04/20/2021 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION

              HB 166-ONE LICENSE PLATE PER VEHICLE                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:30:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HOPKINS  announced that the  final order of  business would                                                               
be  HOUSE BILL  NO.  166, "An  Act relating  to  the issuance  of                                                               
vehicle registration plates."                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:30:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 1:30 p.m. to 1:31 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:31:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCABE,   Alaska  State  Legislature,   as  prime                                                               
sponsor, presented HB 166.  He  indicated the bill would change a                                                               
requirement  of  "two  [license]  plates  per  vehicle"  to  "one                                                               
plate."   Removing the requirement  for license  plates displayed                                                               
on  the front  of  vehicles  would result  in  fiscal savings  of                                                               
$332,000, with virtually  no other effect.  He said  there are 20                                                               
other  states that  do not  require a  front license  plate, with                                                               
others following suit.   He said some negative  factors of having                                                               
to  add a  front license  plate where  there is  no factory  made                                                               
holder for one  is having to drill into a  bumper, which can lead                                                               
to rust  and, in some  newer vehicles, can interfere  with sensor                                                               
technology.  Further,  electric cars do not require  as much room                                                               
up front  in design, thus  there is  less room for  front license                                                               
plates on them.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:35:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCABE  allowed  there  are  some  public  safety                                                               
concerns.   Alaska  State  Troopers gave  an  example of  someone                                                               
pulling up  to a convenience store  with plans to rob  the store,                                                               
and the  camera on the  storefront captures the license  plate on                                                               
the  front of  the vehicle.   He  suggested that  concern may  be                                                               
minimized  when considering  that  a criminal  may  use a  stolen                                                               
vehicle or  take the  plates off  before using  the vehicle.   He                                                               
offered his understanding that the  front plate is the plate most                                                               
typically stolen  by thieves, because  it is the least  likely of                                                               
the two plates to be noticed missing by the vehicle owner.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:38:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WILLIAM GAMBLE, Staff, Representative  Kevin McCabe, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of  Representative McCabe,  prime sponsor                                                               
of HB 166,  presented the sectional analysis  [hard copy included                                                               
in  the  committee  packet]  which   read  as  follows  [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section  1:   Amends  AS   28.10.108(g)  to   make  all                                                                    
     references to "plates" and "registration" singular.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Section  2:   Amends  AS   28.10.108(h)  to   make  all                                                                    
     references to "plates" singular.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Section  3:   Amends  AS   28.10.155(a)  to   make  all                                                                    
     references to "plates" singular.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Section  4:  Grammatically  amends AS  28.10.161(a)  to                                                                    
     conform with the singular intent of the bill.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Section  5:  Amends  AS  28.10.161(b)  adds  conforming                                                                    
     language for a singular plate.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Section  6:  Adds a  subsection  to  AS 28.10.161  that                                                                    
     provides an  individual or  organization the  option to                                                                    
     return a plate should they be issued two plates.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
       Section 7: Grammatically amends AS 28.10.181(b) to                                                                       
     conform with the singular intent of the bill.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
         Section 8: Amends AS 28.10.181(j) to make all                                                                          
     references to "plates" singular.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
        Section 9: Amends AS 28.10.121(d)(9) to make all                                                                        
     references to "plates" singular.  Section 10: Amends AS                                                                    
     28.10.441 to make all references to "plates" singular.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:39:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCABE,  in  response  to  Representative  McKay,                                                               
reiterated that the projected savings  under HB 166, as reflected                                                               
on the fiscal note from the DMV, would be $332,000.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:40:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE,  in response to  Representative Spohnholz,                                                               
said since HB  166 is "a state  bill," he did not  speak with any                                                               
local law  enforcement personnel in  his district; he  spoke with                                                               
Alaska State  Troopers.   He said he  spoke with  Lieutenant Eric                                                               
Olsen.   He said law  enforcement would want as  many identifying                                                               
features on a  vehicle as possible.  He said  he did not discount                                                               
that factor,  but indicated his  focus was  on cost savings.   He                                                               
noted that statewide  the number of citations  issued amount only                                                               
to one  each in 2018  and 2019, and five  in 2020, for  a missing                                                               
front license plate.   He suggested that if the  law is not being                                                               
forced, then why not save the money for the state?                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ emphasized keen  interest in the view of                                                               
law  enforcement on  this issue.    She added  that just  because                                                               
citations aren't being issued over  a missing front license plate                                                               
