SECOND REGULAR SESSION
[P E R F E C T E D]
SENATE SUBSTITUTE FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 518
89TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR GRAVES.
Offered February 10 , 1998.
Senate Substitute adopted, February 11, 1998.
Taken up for Perfection February 11 , 1998. Bill declared Perfected and Ordered Printed, as amended.
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
S2546.03P
AN ACT
To repeal section 307.365, RSMo 1994, and sections 307.350 and 307.366, RSMo Supp. 1997, relating to inspections of motor vehicles, and to enact in lieu thereof four new sections relating to the same subject.
Section A. Section 307.365, RSMo 1994, and sections 307.350 and 307.366, RSMo Supp. 1997, are repealed and four new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 307.350, 307.365, 307.366 and 307.398, to read as follows:
307.350. 1. The [owner] seller of every motor vehicle as defined in section 301.010, RSMo, which is required to be registered in this state, except:
(1) New motor vehicles which have not been previously titled and registered, prior to the initial motor vehicle registration or the next succeeding registration which is required by law;
(2) Those motor vehicles which are engaged in interstate commerce and are proportionately registered in this state with the Missouri highway reciprocity commission, although the owner may request that such vehicle be inspected by an official inspection station, and a peace officer may stop and inspect such vehicles to determine whether the mechanical condition is in compliance with the safety regulations established by the United States Department of Transportation; and
(3) Historic motor vehicles registered pursuant to section 301.131, RSMo;
shall submit such vehicles to [an annual] one-time inspection of their mechanism and equipment in accordance with the provisions of sections 307.350 to 307.390 and obtain a certificate of inspection and approval and a sticker, seal, or other device from a duly authorized official inspection station. The inspection, except the inspection of school buses which shall be made at the time provided in section 307.375, shall be made at the time prescribed in the rules and regulations issued by the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol; but the inspection of a vehicle shall not be made more than sixty days prior to the date of application for [annual] registration or within sixty days of when a vehicle's registration is transferred. The certificate of inspection and approval shall be a sticker, seal, or other device or combination thereof, as the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol prescribes by regulation and shall be displayed upon the motor vehicle or trailer as prescribed by the regulations established by him. The replacement of certificates of inspection and approval which are lost or destroyed shall be made by the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol under regulations prescribed by him.
2. Each owner of every motor vehicle which is required to be inspected under this section shall obtain a safety inspection of the vehicle under sections 307.350 to 307.390, prior to registering the vehicle, every three years after the previous inspection.
[2.] 3. For the purpose of obtaining an inspection only, it shall be lawful to operate a vehicle over the most direct route between the owner's usual place of residence and an inspection station of such owner's choice, notwithstanding the fact that the vehicle does not have a current state registration license. It shall also be lawful to operate such a vehicle from an inspection station to another place where repairs may be made and to return the vehicle to the inspection station notwithstanding the absence of a current state registration license.
[3.] 4. No person whose motor vehicle was duly inspected and approved as provided in this section shall be required to have the same motor vehicle again inspected and approved for the sole reason that such person wishes to obtain a set of any special personalized license plates available pursuant to section 301.144, RSMo, or a set of any license plates available pursuant to section 301.142, RSMo, prior to the expiration date of such motor vehicle's current annual registration.
[4.] 5. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 307.390, violation of this section shall be deemed an infraction.
307.365. 1. No permit for an official inspection station shall be assigned or transferred or used at any location other than therein designated and every permit shall be posted in a conspicuous place at the location designated. The superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol shall design and furnish each official inspection station, at no cost, one official sign made of metal or other durable material to be displayed in a conspicuous location to designate the station as an official inspection station. Additional signs may be obtained by an official inspection station for a fee equal to the cost to the state. Each inspection station shall also be supplied with one or more posters which must be displayed in a conspicuous location at the place of inspection and which informs the public that required repairs or corrections need not be made at the inspection station.
2. No person operating an official inspection station under the provisions of sections 307.350 to 307.390 may issue a certificate of inspection and approval for any vehicle except upon an official form furnished by the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol for that purpose and only after inspecting the vehicle and determining that its brakes, lighting equipment, signaling devices, steering mechanisms, horns, mirrors, windshield wipers, tires, wheels, exhaust system, glazing, air pollution control devices, fuel tank and any other safety equipment as required by the state are in proper condition and adjustment to be operated upon the public highways of this state with safety to the driver or operator, other occupants therein, as well as other persons and property upon the highways, as provided by sections 307.350 to 307.390 and the regulations prescribed by the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol. No person operating an official inspection station shall furnish, loan, give or sell a certificate of inspection and approval to any other person except those entitled to receive it under provisions of sections 307.350 to 307.390. No person shall have in his possession any certificate of inspection and approval and/or inspection sticker with knowledge that the certificate and/or inspection sticker has been illegally purchased, stolen or counterfeited.
3. The superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol may require officially designated stations to furnish reports upon forms furnished by him for that purpose as he considers reasonably necessary for the proper and efficient administration of sections 307.350 to 307.390.
