To amend sections 4503.04, 4510.037, and 4510.038 of the Revised Code to exempt farm trucks and farm buses from the vehicle registration late fee, to establish a mandatory waiver of the registration late fee for vehicles used on a seasonal basis, and to allow the Director of Public Safety to approve a course in remedial driving instruction that is conducted entirely by video teleconferencing or the internet under specified circumstances.

Section 1. That sections 4503.04, 4510.037, and 4510.038 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 4503.04.  Except as provided in sections 4503.042 and 4503.65 of the Revised Code for the registration of commercial cars, trailers, semitrailers, and certain buses, the rates of the taxes imposed by section 4503.02 of the Revised Code shall be as follows:

(A) For motor vehicles having three wheels or less, the license tax is:

(1) For each motorized bicycle, ten dollars;

(2) For each motorcycle, fourteen dollars.

(B) For each passenger car, twenty dollars;

(C) For each manufactured home, each mobile home, and each travel trailer, ten dollars;

(D) For each noncommercial motor vehicle designed by the manufacturer to carry a load of no more than three-quarters of one ton and for each motor home, thirty-five dollars; for each noncommercial motor vehicle designed by the manufacturer to carry a load of more than three-quarters of one ton, but not more than one ton, seventy dollars;

(E) For each noncommercial trailer, the license tax is:

(1) Eighty-five cents for each one hundred pounds or part thereof for the first two thousand pounds or part thereof of weight of vehicle fully equipped;

(2) One dollar and forty cents for each one hundred pounds or part thereof in excess of two thousand pounds up to and including three thousand pounds.

(F) Notwithstanding its weight, twelve dollars for any:

(1) Vehicle equipped, owned, and used by a charitable or nonprofit corporation exclusively for the purpose of administering chest x-rays or receiving blood donations;

(2) Van used principally for the transportation of handicapped persons that has been modified by being equipped with adaptive equipment to facilitate the movement of such persons into and out of the van;

(3) Bus used principally for the transportation of handicapped persons or persons sixty-five years of age or older;.

(G) Notwithstanding its weight, twenty dollars for any bus used principally for the transportation of persons in a ridesharing arrangement.

(H) For each transit bus having motor power the license tax is twelve dollars.

"Transit bus" means either a motor vehicle having a seating capacity of more than seven persons which is operated and used by any person in the rendition of a public mass transportation service primarily in a municipal corporation or municipal corporations and provided at least seventy-five per cent of the annual mileage of such service and use is within such municipal corporation or municipal corporations or a motor vehicle having a seating capacity of more than seven persons which is operated solely for the transportation of persons associated with a charitable or nonprofit corporation, but does not mean any motor vehicle having a seating capacity of more than seven persons when such vehicle is used in a ridesharing capacity or any bus described by division (F)(3) of this section.

The application for registration of such transit bus shall be accompanied by an affidavit prescribed by the registrar of motor vehicles and signed by the person or an agent of the firm or corporation operating such bus stating that the bus has a seating capacity of more than seven persons, and that it is either to be operated and used in the rendition of a public mass transportation service and that at least seventy-five per cent of the annual mileage of such operation and use shall be within one or more municipal corporations or that it is to be operated solely for the transportation of persons associated with a charitable or nonprofit corporation.

The form of the license plate, and the manner of its attachment to the vehicle, shall be prescribed by the registrar of motor vehicles.

(I) The minimum tax for any vehicle having motor power other than a farm truck, a motorized bicycle, or motorcycle is ten dollars and eighty cents, and for each noncommercial trailer, five dollars.

(J)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (J) of this section, for each farm truck, except a noncommercial motor vehicle, that is owned, controlled, or operated by one or more farmers exclusively in farm use as defined in this section, and not for commercial purposes, and provided that at least seventy-five per cent of such farm use is by or for the one or more owners, controllers, or operators of the farm in the operation of which a farm truck is used, the license tax is five dollars plus:

(a) Fifty cents per one hundred pounds or part thereof for the first three thousand pounds;

(b) Seventy cents per one hundred pounds or part thereof in excess of three thousand pounds up to and including four thousand pounds;

(c) Ninety cents per one hundred pounds or part thereof in excess of four thousand pounds up to and including six thousand pounds;

(d) Two dollars for each one hundred pounds or part thereof in excess of six thousand pounds up to and including ten thousand pounds;

(e) Two dollars and twenty-five cents for each one hundred pounds or part thereof in excess of ten thousand pounds;

(f) The minimum license tax for any farm truck shall be twelve dollars.

(2) The owner of a farm truck may register the truck for a period of one-half year by paying one-half the registration tax imposed on the truck under this chapter and one-half the amount of any tax imposed on the truck under Chapter 4504. of the Revised Code.

