Fellow Car Hobbyists,

I promised I would email when I learned about Delegate Danny Marshall’s bill to change antique vehicle registration. A link to HB 2465 is here http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+sum+HB2465 The bill summary is here:

License plates for antique motor vehicles and antique trailers; penalties. Restricts issuance of antique plates to persons who own or use another vehicle; changes the $10 fee from a one-time fee to an annual fee; corrects the dates for metal tabs; limits issuance of vintage plates with the same numbers to first-time applicants; prohibits commercial use of antique vehicles and antique trailers; limits use of these vehicles to carrying or transporting passengers, personal effects or other antique motor vehicles being transported for show purposes but allows vehicles to be used for general transportation purposes, subject to certain existing requirements; requires annual safety inspections of these vehicles and trailers manufactured in model year 1932 and later; establishes a Class 3 misdemeanor penalty for violations of this act and requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to revoke and not reinstate the owner’s privilege to register the vehicle with antique license plates for a period of five years; extends the compliance date to January 1, 2008, for those issued antique plates prior to July 1, 2007.

SUMMARY:
This bill will do the two things that your representatives on the DMV Task Force worked hard to stop:

  1. Annual fees for antiques - the $10 annual fee is to get their foot in the door so they can raise the fee later. It would also change the law so localities would be able to charge an annual fee.
  2. Inspections - Marshall’s bill provides for inspections for all vehicles back to 1932 - the year Virginia began safety inspections for vehicles.

I cannot express how angry I [Fred Fann, the email author that Brent got this mesage from.] am about this. We met in good faith with DMV, Marshall, DEQ [Va. Department of Environmental Quality -Webmaster], Attorney General’s office and many others. Then they met without us and this is the result. We need to work hard to defeat this measure. I asked Marshall at both Task Force meetings where were the people who represent the inspectors. I know many businesses that do inspections that will not inspect older vehicles. I’ve heard that the State Police are not in favor of inspections for older vehicles. Inspections for antiques would be a true mess. I have called DMV to get their opinion on this and to find out if they endorse HB 2465 (opens in new window).

I am also going to find out when this bill will be heard in sub-committee and I plan to be there to speak against it. I will email when this bill has been assigned to the House Transportation sub-committee so that you can contact the members and ask them to vote against this measure. Marshall has ignored the wishes of 107,000+ antique car hobbyists.
His contact information is below.

Delegate Daniel W. Marshall, III
General Assembly Building, Room 809
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 698-1014
email: DelDMarshall@house.state.va.us

[No one's life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session. -Will Rogers]