S_TRA_2016A 04/21/2016 Committee Summary

12:15 PM -- SB16-140



Senator Sonnenberg, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 16-140 and amendment L.004 (Attachment A), which strikes everything below the enacting clause. Under current law, a motor vehicle dealer has 30 days following a sale to deliver or facilitate the delivery of the vehicle's certificate of title. At the time of sale, the dealer issues a temporary registration plate so that the vehicle can be driven by the purchaser before the title is received and the vehicle can be registered.



16SenateTrans0421AttachA.pdf



The bill exempts any amount of time within the first 120 days during which the dealer is awaiting information or action from another party from counting towards the 30-day deadline. In addition, the dealer may issue a second temporary registration plate to the owner if every reasonable action necessary has been taken by the dealer to facilitate delivery of the title. The bill also clarifies that the holder of a lien on a motor vehicle need not submit the certificate of title to a county clerk and recorder office in order to perfect the lien.

12:18 PM -- HB16-1056



Senator Todd, co-prime sponsor, presented House Bill 16-1056. The reengrossed bill broadens the records search employed by the Department of Revenue (DOR) to locate owners and lienholders of abandoned motor vehicles. Under current law, only Colorado records are searched in order to locate the owner or lienholder of an abandoned vehicle. Under the bill, the DOR must perform a national records search using a qualified entity that has a national database and that can retrieve records based both on the vehicle's VIN (vehicle identification number) and registration number (license plate). The qualified entity must also be able to provide appropriate owner and lienholder contact information. The DOR may charge tow operators a fee for the national search not to exceed the lesser of $5 or DOR's direct and indirect costs.



The bill increases the notification deadline, from three to five days, in which tow operators must determine whether there is an owner or lienholder registered with the DOR and send notice to those parties, and clarifies that the time spent by the DOR conducting the national records search does not count against the tow operator's 10-day deadline to contact the motor vehicle's owner or lienholder.



12:20 PM -- Greg Fulton, representing the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, testified in support of the bill.

12:23 PM



The committee adjourned.