An act relating to miscellaneous changes to laws related to the Department of Motor Vehicles, motor vehicles, and vessels

The As Enacted version contains a complete tinted windows section (Secs. 14-17) covering window obstruction prohibitions, exemptions for stickers and emergency equipment, medical exemptions with physician certification, rear side window mirror requirements, and a rulemaking provision requiring DMV to adopt amendments to the Periodic Inspection Manual. None of this appears in the As Passed version at the corresponding section numbers.

The emergency warning lamp and siren provisions are restructured. The As Passed version includes more detailed subsections covering law enforcement vehicles (with specific lamp color authorizations for police, constables, and EMS), a new definition section for 'emergency warning lamp' (Sec. 16, 23 V.S.A. 1254), and updated use restrictions requiring lamps to be removed or hooded when not in official duty.

Transporter registration under 23 V.S.A. 491(a) changes from requiring a person to 'present proof' of compliance with section 800 and ownership of a permanent place of business, to 'self-certify' those same items on a form provided by the Commissioner. This lowers the evidentiary burden for obtaining transporter plates.

The As Enacted version includes dealer definition subdivisions (III) and (IV) establishing specific sales thresholds for trailer dealers (one trailer in the preceding year or two in two years, excluding trailers under 3,500 pounds GVWR) and motorcycle dealers (one motorcycle in the preceding year or two in two years). These are absent from the As Passed version.

The definition of 'authorized emergency vehicle' in 23 V.S.A. 4(1) is modified. The As Enacted version references 'police law enforcement vehicle' while the As Passed version uses 'law enforcement vehicle,' and the cross-references to permit-issuing subdivisions are renumbered to match the restructured sections.

Section 31 (Effective Dates) was removed from the enacted version. The Senate-passed version specified that Section 24 (certificate of title exemptions for vehicles over 15 years old) would take effect retroactively on January 1, 2024, and all other sections would take effect on July 1, 2024. Without this section, the bill defaults to standard effective date rules under 1 V.S.A. section 214.

The bill header changed from 'S.309' with introduction details (committee, date, subject list, statement of purpose) to 'No. 165' with '(S.309)' as a cross-reference, reflecting its status as an enacted law rather than a pending bill.

The 'Statement of purpose of bill as introduced' paragraph and all 'BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE' page headers were removed, replaced with standard enacted-law formatting including 'VT LEG #377830 v.1' identifiers.

New definition of 'all-surface vehicle' (ASV) added with specific technical requirements: net weight 1,500 pounds or less, width 75 inches or less, engine not more than 50 horsepower, maximum speed 25 mph, skid-steering system, sealed body, fully contained cooling system, and six to eight tires with operating pressure not exceeding 10 PSI. ASVs in water are treated as motorboats; on land they fall under chapter 31.

The 'transporter' definition was significantly expanded to include: short-term rental operators of storage trailers, persons moving modular homes, dealers and auto repair shop owners transporting vehicles for repair, persons towing overwidth trailers in connection with business, repossession businesses, persons moving vehicles between dealers or auction sites, and persons who sell or exchange vehicles but do not meet the dealer threshold.

New definitions of 'resident' (individual living in the State intending to make it their domicile permanently or for an indefinite number of years) and 'temporary resident' (individual living in the State for a particular purpose involving a defined period, including students, migrant workers, and contract employees).

Transporter registration changed from requiring 'proof' of compliance to 'self-certify' on a form provided by the Commissioner, reducing the administrative burden for transporter applicants.

New section 117 requires original certificate of title records (including surrendered titles and salvage title requests) to be maintained as electronic images or copies for five years, in a format determined by the Commissioner that allows tracing of titled items.

Low-number plate rule changed: a person holding a reserved registration number on one vehicle type may now be issued the same number for other authorized vehicle types (previously limited to no more than one plate per type).

Comprehensive new window tinting law (section 1125) prohibiting material on windshields, vent windows, and side windows immediately left and right of the operator, with exemptions for small sticker areas, government and emergency vehicles, dealer inventory, rearview mirrors, toll transponders, and tinting meeting federal visible light transmission standards under 49 C.F.R. 571.205.

New registration rule: residents who move into Vermont from another jurisdiction must register their motor vehicle within 60 days of moving into the state. Also added an exemption from trailer registration for vehicle owners with apportioned power units registered under the International Registration Plan.

Medical exemption from window tinting prohibition: Commissioner may grant exemption upon physician or optometrist certification of medical necessity, renewable every four years, or indefinitely if the condition is certified as permanent and stable. Tinting under this exemption is limited to vent windows or side windows immediately left and right of the operator and must be removed upon vehicle transfer.

New prorated refund schedule for five-year registration periods: four-fifths of fee if canceled before year two, three-fifths before year three, two-fifths before year four, one-fifth before year five, each less a $5 processing charge.

Legislative intent statement that non-compliant window tinting poses a danger to the driver, passengers, and other highway users, and that such vehicles shall fail the annual safety inspection under section 1222.

DMV required to adopt amendments to the Periodic Inspection Manual (CVR 14-050-022) specifying required visible light transmission levels, and to implement a public outreach campaign on window tinting starting no later than two months before the effective date of the tinting law.

New section establishing that rust on brake rotors by itself does not constitute a safety inspection failure. DMV must issue a clarifying bulletin to all certified inspection mechanics explaining the difference between surface rust and significant rust (swelling, delamination, or pitting), and must include DMV contact information on all inspection failure notices.

An introductory page was added to the official version listing the introducing committee (Committee on Transportation), the introduction date (February 6, 2024), a comprehensive subject list covering motor vehicles, DMV, transporters, all-surface vehicles, record keeping, certificates of title, registration, signal lamps, sirens, law enforcement, vessels, and other topics, and a statement of purpose noting the bill makes miscellaneous changes to laws related to motor vehicles and vessels.

The document header changed from 'AS PASSED BY SENATE' to 'BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE,' and the page count increased from 37 to 52 pages due to the added introductory content and formatting adjustments.

Internal legislative tracking identifiers (VT LEG #374813 v.1) that appeared in page footers of the unofficial version were removed in the official enrolled version.