Bill Text - SB659 (2020)

Relative to agricultural and farm motor vehicle plates.


Revision: Jan. 14, 2020, 1:11 p.m.

SB 659-FN - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2020 SESSION

20-2963

11/08

 

SENATE BILL 659-FN

 

AN ACT relative to agricultural and farm motor vehicle plates.

 

SPONSORS: Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Rep. Renzullo, Hills. 37; Rep. Packard, Rock. 5; Rep. Chirichiello, Rock. 6

 

COMMITTEE: Transportation

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill requires owners of vehicles seeking agricultural or farm registrations to provide, upon request, certain tax filings to town and city clerks in order to obtain such registrations.

 

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

20-2963

11/08

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty

 

AN ACT relative to agricultural and farm motor vehicle plates.

 

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

 

1  Motor Vehicles; Definitions; Truck.  Amend RSA 259:115-b to read as follows:

259:115-b  Truck.  "Truck" shall mean every motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property, except as provided in RSA 261:82 and RSA 261:84.

2  Motor Vehicles; Agricultural Plates.  Amend RSA 261:82, V(a) to read as follows:

V.(a)(1)  To be eligible for the issuance of an agricultural vehicle registration for agricultural and farming purposes, the applicant shall sign the following form which the treasurer of a city or such other official as the city government may designate or the town clerk shall provide.  This form shall be provided to the applicant upon request without further evidence from the applicant that the plate shall be used for purposes of this section.

I, the undersigned, fully understand the limitations concerning the use of trucks, tractor-trucks, tractors, or cargo vans registered under RSA 261:82, and hereby certify that my vehicle will be used only for agricultural and farming purposes and uses incidental thereto, within a 20 mile radius of the main entrance of the farm upon which the vehicle is to be driven.

Signed:  

______________________________  

Date: ___________________  

 

Copies to:

Town or City Clerk

Applicant

(2)  An agricultural vehicle registration shall only be issued pursuant to paragraph I if the vehicle owner seeking such registration has sales of farm products or services and provides, upon request, a copy Internal Revenue Service Form 1040, Schedule F, filed for the previous tax year, to the town or city clerk.  Any person found to have fraudulently provided such a form to the town or city clerk shall forfeit any registration issued pursuant to this section and shall be prohibited from registering any vehicle with agricultural plates in the future.

(3)  The owner of a vehicle registered with agricultural plates pursuant to paragraph I shall affix the name of the farm along with the address of the farm to the driver's side of the vehicle in letters no less than 3 inches tall.

3  New Paragraph; Motor Vehicles; Agricultural Plates.  Amend RSA 261:82 by inserting after paragraph VI the following new paragraph:

VII.  For purposes of this section:

(a)  "Truck" means a vehicle designated by the manufacturer as such and which has a passenger cab which is separate from the cargo or material hauling portion of the vehicle.

(b)  "Cargo van" means a vehicle which was manufactured for the purpose of hauling cargo and which has only a driver and passenger seat and which was not manufactured to carry any additional passengers.

4  Motor Vehicles; Farm Plates.  Amend RSA 261:84, III to read as follows:

III.(a)  To be eligible for the issuance of a farm vehicle registration, the applicant shall sign the following form which the treasurer of a city or such other official as the city government may designate or the town clerk shall provide.  This form shall be provided to the applicant upon request without further evidence from the applicant that the plate shall be used for purposes of this section.

I, the undersigned, fully understand the limitations concerning the use of trucks, tractor-trucks, or semi-trailers registered under RSA 261:84, and hereby certify that my vehicle will be used only for agricultural and farming purposes and uses incidental thereto.

Signed:  

_____________________  

Date: __________  

 

Copies to:

Town or City Clerk

Applicant

(b)  An farm vehicle registration shall only be issued pursuant to paragraph I if the vehicle owner seeking such registration has sales of farm products or services and provides, upon request, a copy Internal Revenue Service Form 1040, Schedule F, filed for the previous tax year, to the town or city clerk.  Any person found to have fraudulently provided such a form to the town or city clerk shall forfeit any registration issued pursuant to this section and shall be prohibited from registering any vehicle with farm plates in the future.

(c)  The owner of a vehicle registered with farm plates pursuant to paragraph I shall affix the name of the farm along with the address of the farm to the driver's side of the vehicle in letters no less than 3 inches tall.

IV.  For purposes of this section:

(a)  "Truck" means a vehicle designated by the manufacturer as such and which has a passenger cab which is separate from the cargo or material hauling portion of the vehicle.

(b)  "Cargo van" means a vehicle which was manufactured for the purpose of hauling cargo and which has only a driver and passenger seat and which was not manufactured to carry any additional passengers.

5  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

 

LBAO

20-2963

1/3/20

 

SB 659-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT relative to agricultural and farm motor vehicle plates.

 

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

 

 

 

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

   Appropriation

$0

$0

$0

$0

   Revenue

$0

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

   Expenditures

$0

$0

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Funding Source:

  [    ] General            [    ] Education            [ X ] Highway           [ X ] Other - Restricted - Costs of Collections/Administration*

*Pursuant to Part II, article 6-a of the New Hampshire constitution, any costs associated with the collection and administration of Highway Funds by the Department of Safety shall be deducted by the Department before such funds are credited to the Highway Fund as unrestricted revenue.

 

 

 

 

 

LOCAL:

 

 

 

 

   Revenue

$0

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

Indeterminable

   Expenditures

$0

$0

$0

$0

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill modifies the definition of truck and cargo van as it pertains to agricultural and farm registrations, which may result in a state revenue increase if it is determined that certain vehicles that currently have such registrations no longer qualify or are unable to prove their eligibilty (agricultural and farm registrations are offered at a much lower rate than a passenger plate registration).  The Department of Safety is unable to determine how many vehicles may be affected by this change.  Also, pursuant to RSA 235:23 (“Apportionment A”), 12 percent of motor vehicle fees collected are distributed to municipalities.  Therefore, in FY 2022 and each year thereafter, this bill may have an impact on state expenditures and local revenue depending on the number of registrations affected.

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Safety