BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    






           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE       BILL NO: ab 1855
          SENATOR ALAN LOWENTHAL, CHAIRMAN               AUTHOR:  yamada
                                                         VERSION: 4/20/10
          Analysis by: Mark Stivers                      FISCAL:  yes
          Hearing date: June 15, 2010









          SUBJECT:

          Disabled parking placards

          DESCRIPTION:

          This bill requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to advise an  
          applicant for a disabled parking placard of the procedures to  
          apply for a disabled or disabled veteran license plate and for  
          the registration fee and vehicle license fee (VLF) exemptions  
          available to disabled veterans.  

          ANALYSIS:

          Existing law allows a person with disabilities or a disabled  
          veteran to apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)  
          either for a special license plate or parking placard that  
          entitles the person to park free and for unlimited time periods  
          in disabled parking spaces, at parking meters, in time-limited  
          spaces, and in permit parking zones.  A disabled veteran is also  
          exempt from paying registration fees and VLF on a vehicle.

           This bill  requires DMV to advise an applicant for a disabled  
          parking placard of the procedure to apply for a disabled or  
          disabled veteran license plate and to apply for the registration  
          fee and VLF exemptions available to disabled veterans.  The DMV  
          shall include this information on the application for a disabled  
          parking placard itself.
          
          COMMENTS:

           1.Purpose of the bill  .  DMV's procedures for the issuance and  




          AB 1855 (YAMADA)                                          Page 2

                                                                       


            renewal of disabled placards and plates require persons with  
            disabilities to complete an "Application for Disabled Person  
            Placard or Plates."  In order to qualify for a waiver from  
            registration fees and VLF, a permanently disabled veteran must  
            also complete a "Miscellaneous Certifications" form.  

            According to the author, the problem is that the Application  
            for Disabled Person Placard or Plates does not direct a  
            permanently disabled veteran to the Miscellaneous  
            Certifications form and that DMV personnel do not ask an  
            applicant if he or she is a veteran.  In addition, DMV's  
            website has the forms in two completely separate places, and  
            the title of the Miscellaneous Certifications form does not  
            make clear that it relates to a fee exemption for disabled  
            veterans.  As a result, many veterans miss out on the  
            registration fee and VLF exemptions.  This bill is intended to  
            help disabled veterans locate the necessary form and obtain  
            the registration fee and VLF exemptions to which they are  
            entitled.  

           2.DMV is working on it  .  In a February 16, 2010 letter to the  
            bill's author, DMV Director George Valderde stated, "Based on  
            your comments, the Department is in the process of revising  
            the Disabled Person Placard or Plates form to include a note  
            at the top of the form.  The note will inform disabled  
            veterans to use the appropriate form and letter from DVA if  
            qualified for a no-fee DV license plate."  As of the writing  
            of this analysis, DMV is in the midst of revising its form but  
            has not completed the final revision.  

           3.Chaptering amendments  .  This bill has chaptering conflicts  
            with SB 1318 (Transportation and Housing Committee) and AB  
            1944 (Fletcher).  In order to resolve these conflicts, the  
            author will need to make chaptering amendments either in  
            committee or at a later date.

          Assembly Votes:
               Floor:    76-0
               Appr: 17-0
               Trans:    13-0

          RELATED LEGISLATION

          SB 1318 (Transportation and Housing Committee), among other  
          things, allows a driver to display a disabled parking placard by  
          inserting it in a clip installed by the manufacturer for that  




          AB 1855 (YAMADA)                                          Page 3

                                                                       


          purpose, as opposed to just from the rearview mirror or on the  
          dashboard.  In the Assembly Transportation Committee.
          
          AB 1944 (Fletcher) establishes new requirements for the issuance  
          of a disabled veteran license plate.  In the Senate Veterans  
          Affairs Committee.
          
          POSITIONS:  (Communicated to the Committee before noon on  
          Wednesday,
                     June 9, 2010)

               SUPPORT:  One individual

               OPPOSED:  None received.