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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Ezzell

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/10/2007

2/27/2007 HB 465/a HFL

SHORT TITLE Safety Belt Waiver Placard

SB

ANALYST Schuss

ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)

FY07 FY08

FY09 3 Year

Total Cost

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

Total

(Unknown)* (Unknown)* (Unknown)* Recurring

Motor

Vehicle

Division

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases) *minimal but indeterminate impact

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Public Safety (DPS)

Did Not Respond

Taxation and Revenue Department (TRD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HFL Amendment

The first amendment proposed by the House Floor removes the provisions that allow a $5.00 fee

to be charged for a placard and a $10 replacement fee to be charged for lost placards. The

amendment also removes the qualification that one licensed by the division to operate a motor

vehicle having a gross weight of ten thousand pounds or less may be issued a placard.

The expiration date of the placard is clarified to be on the earlier of the expiration date of the

eligible individual’s motor vehicle operator’s license issued by the division or 4 years after

issuance of the safety belt waiver placard.

The amendment also adds a passenger as one who can use the placard.

Synopsis of Original Bill

House Bill 465 provides for a safety belt waiver placard to be issued by the Motor Vehicle

Division (MVD). This will allow those who have received a medical waiver on wearing a safety

House Bill 465/a HFL#1 – Page

2

belt to be identified by law enforcement. MVD may charge a fee of $5.00 for the issuance or

renewal of the placard and $10.00 to replace a lost placard. The bill also states that MVD shall

maintain records of all placards issued, maintain any copies of documentation to support the

need for a placard and numerically identify the placards for tracking and verification purposes.

This bill requires MVD to develop:

•

a safety belt placard;

•

rules regarding the placement of safety bell placards;

•

rules regarding issuance, renewal and replacement of lost placards

HB 465 declares an emergency.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

There will be a fiscal impact to MVD, an analysis from TRD is needed to determine whether this

impact will be significant.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

DPS notes that being stopped by law enforcement is an inconvenience with drivers who are

exempt, but there is nothing to keep people who are not exempt from operating that same motor

vehicle. In those cases, the bill could possibly lower compliance with the seat belt laws. Law

enforcement has a similar type problem with handicap parking placards, often people other than

the one authorized take advantage of it.

The bill states that the placard may be moved from one vehicle to another and it cannot be

assigned to a specific vehicle. This could lead to potential abuse as noted by DPS above.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

MVD will also have an administrative impact in the instance of maintaining records and copies

of documentation.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

Could assigning a waiver to a specific vehicle decrease the potential for abuse.

Could a safety belt waiver notification be placed on new disability placards, like the ones

proposed in SB 277.

BS/mt