hb 1134

CHAPTER 252

HB 1134 - FINAL VERSION

AN ACT relative to lighting requirements for motor vehicles and trailers and establishing a grants coordinator in the department of safety.

SPONSORS: Rep. Reid, Straf 12

I. Provides that a motor vehicle, full trailer, or semi-trailer may be equipped with more than one stop lamp.

II. Requires that when a vehicle is manufactured with multiple stop lamps, multiple tail lamps, or stop lamps or tail lamps with multiple bulbs or filaments, each of the lamps, bulbs, or filaments shall be in working order.

III. Establishes the position of grants coordinator in the department of safety and authorizes a transfer from the police standards and training council training fund to fund the position.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

AN ACT relative to lighting requirements for motor vehicles and trailers and establishing a grants coordinator in the department of safety.

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

252:1 Equipment of Vehicles; Stop Lamps; Multiple Stop Lamps. Amend RSA 266:38 to read as follows:

266:38 Stop Lamps. It shall be unlawful for any person to drive any motor vehicle, including any motorcycle, moped or motor-driven cycle, full trailer, trailer, or semi-trailer in this state unless it is equipped with [a] one or more stop [~~lamp~~] lamps in working order at all times; provided, however, that stop lamps shall not be required on a farm tractor, and further provided that whenever a vehicle is manufactured with multiple stop lamps or stop lamps with multiple bulbs or filaments, each of the lamps, bulbs, or filaments shall be in working order.

252:2 Equipment of Vehicles; Tail Lamp and Reflectors; Multiple Tail Lamps. Amend RSA 266:44 to read as follows:

266:44 Tail Lamp and Reflectors. Every motor vehicle and trailer or any combination of vehicles, when on the ways of this state at night, shall have on the rear thereof, and to the left of the axis thereof, one lamp, displaying a red light visible for a distance of at least 1000 feet to the rear of such vehicle, and a white light illuminating the registration plate of such vehicle so that the characters thereon shall be visible for a distance of at least 50 feet, except that passenger cars manufactured or assembled after January 1, 1952, shall have at least 2 tail lamps, one to either side of the axis thereof. On a combination of vehicles, only the tail lamps on the rearmost vehicle need actually be seen from the distance specified. On vehicles equipped with more than one tail lamp, the lamps shall be mounted on the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable. All tail lamps on any vehicle shall be located at a height of not more than 72 inches nor less than 20 inches from the ground, measured from the ground to the center of the reflector, and shall be placed in such manner as to indicate the extreme width of the vehicle and load and to reflect rays of light thrown upon such reflector. The visibility of such reflectors shall not be impaired at any time. Whenever a vehicle is manufactured with multiple tail lamps or multiple bulbs or filaments in the tail lamps, each of the lamps, bulbs, or filaments and any other exterior lighting equipment with which the vehicle was manufactured shall be in working order.

252:3 Department of Safety; Position Established; Grants Coordinator. There is established within the department of safety, division of administration, a grants coordinator position. The grants coordinator shall apply for and administer federal funds and private foundation aid to implement the statewide criminal justice information system, and any additional federal and private foundation funds that may become available to support programs at the department of safety or the police standards and training council. The grants coordinator shall file quarterly reports with the commissioner of safety and the director of police standards and training detailing the grants obtained and managed by the grants coordinator.

252:4 Transfer Authorized; Police Standards and Training Council Training Fund. The police standards and training council is authorized to execute an interagency agreement with the department of safety and may, notwithstanding RSA 188-F:30, transfer to the department of safety up to $100,000 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003 in unappropriated penalty assessment funds from the police standards and training council training fund for the purpose of funding the first-year costs of the grants coordinator position, a clerical assistant, and other costs of the department of safety associated with the grants coordinator. The department of administrative services is authorized, upon request of the department of safety, to establish at appropriate salary grades the necessary classified positions within the department of safety, division of administration, and to allocate the funds transferred pursuant to this section to the appropriate requested class codes for personnel, supplies, equipment, and travel in the department of safety budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003.