(3) A farm bus may be registered for a period of ninety days from the date of issue of the license plates for the bus, for a fee of ten dollars, provided such license plates shall not be issued for more than any two ninety-day periods in any calendar year. Such use does not include the operation of trucks by commercial processors of agricultural products.

(4) License plates for farm trucks and for farm buses shall have some distinguishing marks, letters, colors, or other characteristics to be determined by the director of public safety.

(5) Every person registering a farm truck or bus under this section shall furnish an affidavit certifying that the truck or bus licensed to that person is to be so used as to meet the requirements necessary for the farm truck or farm bus classification.

Any farmer may use a truck owned by the farmer for commercial purposes by paying the difference between the commercial truck registration fee and the farm truck registration fee for the remaining part of the registration period for which the truck is registered. Such remainder shall be calculated from the beginning of the semiannual period in which application for such commercial license is made.

Taxes at the rates provided in this section are in lieu of all taxes on or with respect to the ownership of such motor vehicles, except as provided in section 4503.042 and section 4503.06 of the Revised Code.

(K) Other than trucks registered under the international registration plan in another jurisdiction and for which this state has received an apportioned registration fee, the license tax for each truck which is owned, controlled, or operated by a nonresident, and licensed in another state, and which is used exclusively for the transportation of nonprocessed agricultural products intrastate, from the place of production to the place of processing, is twenty-four dollars.

"Truck," as used in this division, means any pickup truck, straight truck, semitrailer, or trailer other than a travel trailer. Nonprocessed agricultural products, as used in this division, does not include livestock or grain.

A license issued under this division shall be issued for a period of one hundred thirty days in the same manner in which all other licenses are issued under this section, provided that no truck shall be so licensed for more than one one-hundred-thirty-day period during any calendar year.

The license issued pursuant to this division shall consist of a windshield decal to be designed by the director of public safety.

Every person registering a truck under this division shall furnish an affidavit certifying that the truck licensed to the person is to be used exclusively for the purposes specified in this division.

(L) Every person registering a motor vehicle as a noncommercial motor vehicle as defined in section 4501.01 of the Revised Code, or registering a trailer as a noncommercial trailer as defined in that section, shall furnish an affidavit certifying that the motor vehicle or trailer so licensed to the person is to be so used as to meet the requirements necessary for the noncommercial vehicle classification.

(M) Every person registering a van or bus as provided in divisions (F)(2) and (3) of this section shall furnish a notarized statement certifying that the van or bus licensed to the person is to be used for the purposes specified in those divisions. The form of the license plate issued for such motor vehicles shall be prescribed by the registrar.

(N) Every person registering as a passenger car a motor vehicle designed and used for carrying more than nine but not more than fifteen passengers, and every person registering a bus as provided in division (G) of this section, shall furnish an affidavit certifying that the vehicle so licensed to the person is to be used in a ridesharing arrangement and that the person will have in effect whenever the vehicle is used in a ridesharing arrangement a policy of liability insurance with respect to the motor vehicle in amounts and coverages no less than those required by section 4509.79 of the Revised Code. The form of the license plate issued for such a motor vehicle shall be prescribed by the registrar.

(O)(1) Commencing on October 1, 2009, if an application for registration renewal is not applied for prior to the expiration date of the registration or within seven days after that date, the registrar or deputy registrar shall collect a fee of twenty dollars for the issuance of the vehicle registration, but. For any motor vehicle that is used on a seasonal basis, whether used for general transportation or not, and that has not been used on the public roads or highways since the expiration of the registration, the registrar or deputy registrar shall waive the fee established under this division if the application is accompanied by supporting evidence of seasonal use as the registrar may require. The registrar or deputy registrar may waive the fee for other good cause shown if the application is accompanied by supporting evidence as the registrar may require. The fee shall be in addition to all other fees established by this section. A deputy registrar shall retain fifty cents of the fee and shall transmit the remaining amount to the registrar at the time and in the manner provided by section 4503.10 of the Revised Code. The registrar shall deposit all moneys received under this division into the state highway safety fund established in section 4501.06 of the Revised Code.

(2) Division (O)(1) of this section does not apply to a farm truck or farm bus registered under division (J) of this section.

(P) As used in this section:

(1) "Van" means any motor vehicle having a single rear axle and an enclosed body without a second seat.

(2) "Handicapped person" means any person who has lost the use of one or both legs, or one or both arms, or is blind, deaf, or so severely disabled as to be unable to move about without the aid of crutches or a wheelchair.

