BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1855
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 5, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   AB 1855 (Yamada) - As Amended:  April 20, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                               
          TransportationVote:13-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires DMV to include on the application for a  
          disabled placard (a) advice on how to apply for special license  
          plates for disabled persons and (b) information on the fee  
          exemptions available for plates issued to disabled veterans.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor impact on DMV costs and fee revenues since the bill  
          codifies existing DMV practices.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . This bill is intended to codify revisions that DMV  
            indicates it is making to its disabled person placard  
            application to ensure that disabled veterans are aware of the  
            option for a no-fee disabled veteran plate. 

           2)Background  . Special parking privileges are granted under  
            California law to disabled persons and to persons with  
            military service-connected disabilities.  A person with a  
            permanent disability may obtain plates for one of his or her  
            vehicles, or a placard which may be hung from the rear view  
            mirror of any vehicle in which he or she is being transported.  
             Persons with temporary disabilities may only apply for  
            placards which are valid for a specific timeframe and then  
            expire. 

            According to the author, the disabled person placard or plates  
            application does not include information directing a  
            permanently disabled veteran to the miscellaneous  








                                                                 AB 1855
                                                                  Page  2

            certifications application, and DMV personnel do not ask  
            applicants if he or she is a veteran. This causes many  
            veterans to lose the registration and license fee exemptions  
            that are available for disabled veteran plates.  In a letter  
            to the author, the DMV director indicated that DMV is  
            currently in the process of revising the "Disabled Person  
            Placard or Plates" form to include a note directing disabled  
            veterans to the appropriate form for securing a no-fee  
            disabled veteran plate.
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Brad Williams / APPR. / (916) 319-2081