doesn't mean front plates are not a useful investigative tool.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:44:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ERIC  OLSEN, Lieutenant,  Alaska  State  Troopers, Department  of                                                               
Public  Safety, emphasized  that the  front license  plate is  an                                                               
important  means  by  which  to   identify  a  vehicle.    During                                                               
surveillance, sometimes the  front of the vehicle is  all that is                                                               
visible.   When  there are  numerous vehicles  of the  same make,                                                               
model,  and  color,  the  license   plate  becomes  an  important                                                               
distinguisher.  In  terms of plates being stolen,  he said either                                                               
get swiped  - front or back.   He talked about  the front license                                                               
plate playing a  role in getting search warrants.   He said there                                                               
are many  places in the state  where citizens have to  file their                                                               
own  police reports,  and photos  help the  troopers corroborate.                                                               
Photos  are taken  for that  purpose and  to submit  to insurance                                                               
companies.  He  emphasized an important use of  the license plate                                                               
in  someone calling  in a  dangerous driver,  and he  pointed out                                                               
that sometimes  the caller has  a view only  of the front  of the                                                               
vehicle.   Likewise, in cases  of heinous crimes,  witnesses have                                                               
sometimes   identified   suspects   for   law   enforcement   via                                                               
identifying the front license plate.   Further, officers at times                                                               
will locate a stolen vehicle  traveling the opposite direction by                                                               
spotting  the front  license plate.   Sometimes  that leads  to a                                                               
traffic stop  where stolen  goods or narcotics  are found  in the                                                               
vehicle.    He  indicated  cameras have  recorded  front  license                                                               
plates,   which  saves   time,  money,   and  manpower   for  law                                                               
enforcement.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:50:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  OLSEN,  in  response   to  Chair  Hopkins,  said  the                                                               
Department of Public  Safety holds no position  regarding HB 166.                                                               
He  added,  "However, we  do  support  any laws  and  regulations                                                               
pertaining to  public safety."   In response  to a  question from                                                               
Representative Hannan, he confirmed  that the department's Alaska                                                               
State Troopers do  not utilize cameras to read  license plates at                                                               
intersections, and he deferred to  municipalities as to their use                                                               
of such cameras.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:52:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   MCCABE,  in   response   to   a  question   from                                                               
Representative  Drummond regarding  the revenue-making  aspect of                                                               
the DMV, explained  that unlike in some other  states, the Alaska                                                               
DMV charges  a fee for registration  but does not charge  for the                                                               
license plates; therefore, there would  be no loss in revenue and                                                               
there would be the aforementioned savings [of $332,000].                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DRUMMOND questioned  how  it would  be an  annual                                                               
savings  thereafter, "because  once  they stop  spending it  they                                                               
don't need to stop spending it in subsequent years."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:55:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JEFFREY   SCHMITZ,   Director,   Division  of   Motor   Vehicles,                                                               
Department of Administration,  said the fiscal note  from the DMV                                                               
reflects  a savings  of 50  percent off  what the  division would                                                               
spend in a  normal year, which is $664,000 for  the production of                                                               
license plates  into its inventory.   The fiscal note  shows that                                                               
when  the number  of  plates is  cut  in half,  so,  too, is  the                                                               
expenditure of the division.  He  allowed that it depends on "how                                                               
you look at it."   One way is that if HB 166  is not passed, then                                                               
the  annual  cost for  the  inventory  to  cover two  plates  per                                                               
vehicle  would be  $664,000 in  perpetuity; if  the bill  passes,                                                               
then the amount would be $332,000 annually.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SCHMITZ,  in  response  to Chair  Hopkins,  noted  that  the                                                               
division's "plate contract" is up  for renewal in summer 2021, so                                                               
this would  be a good  time to adjust the  inventory requirements                                                               
from the producer of the license plates.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:57:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK expressed willingness  to offer a conceptual                                                               
amendment  to include  an effective  date, since  currently there                                                               
was not one.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HOPKINS  told Representative  Cronk there  would be  a date                                                               
set for amendments;  therefore, he asked him to wait  to offer an                                                               
amendment rather than offering a conceptual one now.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:57:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HOPKINS  asked whether not  having a front  plate currently                                                               
could be a violation of probation.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  OLSEN  answered  yes,  it  could  be  reported  to  a                                                               
probation officer.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:58:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  HOPKINS  opened  public  testimony   on  HB  166.    After                                                               
ascertaining there  was no one  who wished to testify,  he closed                                                               
public testimony.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:59:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HOPKINS announced that HB 166 was held over.