensed dealer by a natural person as the first owner, from inspection until the last day of the registered owner’s birth month in second year after purchase.  A vehicle purchased prior to or during the vehicle’s model year, from a licensed dealer by a corporation as the first owner, shall be exempt from inspection until the last day of the purchase anniversary month in the second year after purchase.  During calendar year 2023, 82,713 vehicles with a model year of 2023 were safety inspected.  Inspection stickers cost $3.25, with revenue split between three accounts: $2.75 to the highway fund, $0.25 to the general fund, and $0.25 to the motor vehicle air pollution abatement fund.  Based on the assumption of 83,000 fewer inspection stickers per calendar year, this bill will have the following impact on state revenue:

Also, pursuant to RSA 235:23 (“Apportionment A”), 12 percent of highway fund road toll and motor vehicle fee revenue collected is distributed to municipalities, therefore, under this bill state expenditures and local revenue would decrease by $13,695 in FY 2026 and $27,390 in FY 2027 and each year thereafter.

Section 6 of this bill would exempt vehicles that are 20 years or older from title requirements. The Department of Safety states it would incur costs related to system programming and testing and would require the updating of training materials and the notification of staff, municipal agents, and licensed NH retail dealers.  The Department states the estimated cost for system change, testing, and implementation, is approximately $24,000 (160 hours of work at a rate of $150 per hour, presumed to be incurred in FY 2025), and states the cost associated with training and educating agents and stakeholders would be absorbed within its current budget.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Safety