HB 166-ONE LICENSE PLATE PER VEHICLE  1:34:34 PM CHAIR MYERS announced the consideration of CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 166(FIN) "An Act relating to the issuance of vehicle registration plates; and providing for an effective date." 1:34:58 PM REPRESENTATIVE KEVIN MCCABE, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of HB 166, paraphrased the sponsor statement. [Original punctuation provided.] HB166 would direct the DMV to reduce issuance of the number of vehicle license plates from two to one rear plate. HB166's main focus is the cost savings to the State of Alaska's budget. It would conserve resources of many departments and bring Alaska in line with other states moving to a single plate requirement. As of today, twenty other states no longer require vehicles to have a license plate mounted on the front. Nebraska and Iowa are the in the midst of doing the same for their residents. The manufacturers of many new gas-powered vehicles do not provide a location to put a plate on the front bumpers. New, important safety technology such as proximity and traffic sensors are present on the front grills of modern cars which can be obstructed and damaged by attempts to install a front plate. Removing the front plate maintains a car's health by allowing the designed airflow to occur, thereby meeting the component cooling requirements. Eliminating front plates protects the aesthetic contours of the vehicle. With new electric vehicles, the most noticeable difference is the elimination of the grill. Their front ends are not only packed with sensor technology, they require far less ventilation which allows the manufacturer to increase the overall size of the interior of the vehicle in leg room for passengers or larger storage and trunk areas. Custom and classic cars simply did not come with a provision for a front plate. 1:36:50 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE continued to paraphrase the sponsor statement. The single plate and registration tab will still be required on the rear of the vehicle thereby continuing to assist law enforcement officers in their public safety work. The rear plate and registration tab will remain visible to the human eye, bodycams, dashboard cams, security cameras and other personal video surveillance systems. Alaska is known for its strong police-community relationship and this bill will further protect residents, law enforcement and their mutual trust from any incident that might escalate from a no front plate violation. 1:37:22 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE stated that he counted the number of vehicles without a front plate when driving from Big Lake to Anchorage and found that about one in ten vehicles did not have a front license plate or mud obscured it. Typically, people can't read the license plate in their rearview mirror because the plate is below the horizon of the tailgate or the rear of the vehicle. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE related that it would be a "fix it" ticket and it does not generate any revenue for the Department of Public Safety (DPS). He reported that DPS reported the citations issued, including one in 2018, one in 2019, five in 2020, nine in 2021, and one in 2022. He suggested that the state could save production and distribution costs for mailing license plates. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE stated that this bill would not affect jobs because the Division of Motor Vehicles contracts with the license plate maker. He noted that Fairbanks and Wasilla police departments and the Alaska State Troopers have no position on the bill. He reported that Ohio implemented this and reported that there was no impact to Ohio's troopers. 1:38:52 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE continued to paraphrase the sponsor statement. [Original punctuation provided.] In Alaska's precarious budget situation, it is more important than ever to trim the budget where we can and ensure our state's fiscal health in years to come. Let's make common sense changes such as outlined in HB166 that will provide for even the smaller budget cost-saving measures. 1:39:57 PM JULIE MORRIS, Staff, Representative Kevin McCabe, Juneau, Alaska, presented the sectional analysis for HB 166 on behalf of the sponsor, which read: 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. Section 11: Outlines an immediate effective date. MS. MORRIS explained that Sections 1-10 grammatically conform to make all references to "plates" singular. Section 6 allows an individual or organization to return a license plate if two plates were issued. Section 11 provides for an immediate effective date. 1:41:10 PM SENATOR MICCICHE asked if a person could have two plates. SENATOR MCCABE responded that HB 166 provides a provision for the individual to order a second license plate, similar to ordering a personalized plate for a small fee. 1:42:04 PM CHAIR MYERS opened public testimony; he found none and closed public testimony on HB 166. 1:42:55 PM CHAIR MYERS moved to adopt Amendment 1, work order 32- LS0403\B.4. 32-LS0403\B.4 Radford 5/2/22 AMENDMENT 1 OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY CHAIR MYERS TO: CSHB 166(FIN) Page 3, line 13: Delete "rear plate" Insert "(A) rear plate for noncommercial  vehicles; or  (B) front plate for commercial  vehicles." Page 3, line 17: Delete "rear" Insert "(A) rear of the vehicle for which it is issued for a noncommercial vehicle; or  (B) front of the vehicle for which it  is issued if the vehicle is a commercial  vehicle." Page 3, following line 18: Insert a new bill section to read:  "* Sec. 7. AS 28.10.171(a) is amended to read: (a) When two registration plates are issued for a vehicle, they shall be attached to the vehicle for which issued, one in front and the other in the rear. When one registration plate is issued, it shall be attached to the (1) rear of the vehicle for which issued for a noncommercial vehicle; or  (2) front of the vehicle for which  issued if the vehicle is a commercial vehicle." Renumber the following bill sections accordingly. 1:42:58 PM SENATOR MICCICHE objected for discussion purposes. 1:43:02 PM CHAIR MYERS explained that he reviewed how HB 166 would affect commercial vehicles, noting that he had no issue with going to one plate. He said mud often obscures the back license plate on commercial vehicles. He stated that commercial enforcement officers use the front license plate to log the vehicle into their computer system. He indicated that DOT&PF prefers to have the license plate located on the front of the commercial vehicle and Amendment 1 would make that change. 1:44:01 PM SENATOR MICCICHE removed his objection. CHAIR MYERS asked if he would reinstate his objection. 1:44:12 PM SENATOR MICCICHE objected for discussion purposes. 1:44:24 PM CHAIR MYERS explained that the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF) suggested a conforming change to Amendment 1. 1:44:41 PM CHAIR MYERS moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 1. 1:44:44 PM SENATOR MICCICHE objected for discussion purposes. 1:44:49 PM CHAIR MYERS stated Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 1: On page 3, line 20, to the definition of commercial vehicle, it will read, "commercial motor vehicle" per AS 19.10.399. CHAIR MYERS explained that the statutes contain two definitions for commercial vehicles. The definition in paragraph (2) relates to trucks and buses, and the other definition relates to using a motor vehicle for a commercial purpose. 1:45:37 PM SENATOR MICCICHE asked whether the definition of commercial motor vehicle would exclude trailers. CHAIR MYERS answered that it would depend on the trailer size because trailers weighing over 10,000 pounds were considered commercial motor vehicles. 1:45:56 PM SENATOR MICCICHE asked how a front license plate would be affixed to a commercial trailer. 1:46:11 PM ANDY MILLS, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Commissioner, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF), Juneau, Alaska, responded that the trailer plate would be affixed on the back of the trailer, but the commercial motor vehicle towing the trailer would have the license plate affixed to the front of the vehicle. This would avoid having the plate between the commercial motor vehicle and the trailer. These commercial motor vehicles use the scales and are not the smaller types of trucks that deliver flowers or other business goods. CHAIR MYERS stated that trailers were covered elsewhere in statute. He noted that trailers currently are only required to have one plate. 1:47:27 PM SENATOR MICCICHE removed his objection. CHAIR MYERS found no further objection, and Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 1 was adopted. 1:47:38 PM CHAIR MYERS stated that Amendment 1, as amended, was before the committee. 1:47:43 PM SENATOR MICCICHE removed his objection. 1:48:04 PM CHAIR MYERS found no further objection, and Amendment 1, as amended, was adopted. 1:48:00 PM SENATOR MICCICHE moved to report the committee substitute (CS) for HB 166(FIN), work order 32-LS0403\B, as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). CHAIR MYERS found no objection, and SCS CSHB 166(TRA) was reported from the Senate Transportation Standing Committee.