Bill Text - HB540 (2011)

Relative to motor vehicle inspections.


Revision: Jan. 31, 2011, midnight

HB 540-FN – AS INTRODUCED

2011 SESSION

11-0749

03/05

HOUSE BILL 540-FN

AN ACT relative to motor vehicle inspections.

SPONSORS: Rep. K. Murphy, Hills 18; Rep. Vaillancourt, Hills 15; Rep. Greazzo, Hills 17; Rep. DeJong, Hills 9; Rep. Mirski, Graf 10; Sen. White, Dist 9

COMMITTEE: Transportation

ANALYSIS

This bill changes the annual motor vehicle inspection requirement to a biennial requirement. This bill also raises the fee for inspection stickers from $3.25 to $6.50.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

11-0749

03/05

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eleven

AN ACT relative to motor vehicle inspections.

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

1 Vehicle Inspection; Frequency. Amend RSA 266:1, II to read as follows:

II. Any vehicle registered under this title, except an OHRV, snowmobile, moped, or other exempt vehicle, shall be inspected once [a] every second year, 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.

2 Motor Vehicle Inspections; Dates. Amend RSA 266:1, III to read as follows:

III. If the owner of the vehicle is a company or corporation or other than a natural person, the [annual] biennial inspection shall be made during the month designated by the director as the registration month for such legal entity. [Vehicles registered as antique motor vehicles and antique motorcycles and which are 40 years old and over shall be inspected biennially.] Antique motor vehicles and custom vehicles shall be inspected in the month of April. Without regard to the owner’s birth date or registration month, motorcycles and recreational vehicles shall be inspected [annually] by July 1 of every second year.

3 Motor Vehicle Inspections; Fees. Amend RSA 266:2 to read as follows:

266:2 Fees. The fee for inspection stickers shall be [$3.25] $6.50 for each sticker furnished an approved inspection station. The division shall transfer [$.25] $.50 of each fee collected under this section to the motor vehicle air pollution abatement fund established by RSA 125-S:3 and [$.25] $.50 of each fee collected under this section to the general fund. All unused stickers returned by the approved inspection station to the division shall be refundable at the rate of [$3.25] $6.50 each, except that unused stickers purchased from the division for a fee of $2.50 shall be refundable at the rate of $2.50 each and unused stickers purchased from the division for a fee of $3.25 shall be refundable at the rate of $3.25 each.

4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2012.

LBAO

11-0749

01/20/11

HB 540-FN - FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT relative to motor vehicle inspections.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Department of Safety states this bill will increase state restricted revenues by $2,178,000 and general fund revenue by $181,500 in FY 2012. This bill will increase state highway fund expenditures by $13,125 in FY 2012 and by $239,580 in FY 2013. This bill will increase local revenue by $239,580 in FY 2013. There will be no fiscal impact on county revenue or county and local expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:

    The Department of Safety states this bill changes the annual motor vehicle inspection requirement to a biennial requirement and raises the fee for inspection stickers from $3.25 to $6.50. The Department states the fee would be allocated according to the same ratio as the current fee with an additional $.25 being allocated to the motor vehicle air pollution abatement fund, an additional $.25 being allocated to the general fund, and an additional $2.75 going to the highway fund. Accordingly, the Department notes the effective date of the proposed legislation being January 1, 2012 would result in approximately 726,000 inspection stickers sold annually to be sold for $6.50 between January 1 and June 30, 2012. This would result in an overall increase in state revenue as follows:

      Estimated increase in state revenues:

              Motor vehicle air pollution abatement fund (726,000 x $.25) $ 181,500

              Highway fund (726,000 x 2.75) $1,996,500

                  General fund (726,000 x $.25) $ 181,500

            Total $2,359,000

    The Department notes the proposed legislation would also increase state highway fund expenditures in FY 2012 by the cost of programming changes needed to implement the law and in FY 2013 by the proportional increase in local highway aid in accordance with RSA 235:23. The Department estimates the programming changes would require approximately $13,125 for 75 hours of programming time at $175 per hour. The Department estimates state expenditures for local highway aid would increase by $239,580 ($1,996,500 x 12%), thereby increasing local revenue by the same amount in FY 2013.