HB 482 - MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION Number 0003 CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS announced HB 482, "An Act relating to registration of noncommercial trailers and to registration of vehicles owned by disabled persons or persons who are 65 years of age or older; and providing for an effective date." Number 0005 REPRESENTATIVE BEVERLY MASEK made a motion to adopt CSHB 482, O- LS1721\B, Ford, 4/23/98, as the working draft. There being no objections, CSHB 482 was before the committee. Number 0009 PETER ECKLUND, Legislative Assistant to Representative Bill Williams, Alaska State Legislature came before the committee to explain the committee substitute. He pointed out the difference is the original version also dealt with noncommercial trailers and proposing a one-time registration for those. He explained that has been removed, it's not in the new committee substitute, there was a problem of working out the municipal tax structure if we would have made that change. Since it's a larger issue, and with such a short time left in session, he suggested that it should be left for discussions for maybe next year. MR. ECKLUND reported senior citizens, who currently register their vehicle, now register annually and are not subject to a fee, what the bill would do, is to require them to register once. And the same with disabled persons, they're required under current law to register annually but the bill proposes to have them register just once. There is no impact to the general fund because we currently don't receive a registration fee from those people. Number 0021 MR. ECKLUND referred to page 2 of the committee substitute. He stated currently there are many trucks on the market that are extended cabs and (indisc. - noise) the way current law is written, even though you as a private citizen may own one of those larger trucks that weights more than 6,000 pounds, and you may not use it for a business, the way the law is written you would have to register it as a commercial vehicle. Since there are more and more trucks coming on the market that are more than 6,000 pounds, we propose to move that to 10,000 pounds so if you own a vehicle and use it for private purposes you would not have to register it commercially. PETER ECKLUND stressed it also clarifies that, if you register your vehicle in the name of the company or business, then you should register that as a commercial vehicle. Number 0032 JUANITA HENSLEY, Chief, Driver Services, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of Administration came before the committee to testify. She expressed the departments support of the committee substitute and thanked the committee for introducing it on their behalf. MS. HENSLEY spoke on the fiscal note. Because we register them, but we do not receive any money for the general fund for those license plates that we issue to handicapped recipients or for senior citizens exemption, the fiscal note would be zero. He indicated she can't show any cost-savings because there spread all over the state, she can't say that there's 50 registered in Ketchikan and 100 registered in Juneau, so it's not feasible to reduce any type of revenues that way. Number 0040 REPRESENTATIVE MASEK asked how many registrations will this bill be dealing with. MS. HENSLEY replied the Division of Motor Vehicles deals with 14,000 senior citizen exemptions and approximately 6,000 handicapped license plates, that's around 20,000 transactions. Number 0043 REPRESENTATIVE JOHN COWDERY asked if the senior exemption applies to a husband and wife if they each have their own vehicle. Or they have to apply separately. MS. HENSLEY responded it allows one exemption per household for a calendar year. Number 0048 REPRESENTATIVE MASEK made a motion to move CSHB 482 as amended, with individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. There being no objections, CSHB 482(TRA) moved from the House Transportation Standing Committee.