Senate Bill No. 150
(By Senators Miller and Love)
____________
[Introduced January 26, 1996; referred to the Committee
on Transportation; and then to the Committee on Finance
.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section sixteen, article three,
chapter seventeen-a of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended; and to amend
and reenact section three, article ten of said chapter, all
relating to expiration of registration and certificates of
title; registration fees for vehicles equipped with
pneumatic tires; and establishing an optional two-year
renewal cycle for Class A motor vehicles.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section sixteen, article three, chapter seventeen-a of
the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one,
as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that section three, article ten of said chapter be amended and reenacted, all to read
as follows:
ARTICLE 3. ORIGINAL AND RENEWAL OF REGISTRATION; ISSUANCE OF
CERTIFICATES OF TITLE.
§17A-3-16. Expiration of registration and certificates of title.
(a) Every vehicle registration under this chapter and every
registration card and registration plate issued hereunder shall
expire at midnight on the last day of the month designated by the
commissioner: Provided, That the commissioner may extend the
period during which said registration plates may be used.
Certificates of title need not be renewed annually but shall
remain valid until canceled by the division for cause or upon a
transfer of any interest shown therein.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section or of any
provision of this chapter, the commissioner shall adopt a
staggered registration system whereby the registration of Class
A motor vehicles shall be for a period of twelve consecutive
calendar months, the expiration dates thereof to be staggered
throughout the year. However, the commissioner shall offer on or
after the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-
seven, an optional multiyear registration system, whereby the registration of all such vehicles shall be for a period of
twenty-four consecutive calendar months, the expiration dates
thereof to be staggered throughout the year. Under this option,
all annual and twelve-month fees due at the time of registration
shall be multiplied by the number of years or fraction thereof
that the vehicle will be registered.
(1) On or after the first day of July, one thousand nine
hundred seventy-eight ninety-seven, all Class A motor vehicles as
defined in section one, article ten of this chapter, shall be
registered for a period of twelve or twenty-four consecutive
calendar months. There hereby are established twelve
registration periods, each of which shall start on the first day
of each calendar month of the year and shall end on the last day
of the twelfth month from date of beginning. The period ending
on the thirty-first day of January shall be designated the first
period; that ending on the twenty-eighth (twenty-ninth) day of
February shall be designated the second; that ending on the
thirty-first day of March shall be designated the third; that
ending on the thirtieth day of April shall be designated the
fourth; that ending on the thirty-first day of May shall be
designated the fifth; that ending on the thirtieth day of June shall be designated the sixth; that ending on the thirty-first
day of July shall be designated the seventh; that ending on the
thirty-first day of August shall be designated the eighth; that
ending on the thirtieth day of September shall be designated the
ninth; that ending on the thirty-first day of October shall be
designated the tenth; that ending on the thirtieth day of
November shall be designated the eleventh; and that ending on
the thirty-first day of December shall be designated the twelfth.
(2) All Class A motor vehicles, which are operated for the
first time upon the public highways of this state to and
including the fifteenth day of any given month shall be subject
to registration and payment of fee for the twelve or twenty-four
month period commencing the first day of the month of operation.
All Class A motor vehicles operated for the first time upon the
public highways of this state on and after the sixteenth day of
any given month shall be subject to registration and payment of
fee for the twelve or twenty-four month period commencing the
first day of the month of the next following calendar month.
(c) On or before the first day of July, one thousand nine
hundred ninety-six, all Class T and Class R vehicles shall be
registered for a maximum period of three years or portion thereof based on the number of years remaining in the three-year period
designated by the commissioner.
ARTICLE 10. FEES FOR REGISTRATION, LICENSING, ETC.
§17A-10-3. Registration fees for vehicles equipped with
pneumatic
tires.
The following registration fees for the classes indicated
shall be paid to the division for the registration of vehicles
subject to registration hereunder when equipped with pneumatic
tires:
(a) Registration fees for the following classes shall be
paid to the division annually:
(1) Class A. -- The annual registration fee for all motor
vehicles of this class is as follows: Provided, That the
registration fees and any other fees required by this chapter for
Class A vehicles under the optional biennial staggered
registration system shall be paid biennially to the division:
(A) For motor vehicles of a weight of three thousand pounds
or less -- twenty-five dollars.
(B) For motor vehicles of a weight of three thousand one
pounds to four thousand pounds -- thirty dollars.
