H.B. 528
128th General Assembly
(As Introduced)
Reps. Pryor and Phillips, Amstutz, Balderson, Book, Boose, Brown, Derickson, Evans, Fende, Garland, Hottinger, Murray, Newcomb, Patten, Ruhl, B. Williams, Zehringer
BILL SUMMARY
· Authorizes the Director of Public Safety to approve a course in remedial driving instruction that is conducted entirely by video teleconferencing or the Internet under certain circumstances.
· Exempts farm trucks and farm buses from the vehicle registration late fee.
· Establishes a mandatory waiver of the late fee for vehicles used on a seasonal basis.
CONTENT AND OPERATION
(R.C. 4510.037 and 4510.038)
Under current law, an adult may undertake a remedial driving course for several reasons, including being required by a court as a condition for the return of full driving privileges (R.C. 4510.02, not in the bill), to reduce the points charged against the person's driving record, or as a condition of being eligible to retain a license in connection with a grant of limited driving privileges or to have driving privileges reinstated. The Director of Public Safety must approve the remedial driving courses.
Current law requires that any course of adult remedial driving instruction the Director of Public Safety approves must require its students to attend at least 50% of the course in person. The Director is specifically prohibited from approving any course of remedial driving instruction that permits its students to take more than 50% of the course in any other manner, including via video teleconferencing or the Internet.
Notwithstanding the current prohibition described above, the bill authorizes the Director to 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.
Additionally, under current law, many motor vehicle offenses require the assessment of points against a driver's license (R.C. 4510.036, not in the bill). When the number of points in a two-year time period equal 12 or more, a person's driver's license is subject to suspension. Current law grants a two-point credit on one's driver's license following completion of an approved remedial driving class under certain circumstances. In accordance with the current law governing credits on a person's driving record, the bill requires the Registrar to approve a two-point reduction upon receiving an application with a certificate or other proof of completion of an approved course.
(R.C. 4503.04)
Under current law, if a vehicle registration renewal application is not filed by seven days after the registration's expiration date, the Registrar or Deputy Registrar of Motor Vehicles must collect a $20 late fee for the issuance of the vehicle registration.
The bill requires the Registrar or Deputy Registrar to waive the late fee if the motor vehicle in question is used on a seasonal basis, whether for general transportation or not, and has not been used on the public roads and highways since the registration's expiration. The registration application must be accompanied by supporting evidence of the vehicle's seasonal use. The Registrar is to determine what evidence may be required.
The bill also provides that vehicle registrations for farm trucks and farm buses are not subject to the $20 late fee.[1]
HISTORY
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ACTION |
DATE |
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Introduced |
05-24-10 |
h0528-i-128.docx/kl
[1] "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. "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. (R.C. 4503.04.)