4. If, upon inspection, defects or unsafe conditions are found, the owner may correct them himself or shall have them corrected at any place of his own choice within fifteen days after the defect or unsafe condition is found, and shall have the right to remove the vehicle to such place for correction, but before the vehicle is operated thereafter upon the public highways of this state, a certificate of inspection and approval must be obtained. The inspecting personnel of the official inspection station must inform the owner that he need not have the corrections made at the inspection station.
5. A fee, not to exceed [seven] twenty-one dollars, as determined by each official inspection station, may be charged by an official inspection station for each official inspection including the issuance of the certificate of inspection and approval, sticker, seal or other device and a total fee, not to exceed [six] eighteen dollars, as determined by each official inspection station, may be charged for an official inspection of a trailer or motorcycle, which shall include the issuance of the certificate of inspection and approval, sticker, seal or other device. Such fee shall be conspicuously posted on the premises of each such official inspection station. No owner shall be charged an additional inspection fee upon having corrected defects or unsafe conditions found in an inspection completed within the previous ten consecutive days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, if such follow-up inspection is made by the station making the initial inspection. Every inspection for which a fee is charged shall be a complete inspection, and upon completion of the inspection, if any defects are found the owner of the vehicle shall be furnished a list of the defects and a receipt for the fee paid for the inspection. If the owner of a vehicle decides to have any necessary repairs or corrections made at the official inspection station, he shall be furnished a written estimate of the cost of such repairs before such repairs or corrections are made by the official inspection station. The written estimate shall have plainly written upon it that the owner understands that he need not have the corrections made by the official inspection station and shall have a signature line for the owner. The owner must sign below the statement on the signature line before any repairs are made.
6. Certificates of inspection and approval, sticker, seal or other device shall be purchased by the official inspection stations from the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol. The superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol shall collect a fee of seventy-five cents for each certificate of inspection, sticker, seal or other device issued to the official inspection stations, except that no charge shall be made for certificates of inspection, sticker, seal or other device issued to official inspection stations operated by governmental entities. All fees collected shall be deposited in the state treasury with fifty cents of each fee collected credited to the state highway fund and, for the purpose of administering and enforcing the state motor vehicle laws and traffic regulations, twenty-five cents credited to the "Highway Patrol Inspection Fund" which is hereby created. The moneys collected and deposited in the highway patrol inspection fund shall be expended subject to appropriations by the general assembly for the administration and enforcement of sections 307.350 to 307.390 by the Missouri state highway patrol. The unexpended balance in the fund at the end of each biennium exceeding the amount of the appropriations from the fund for the first two fiscal years shall be transferred to the state road fund, and the provisions of section 33.080, RSMo, relating to the transfer of funds to the general revenue fund at the end of the biennium, shall not apply to the fund.
7. The owner or operator of any inspection station who discontinues operation during the period that a station permit is valid or whose station permit is suspended or revoked shall return all official signs and posters and any current unused inspection stickers, seals or other devices to the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol and shall receive a full refund on request except for official signs and posters, provided the request is made during the calendar year or within sixty days thereafter in the manner prescribed by the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol. Stations which have a valid permit shall exchange unused previous year issue inspection stickers and/or decals for an identical number of current year issue, provided the unused stickers and/or decals are submitted for exchange not later than April thirtieth of the current calendar year, in the manner prescribed by the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol.
307.366. 1. This enactment of the emissions inspection program is a mandate of the United States Congress pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq. In any city not within a county, any county of the first classification having a population of over nine hundred thousand inhabitants according to the most recent decennial census, any county of the first classification with a charter form of government and a population of not more than two hundred twenty thousand inhabitants and not less than two hundred thousand inhabitants according to the most recent decennial census, any county of the first classification without a charter form of government with a population of not more than one hundred eighty thousand inhabitants and not less than one hundred seventy thousand inhabitants according to the most recent decennial census and any county of the first classification without a charter form of government with a population of not more than eighty-two thousand inhabitants and not less than eighty thousand inhabitants according to the most recent decennial census, [as a part of the motor vehicle inspection procedure required by sections 307.350 to 307.390,] certain motor vehicles shall be annually tested to determine that the emissions system is functioning within the emission standards as specified by the Missouri air conservation commission and as required to attain the national health standards for air quality. The motor vehicles to be tested shall be all vehicles except those specifically exempted under subdivisions (1) to (3) of subsection 1 of section 307.350 and those exempted under this section.
2. The provisions of this section shall not apply to:
(1) Motor vehicles with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating in excess of eight thousand five hundred pounds;
(2) Motorcycles and motortricycles;
(3) Model year vehicles prior to 1971;
(4) School buses;
(5) Diesel-powered vehicles;
(6) Motor vehicles registered in the area covered by this section but which are based and operated exclusively in an area of this state not subject to the provisions of this section if the owner of such vehicle presents to the director a sworn affidavit that the vehicle will be based and operated outside the covered area; and
(7) New motor vehicles not previously titled or registered prior to the initial motor vehicle registration or the next succeeding registration which is required by law. Each official inspection station which conducts safety or emissions inspections in a city or county referred to in subsection 1 of this section shall indicate the gross vehicle weight rating of the motor vehicle on the safety inspection certificate if the vehicle is exempt from the emissions inspection pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection.
