SB 906 - This act modifies provisions relating to the Department of Revenue.REMOTE DRIVER'S LICENSE RENEWALS (Section 32.300)
This act authorizes the Department of Revenue to design and implement a remote driver's license renewal system accessible through the Department's internet website connection or through one or more self-service terminals located within the state. The system shall comply with federal law as specified in the act. Drivers may apply for no more than one consecutive renewal remotely, and shall apply within six months before or after the license expires as required for conventional renewal. Applicants for remote renewal shall not be required to complete the vision test or highway sign recognition test unless the Department has technology allowing the tests to be conducted remotely.
These provisions are similar to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed SS#3/SCS/HB 1963 (2020), provisions in HCS/SB 782 (2020), provisions in HCS/SCS/SB 867 (2020), provisions in SB 200 (2019), provisions in SCS/HB 584 (2019), and provisions in HCS/HB 679 (2019).
VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEES (Sections 301.010, 301.020, 301.055, 301.057, 301.058, and 301.070)
The act specifies that "miles per gallon" or "MPG" shall refer to the combined city/highway fuel economy of a motor vehicle as determined by the Director of the Department of Revenue. (Section 301.010(34)) The Director shall determine motor vehicles' miles per gallon rating by consulting the vehicle's fuel economy label provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, or by using a vehicle identification number decoding system. If a rating can not be obtained by these means, or for vehicles subject to the alternative fuel decal fee and for which registration fees are not specifically prescribed, the rating shall be determined to be below 20 miles per gallon. (Section 301.070.1)
The act makes a technical update to reflect multi-year vehicle registrations, and requires vehicle owners, when applying for registration, to specify the fuel economy rating of the vehicle, in miles per gallon, rather than the horsepower of the vehicle. (Section 301.020)
The act specifies registration categories and fees based on vehicles' MPG rating, with separate categories for plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and motorcycles, motortricycles, and autocycles. The fee for motorcycle registration is increased from $8.50 to $10. (Section 301.055).
Under the act, registration fees for property-carrying non-local commercial motor vehicles other than land improvement contractors' vehicles are lowered, from $25.50 for vehicles 6,000 pounds and under, $38 for vehicles 6,001 pounds to 9,000 pounds, and $38 for vehicles 9,001 pounds to 12,000 pounds, to $25 for vehicles 12,000 pounds and under. (Section 301.057). Registration fees for property-carrying local commercial vehicles other than land improvement contractors' vehicles are increased, from $15.50 for vehicles 6,000 pounds and under, $18 for vehicles 6,001 pounds to 12,000 pounds, and $20.50 for vehicles 12,001 pounds to 18,000 pounds, to $25 for vehicles 18,000 and under. (Section 301.058)
These provisions have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2022. (Section B)
These provisions are similar to SB 201 (2019) and HB 500 (2019).
REAL ID (Section 302.170)
This act removes "facial feature pattern characteristics" and "eye spacing" from the definition of biometric data (section 302.170.1), repeals the requirement for the Department to store retained driver's license application documents on a system isolated from the internet and to purge the documents from previous systems on which they were stored (Section 302.170.2). The act also allows the Department of Revenue to retain documents at the request of and for the convenience of an applicant regardless of whether the applicant requests that the Department review alternative documents as proof required for issuance of a license (Section 301.170.3(6)), and allows the Department to use digital images and license signatures as required for the use of software for purposes of combating fraud (Section 302.170.5). Furthermore, the act requires a "knowing" standard before a person can be prosecuted for unlawfully accessing or disclosing certain driver's license data (Section 301.170.8), and repeals the expiration date of the authority to comply with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 (Section 302.170.15).
These provisions are identical to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed SS#3/SCS/HB 1963 (2020), provisions in HCS/SCS/SB 867 (2020), and provisions in HCS/SB 782 (2020).
DRIVER'S LICENSES (Section 302.181.1-4)
This act repeals obsolete references to Social Security numbers, and updates references to film photography to reflect the use of digital images.
These provisions are identical to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed SS#3/SCS/HB 1963 (2020), provisions in HCS/SB 782 (2020), and provisions in HCS/SCS/SB 867 (2020).
DIGITAL DRIVER'S LICENSES (Section 302.181.10)
This act authorizes the Department of Revenue to design and implement a secure digital driver's license program that allows license applicants to obtain a digital driver's license in addition to a card-based license. The digital license shall be accepted for all purposes for which a card-based license is used. The Department may contract with one or more entities to develop the digital driver's license system, and the Department or entities may develop a mobile software application capable of being utilized through a person's electronic device to access the person's digital driver's license. The Department shall suspend, disable, or terminate a person's participation in the digital driver's license program if the driver's driving privilege is suspended, revoked, denied, withdrawn, or cancelled as provided by law, or if the person reports their electronic device has been lost, stolen, or compromised.
These provisions are identical to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed SS#3/SCS/HB 1963 (2020), provisions in HCS/SB 782 (2020), and provisions in HCS/SCS/SB 867 (2020), similar to HB 2280 (2020), and similar to provisions in SB 200 (2019), provisions in SCS/HB 584 (2019), and provisions in HCS/HB 679 (2019).
MOTOR VEHICLE INSURANCE REPORTING (Section 303.026)
This act repeals an exemption from motor vehicle insurance policy issuance, nonrenewal, and cancellation reporting requirements for insurers with a statistically insignificant number of policies in force (Section 303.026.3(1)), and specifies that the Director may require insurers to provide records of policies issued, cancelled, terminated, or revoked as frequently as he or she deems necessary (Section 303.026.3(2)).
These provisions are identical to provisions in the truly agreed to and finally passed SS#3/SCS/HB 1963 (2020), and similar to HB 1975 (2020).
ERIC VANDER WEERD