(3) "Farm truck" means a truck used in the transportation from the farm of products of the farm, including livestock and its products, poultry and its products, floricultural and horticultural products, and in the transportation to the farm of supplies for the farm, including tile, fence, and every other thing or commodity used in agricultural, floricultural, horticultural, livestock, and poultry production and livestock, poultry, and other animals and things used for breeding, feeding, or other purposes connected with the operation of the farm.

(4) "Farm bus" means a bus used only for the transportation of agricultural employees and used only in the transportation of such employees as are necessary in the operation of the farm.

(5) "Farm supplies" includes fuel used exclusively in the operation of a farm, including one or more homes located on and used in the operation of one or more farms, and furniture and other things used in and around such homes.

Sec. 4510.037.  (A) When the registrar of motor vehicles determines that the total points charged against any person under section 4510.036 of the Revised Code exceed five, the registrar shall send a warning letter to the person at the person's last known address by regular mail. The warning letter shall list the reported violations that are the basis of the points charged, list the number of points charged for each violation, and outline the suspension provisions of this section.

(B) When the registrar determines that the total points charged against any person under section 4510.036 of the Revised Code within any two-year period beginning on the date of the first conviction within the two-year period is equal to twelve or more, the registrar shall send a written notice to the person at the person's last known address by regular mail. The notice shall list the reported violations that are the basis of the points charged, list the number of points charged for each violation, and state that, because the total number of points charged against the person within the applicable two-year period is equal to twelve or more, the registrar is imposing a class D suspension of the person's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privileges for the period of time specified in division (B)(4) of section 4510.02 of the Revised Code. The notice also shall state that the suspension is effective on the twentieth day after the mailing of the notice, unless the person files a petition appealing the determination and suspension in the municipal court, county court, or, if the person is under the age of eighteen, the juvenile division of the court of common pleas in whose jurisdiction the person resides or, if the person is not a resident of this state, in the Franklin county municipal court or juvenile division of the Franklin county court of common pleas. By filing the appeal of the determination and suspension, the person agrees to pay the cost of the proceedings in the appeal of the determination and suspension and alleges that the person can show cause why the person's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privileges should not be suspended.

(C)(1) Any person against whom at least two but less than twelve points have been charged under section 4510.036 of the Revised Code may enroll in a course of remedial driving instruction that is approved by the director of public safety. Upon the person's completion of an approved course of remedial driving instruction, the person may apply to the registrar on a form prescribed by the registrar for a credit of two points on the person's driving record. Upon receipt of the application and proof of completion of the approved remedial driving course, the registrar shall approve the two-point credit. The registrar shall not approve any credits for a person who completes an approved course of remedial driving instruction pursuant to a judge's order under section 4510.02 of the Revised Code.

(2) In any three-year period, the registrar shall approve only one two-point credit on a person's driving record under division (C)(1) of this section. The registrar shall approve not more than five two-point credits on a person's driving record under division (C)(1) of this section during that person's lifetime.

(D) When a judge of a court of record suspends a person's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege and charges points against the person under section 4510.036 of the Revised Code for the offense that resulted in the suspension, the registrar shall credit that period of suspension against the time of any subsequent suspension imposed under this section for which those points were used to impose the subsequent suspension. When a United States district court that has jurisdiction within this state suspends a person's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privileges pursuant to the "Assimilative Crimes Act," 102 Stat. 4381 (1988), 18 U.S.C.A. 13, as amended, the district court prepares an abstract pursuant to section 4510.031 of the Revised Code, and the district court charges points against the person under section 4510.036 of the Revised Code for the offense that resulted in the suspension, the registrar shall credit the period of suspension imposed by the district court against the time of any subsequent suspension imposed under this section for which the points were used to impose the subsequent suspension.

(E) The registrar, upon the written request of a licensee who files a petition under division (B) of this section, shall furnish the licensee a certified copy of the registrar's record of the convictions and bond forfeitures of the person. This record shall include the name, address, and date of birth of the licensee; the name of the court in which each conviction or bail forfeiture took place; the nature of the offense that was the basis of the conviction or bond forfeiture; and any other information that the registrar considers necessary. If the record indicates that twelve points or more have been charged against the person within a two-year period, it is prima-facie evidence that the person is a repeat traffic offender, and the registrar shall suspend the person's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege pursuant to division (B) of this section.

In hearing the petition and determining whether the person filing the petition has shown cause why the person's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privilege should not be suspended, the court shall decide the issue on the record certified by the registrar and any additional relevant, competent, and material evidence that either the registrar or the person whose license is sought to be suspended submits.

