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.