BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 873|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 873
Author: Price (D)
Amended: 6/18/09 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM. : 11-0, 6/16/09
AYES: Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman,
Hollingsworth, Kehoe, Oropeza, Pavley, Simitian, Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 78-0, 5/11/09 (Consent) - See last page
for vote
SUBJECT : Duplicate or substitute license plates and
certificates of title
SOURCE : Coalition of Vehicle Registration Services
DIGEST : This bill allows a registration service to apply
for a duplicate or substitute certificate of title or
license plate in cases where the address of the applicant
for the replacement title or plate does not match the
address in state records.
ANALYSIS : Existing law defines a "registration service"
as a person engaged in the business of soliciting or
receiving and submitting to the Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) an application for the registration, renewal
of registration, or transfer of registration or ownership
CONTINUED
AB 873
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2
of a vehicle. To operate in this state, a registration
service must secure a license from DMV by filing an
application demonstrating to DMV's satisfaction the
applicant's character, honesty, integrity, and reputation
and by posting a surety bond of $25,000. As an example,
the automobile clubs, such as AAA, provide registration
services for their members.
Existing law prohibits DMV from issuing a duplicate or
substitute vehicle license plate or certificate of title if
the registered owner's address in DMV's records is
different from the address on the application for the new
title or plate. When those addresses do not match, DMV can
issue a duplicate certificate of title or a new license
plate only if the registered owner applies in person and
presents proof of ownership of the vehicle that is
acceptable to DMV plus a driver's license with a photograph
of the registered owner.
Existing law exempts from the above requirements an
application for a duplicate or substitute license plate or
certificate of title if it comes from or through a vehicle
dealer, a vehicle dismantler, an insurer, a salvage pool,
or a legal owner who is not the registered owner (typically
a bank).
This bill also exempts, at DMV's discretion, an individual,
business entity, court-appointed bankruptcy referee,
dealer, dismantler, insurer, salvage pool, or legal owner
who is represented by a licensed registration service from
the above requirements when filing an application for a
duplicate or substitute certificate of title or license
plate where the registered owner's address on the
application does not match the address in DMV's records.
This bill requires that the registration service accept an
application from an individual only with a notarized
signature. This bill also requires that the registration
service keep full and complete records of its transactions
with these individuals and make them available for
inspection by law enforcement.
Comments
AB 873
Page
3
Purpose of the bill . This bill restores statutory
provisions that AB 2606 (Plescia), Chapter 430, Statutes of
2004, enacted, but which expired on January 1, 2008.
According to the bill's sponsor, the Coalition of Vehicle
Registration Services, previous law proved successful over
the three-year period in which it was in place. DMV
concurs that there were no problems during that three-year
period with having registration services submit
applications to replace lost, stolen, or destroyed license
plates and certificates of title where the registered
owner's address on the application and in DMV's records did
not match.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/7/09)
Coalition of Vehicle Registration Services (source)
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Lieu,
Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning,
Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A. Perez, V. Manuel
Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson,
Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Duvall, Yamada
JJA:mw 7/7/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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