(C) For motor vehicles of a weight in excess of four thousand pounds -- thirty-six dollars.
(D) For motor vehicles designed as trucks with declared
gross weights of four thousand pounds or less -- twenty-five
dollars.
(E) For motor vehicles designed as trucks with declared
gross weights of four thousand one pounds to eight thousand
pounds -- thirty dollars.
For the purpose of determining the weight, the actual weight
of the vehicle shall be taken: Provided, That for vehicles owned
by churches, or by trustees for churches, which vehicles are
regularly used for transporting parishioners to and from church
services, no license fee shall be charged, but notwithstanding
such exemption, the certificate of registration and license
plates shall be obtained the same as other cards and plates under
this article.
(2) Class B, Class E and Class K. -- The annual registration
fee for all motor vehicles of these three classes is as follows:
(A) For declared gross weights of eight thousand one pounds
to sixteen thousand pounds -- twenty-eight dollars plus five
dollars for each one thousand pounds or fraction thereof that the
gross weight of such vehicle or combination of vehicles exceeds eight thousand pounds.
(B) For declared gross weights greater than sixteen thousand
pounds, but less than fifty-five thousand pounds -- seventy-eight
dollars and fifty cents plus ten dollars for each one thousand
pounds or fraction thereof that the gross weight of such vehicle
or combination of vehicles exceeds sixteen thousand pounds.
(C) For declared gross weights of fifty-five thousand pounds
or more -- seven hundred thirty-seven dollars and fifty cents
plus fifteen dollars and seventy-five cents for each one thousand
pounds or fraction thereof that the gross weight of such vehicle
or combination of vehicles exceeds fifty-five thousand pounds.
(3) Class C and Class L. -- The annual registration fee for
all vehicles of these two classes is seventeen dollars and fifty
cents except that semitrailers, full trailers, pole trailers and
converter gear registered as Class C and Class L may be
registered for a period of ten years at a fee of one hundred
dollars.
(4) Class G. -- The annual registration fee for each
motorcycle is eight dollars.
(5) Class H. -- The annual registration fee for all vehicles
for this class operating entirely within the state is five dollars; and for vehicles engaged in interstate transportation of
persons, the registration fee is the amount of the fees provided
by this section for Class B, Class E and Class K reduced by the
amount that the mileage of such vehicles operated in states other
than West Virginia bears to the total mileage operated by such
vehicles in all states under a formula to be established by the
division of motor vehicles.
(6) Class J. -- The annual registration fee for all motor
vehicles of this class is eighty-five dollars. Ambulances and
hearses used exclusively as such are exempt from the above
special fees.
(7) Class S. -- The annual registration fee for all vehicles
of this class is seventeen dollars and fifty cents.
(8) Class U. -- The annual registration fee for all vehicles
of this class is fifty-seven dollars and fifty cents.
(9) Class Farm Truck. -- The annual registration fee for all
motor vehicles of this class is as follows:
(A) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of eight
thousand one pounds to sixteen thousand pounds -- thirty dollars.
(B) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of sixteen
thousand one pounds to twenty-two thousand pounds -- sixty dollars.
(C) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of twenty-two
thousand one pounds to twenty-eight thousand pounds -- ninety
dollars.
(D) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of
twenty-eight thousand one pounds to thirty-four thousand pounds
-- one hundred fifteen dollars.
(E) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of thirty-four
thousand one pounds to forty-four thousand pounds -- one hundred
sixty dollars.
(F) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of forty-four
thousand one pounds to fifty-four thousand pounds -- two hundred
five dollars.
(G) For farm trucks of declared gross weights of fifty-four
thousand one pounds to sixty-four thousand pounds -- two hundred
fifty dollars.
(b) Registration fees for the following classes shall be
paid to the division for a maximum period of three years, or
portion thereof based on the number of years remaining in the
three-year period designated by the commissioner:
(1) Class R. -- The annual registration fee for all vehicles of this class is twelve dollars.
(2) Class T. -- The annual registration fee for all vehicles
of this class is eight dollars.
(c) The fees paid to the division for a multiyear
registration provided for by this chapter shall be the same as
the annual registration fee established by this section and any
other fee required by this chapter multiplied by the number of
years for which the registration is issued.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish an optional
two-year renewal cycle for Class A motor vehicles. Class A
registrations would be renewed for two years instead of one year.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.