(F) If a petition is filed under division (B) of this section in a county court, the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the case is pending shall represent the registrar in the proceedings, except that, if the petitioner resides in a municipal corporation within the jurisdiction of the county court, the city director of law, village solicitor, or other chief legal officer of the municipal corporation shall represent the registrar in the proceedings. If a petition is filed under division (B) of this section in a municipal court, the registrar shall be represented in the resulting proceedings as provided in section 1901.34 of the Revised Code.

(G) If the court determines from the evidence submitted that a person who filed a petition under division (B) of this section has failed to show cause why the person's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privileges should not be suspended, the court shall assess against the person the cost of the proceedings in the appeal of the determination and suspension and shall impose the applicable suspension under this section or suspend all or a portion of the suspension and impose any conditions upon the person that the court considers proper or impose upon the person a community control sanction pursuant to section 2929.15 or 2929.25 of the Revised Code. If the court determines from the evidence submitted that a person who filed a petition under division (B) of this section has shown cause why the person's driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privileges should not be suspended, the costs of the appeal proceeding shall be paid out of the county treasury of the county in which the proceedings were held.

(H) Any person whose driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privileges are suspended under this section is not entitled to apply for or receive a new driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or to request or be granted nonresident operating privileges during the effective period of the suspension.

(I) Upon the termination of any suspension or other penalty imposed under this section involving the surrender of license or permit and upon the request of the person whose license or permit was suspended or surrendered, the registrar shall return the license or permit to the person upon determining that the person has complied with all provisions of section 4510.038 of the Revised Code or, if the registrar destroyed the license or permit pursuant to section 4510.52 of the Revised Code, shall reissue the person's license or permit.

(J) Any person whose driver's or commercial driver's license or permit or nonresident operating privileges are suspended as a repeat traffic offender under this section and who, during the suspension, operates any motor vehicle upon any public roads and highways is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, and the court shall sentence the offender to a minimum term of three days in jail. No court shall suspend the first three days of jail time imposed pursuant to this division.

(K) The registrar, in accordance with specific statutory authority, may suspend the privilege of driving a motor vehicle on the public roads and highways of this state that is granted to nonresidents by section 4507.04 of the Revised Code.

(L) Any (1) Except as provided in division (L)(2) of this section, any course of remedial driving instruction the director of public safety approves under this section shall require its students to attend at least fifty per cent of the course in person. The and the director shall not approve any course of remedial driving instruction that permits its students to take more than fifty per cent of the course in any other manner, including via video teleconferencing or the internet.

(2) The director may approve a course of remedial instruction that permits students to take the entire course via video teleconferencing or the internet if the course is managed by a person who is admitted to the practice of law in the state of Ohio and whose principal place of business is in this state. In accordance with division (C) of this section, upon receiving an application with a certificate or other proof of completion of a course approved under this division, the registrar shall approve the two-point reduction.

Sec. 4510.038. (A) Any person whose driver's or commercial driver's license or permit is suspended or who is granted limited driving privileges under section 4510.037, under division (H) of section 4511.19, or under section 4510.07 of the Revised Code for a violation of a municipal ordinance that is substantially equivalent to division (B) of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code is not eligible to retain the license, or to have the driving privileges reinstated, until each of the following has occurred:

(1) The person successfully completes a course of remedial driving instruction approved by the director of public safety. A minimum of twenty-five per cent of the number of hours of instruction included in the course shall be devoted to instruction on driver attitude.

The course also shall devote a number of hours to instruction in the area of alcohol and drugs and the operation of vehicles. The instruction shall include, but not be limited to, a review of the laws governing the operation of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of them, the dangers of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of them, and other information relating to the operation of vehicles and the consumption of alcoholic beverages and use of drugs. The director, in consultation with the director of alcohol and drug addiction services, shall prescribe the content of the instruction. The number of hours devoted to the area of alcohol and drugs and the operation of vehicles shall comprise a minimum of twenty-five per cent of the number of hours of instruction included in the course.

(2) The person is examined in the manner provided for in section 4507.20 of the Revised Code, and found by the registrar of motor vehicles to be qualified to operate a motor vehicle;

(3) The person gives and maintains proof of financial responsibility, in accordance with section 4509.45 of the Revised Code.

(B) Any (1) Except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, any course of remedial driving instruction the director of public safety approves under this section shall require its students to attend at least fifty per cent of the course in person. The and the director shall not approve any course of remedial driving instruction that permits its students to take more than fifty per cent of the course in any other manner, including via video teleconferencing or the internet.

(2) The director may approve a course of remedial instruction that permits students to take the entire course via video teleconferencing or the internet if the course is managed by a person who is admitted to the practice of law in the state of Ohio and whose principal place of business is in this state.

Section 2. That existing sections 4503.04, 4510.037, and 4510.038 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.