SB 157-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
03/20/2025 0888s
2025 SESSION
25-1024
11/08
SENATE BILL 157-FN
SPONSORS: Sen. Ricciardi, Dist 9; Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Rep. Veilleux, Hills. 34
COMMITTEE: Transportation
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ANALYSIS
This bill:
I. Establishes a rental fleet registration program for rental passenger vehicle fleets of 50 or more vehicles.
II. Allows certain vehicles registered in the rental fleet vehicle program to be inspected upon purchase and then not until the second year after purchase.
III. Requires the department of environmental services to facilitate amendments and rulemaking concerning state implementation plans and state and federal emission laws.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/20/2025 0888s 25-1024
11/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Rental Fleet Registration Program. Amend RSA 261 by inserting after section 40-a the following new section:
261:40-b Rental Fleet Passenger Vehicle Registration Program.
I. The division of motor vehicles shall establish a rental fleet registration program whereby a qualified registrant, according to paragraph II, may register 50 or more in-service rental passenger vehicles as a fleet, elect a common annual expiration date for all vehicles in the fleet, receive registration stickers for each vehicle in the fleet that shall be valid for 2 years, and annually pay registration fees for each fleet vehicle based on the common annual expiration date and according to rates and costs established in existing law.
II. The rental fleet registration program shall be solely for the registration of a fleet of 50 or more in-service rental passenger vehicles. A rental car company intending to register such a fleet shall submit a current New Hampshire certificate of good standing issued by the secretary of state's office to the division of motor vehicles and receive the division's approval to enroll in the program. Once enrolled in the program, a registrant shall annually submit a current certificate of good standing at the time of payment of registration fees and costs. Additionally, the division may require a company enrolled in the program to produce a current certificate of good standing at any time during the 2-year period of registration. If a rental car company is not in good standing with the secretary of state or fails to meet other enrollment criteria set by the division of motor vehicles, including maintaining an in-service fleet of 50 or more vehicles, the division shall terminate the registrant's fleet registration and revert any existing registration credentials to those of a non-fleet vehicle.
III. Upon initial registration of a fleet, and then annually and at least 60 days prior to the common annual expiration date for the fleet, the registrant shall provide an itemized account of all motor vehicles in the fleet in the manner required by the division. At least 30 days prior to the common annual expiration date, the division shall generate an invoice for the registrant detailing the state and municipal registration costs and fees per vehicle in the fleet, as well as the terms of payment and consequences for late payment or non-payment. Payment of the entire balance shall be made to the division, and the division shall release the municipal portions of the registration fees and costs to the appropriate municipalities within 30 days of payment. Within a post-payment time frame determined by the division, the registrant shall receive from the division the registration permits for each vehicle and, every other year, registration stickers for all vehicles in the fleet.
IV. Any vehicle added to the fleet after the initial fleet registration shall receive a registration sticker identical to those of the registered fleet and the registrant shall be required to pay a prorated amount of registration fees and costs for the remainder of the year until the common annual expiration date. A registrant shall not transfer the registration of a permanently retired fleet vehicle to a new in-service fleet vehicle for any remaining period of registration.
V. The director of the division of motor vehicles shall adopt rules pursuant to RSA 541-A regarding enrollment and cancellation of enrollment in the program, filing, invoicing, and payment procedures under the program, and any other matters required for program administration under this section.
2 Rental Fleet Passenger Vehicle Inspection. Amend RSA 266:1, II-IV to read as follows:
II. Any vehicle registered under this title, except an OHRV, snowmobile, moped, roadable aircraft, or other exempt vehicle, shall be inspected once a year, except as provided in paragraph IV-a, during the month in which the birth date of the owner is observed, if the owner is a natural person. An inspection sticker shall be valid for the same duration as the vehicle's registration, which shall not exceed 16 months. If the month in which the anniversary of the owner's birth occurs will be one of the next 4 months, an inspection sticker may be issued, with an expiration date of the birth month in the following year, of the first person named on the title application. Nothing in this paragraph shall require any person who has registered and had inspected a vehicle with temporary plates to have the vehicle reinspected upon receipt of permanent motor vehicle plates. An inspection sticker shall not expire when a vehicle is transferred to a licensed dealer.