3. In addition to the fee authorized by subsection 5 of section 307.365, a fee, not to exceed eight dollars and fifty cents for inspections conducted prior to January 1, 1993, and not to exceed ten dollars and fifty cents for inspections conducted thereafter, as determined by each official safety and emissions inspection station located in any city or county described in subsection 1 of this section, may be charged for an automobile emissions and air pollution control inspection in order to attain the national health standards for air quality. Such fee shall be conspicuously posted on the premises of each such inspection station. The official safety and emissions inspection station shall issue a certificate of inspection and an approval sticker or seal certifying the emissions system is functioning properly. The certificate or approval issued shall bear the legend: "This cost is mandated by your United States Congress." No owner shall be charged an additional fee after having corrected defects or unsafe conditions in the automobile's emissions and air pollution control system if the reinspection is completed within twenty consecutive days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and if such follow-up inspection is made by the station making the initial inspection.
4. The air conservation commission shall establish, by rule, a waiver amount which may be lower for older model vehicles and which shall be no greater than seventy-five dollars for model year vehicles prior to 1981 and no greater than two hundred dollars for model year vehicles of 1981 and all subsequent model years.
5. An owner whose vehicle fails upon reinspection to meet the emission standards specified by the Missouri air conservation commission shall be issued a certificate of inspection and an approval sticker or seal by the official safety and emissions inspection station that provided the inspection if the vehicle owner furnishes a complete, signed affidavit satisfying the requirements of this subsection and the cost of emissions repairs and adjustments is equal to or greater than the waiver amount established by the air conservation commission pursuant to this section. The air conservation commission shall establish, by rule, a form and a procedure for verifying that repair and adjustment was performed on a failing vehicle prior to the granting of a waiver and approval. The waiver form established pursuant to this subsection shall be an affidavit requiring:
(1) A statement signed by the repairer that the specified work was done and stating the itemized charges for the work; and
(2) A statement signed by the inspector that an inspection of the vehicle verified, to the extent practical, that the specified work was done.
6. The department of revenue shall require evidence of the inspection and approval required by this section in issuing the motor vehicle annual registration in conformity with the procedure required by sections 307.350 to 307.370.
7. Each safety and emissions inspection station located in any city or county described in subsection 1 of this section shall purchase from the highway patrol sufficient forms and stickers or other devices to evidence approval of the motor vehicle's emissions control system. In addition, safety and emissions inspection stations may be required to purchase forms for use in automated analyzers from outside vendors of the inspection station's choice. The forms must comply with state regulations.
8. In addition to the fee collected by the superintendent pursuant to subsection 5 of section 307.365, the highway patrol shall collect a fee of seventy-five cents for each automobile emissions certificate issued to the applicable official safety and emissions inspection stations, except that no charge shall be made for certificates of inspection issued to official safety and emissions inspection stations operated by governmental entities. All fees collected by the superintendent pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the "Missouri Air Pollution Control Fund", which is hereby created.
9. The moneys collected and deposited in the Missouri air pollution control fund pursuant to this section shall be allocated on an equal basis to the Missouri state highway patrol and the Missouri department of natural resources, air pollution control program, and shall be expended subject to appropriation by the general assembly for the administration and enforcement of sections 307.350 to 307.390. The unexpended balance in the fund at the end of each appropriation period shall not be transferred to the general revenue fund, except as directed by the general assembly by appropriation, and the provisions of section 33.080, RSMo, relating to the transfer of funds to the general revenue fund at the end of the biennium, shall not apply to this fund. The moneys in the fund shall be invested by the treasurer as provided by law, and the interest shall be credited to the fund.
10. The superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol shall issue such rules and regulations as are necessary to determine whether a motor vehicle's emissions control system is operating as required by subsection 1 of this section, and the superintendent and the state highways and transportation commission shall use their best efforts to seek federal funds from which reimbursement grants may be made to those official inspection stations which acquire and use the necessary testing equipment which will be required to perform the tests required by the provisions of this section.
11. The provisions of this section shall not apply in any county for any time period during which the air conservation commission has established a motor vehicle emissions inspection program pursuant to sections 643.300 to 643.355, RSMo, for such county.
12. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 307.390, violation of this section shall be deemed a class C misdemeanor.
307.398. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, RSMo, that is promulgated by the superintendent of the Missouri state highway patrol or the Missouri air conservation commission under the authority of sections 307.350 to 307.400, RSMo, shall become effective only if the agency has fully complied with all of the requirements of chapter 536, RSMo, including but not limited to, section 536.028, RSMo, if applicable, after the effective date of this act. All rulemaking authority delegated prior to the effective date of this act is of no force and effect and repealed as of the effective date of this act, however nothing in this act shall be interpreted to repeal or affect the validity of any rule adopted and promulgated prior to the effective date of this act. If the provisions of section 536.028, RSMo, apply, the provisions of this section are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to section 536.028 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule or portion of a rule are held unconstitutional or invalid, the purported grant of rulemaking authority and any rule so proposed and contained in the order of rulemaking shall be invalid and void, except that nothing in this act shall affect the validity of any rule adopted and promulgated prior to the effective date of this act.