II-a. Notwithstanding RSA 266:1, II, and except as provided in paragraph IV-a, if the month in which the anniversary of the owner's birth occurs will be one of the next 4 months, and the vehicle owner provides written verification of absence from New Hampshire during the entire anniversary month, an inspection sticker may be issued, with an expiration date of the birth month in the following year, of the first person named on the title application.
III. If the owner of the vehicle is a company or corporation or other than a natural person, the annual inspection shall be made during the month designated by the director as the registration month for such legal entity. Vehicles registered as antique motor vehicles and antique motorcycles and which are 40 years old and over shall be inspected biennially. Antique motor vehicles and custom vehicles shall be inspected in the month of May. Without regard to the owner's birth date or registration month, motorcycles, autocycles, and recreational vehicles shall be inspected annually by July 1.
IV. Notwithstanding paragraphs II and III, and except as provided in paragraph IV-a, newly registered vehicles, other than vehicles transferred to a licensed dealer, OHRVs, snowmobiles, mopeds, roadable aircraft, and vehicles, other than vehicles transferred to a licensed dealer, OHRVs, snowmobiles, mopeds, and roadable aircraft, the ownership of which has been transferred, shall be inspected not later than 10 days after the registration or transfer of ownership of said vehicle. However, if a new vehicle other than one described in paragraph IV-a is purchased at retail from a licensed dealer[,] as defined in RSA 259:18, the vehicle shall be inspected not later than 20 days after the date of transfer. A used vehicle for which a dealer has issued a 20-day plate pursuant to RSA 261:109 shall be inspected by the dealer or an authorized inspection station on behalf of the dealer at the time of the attachment of the plate unless a valid inspection sticker issued by the dealer is in place, in which case the vehicle shall be inspected within 20 days or before the sticker expires, whichever occurs first. All other expired motor vehicle inspections shall be subject to the 10-day grace period in RSA 266:5.
IV-a. A fleet vehicle registered as part of the rental fleet registration program under RSA 261:40-b, and which was purchased within one year prior to or during the vehicle’s model year shall be inspected upon purchase and not again until the common annual expiration date in the second year after purchase. The vehicle shall bear an inspection sticker that indicates the vehicle is in compliance with inspection regulations.
IV-b. No later than 60 days after the effective date of this paragraph, the commissioner of the department of safety shall make rules under RSA 541-A relative to the establishment and administration of the rental fleet passenger vehicle program established in RSA 261:40-b and the waiver of inspection in paragraph IV-a.
IV-c. As soon as practicable, the department of environmental services shall submit an amendment to the state implementation plan to the United States Environmental Protection Agency for approval.
3 Contingency. Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall take effect when the commissioner of the department of environmental services certifies to the director of the office of legislative services that the United States Environmental Protection Agency has approved amendments to the state SIP as it relates to the rental fleet registration program established in RSA 261:40-b.
I. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect as provided in section 3.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon passage.
25-1024
4/17/25
SB 157-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2025-0888s)
FISCAL IMPACT:
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| |||||
Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | ||
Revenue | $0 | Under $10,000 Per Year | ||||
Revenue Fund(s) | General Fund, Highway Fund, and MV Air Pollution Abatement Fund | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | Indeterminable Increase | ||||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Safety states this bill creates a two-year registration sticker for vehicles registered as part of a rental fleet defined as more than 50 vehicles. The Department states the total fiscal impact associated with this bill is indeterminable, however, expected to be less than $10,000 per year based on current rental fleet registration data.
The Department of Environmental Services states air quality modeling would need to be developed to support EPA approval of a revision to the State Implementation Plan (SIP). The Department states associated costs are indeterminable at this time. It should be noted that sections 1 and 2 of this bill are effective contingent upon the Commissioner of Environmental Services certifying to the Office of Legislative Services that the US Environmental Protection Agency has approved the amendments to the State’s SIP (state implementation plan). It is unknown if/when such amendments would be submitted or approved (or denied).
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Safety and Department of Environmental Services