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An Act To Require the Correct Motor Vehicle Registration for Antique Autos and Custom Vehicles
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§3, ¶C, as amended by PL 1997, c. 653, §2, is further amended to read:
 
C.  Substantially maintained in original or restored condition primarily for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades or other functions of public interest or for occasional use as a personal vehicle;
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§3, ¶F, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 314, §3, is amended to read:
 
F.  Not an altered vehicle, or a vehicle that has undergone a change in some of the component parts of the vehicle.
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §101, sub-§19-A, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 321, §1 and affected by §6, is amended to read:
 
19-A. Custom vehicle.   "Custom vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is at least 3025 years old and of a model year after 1948 or a motor vehicle that was manufactured to resemble a motor vehicle that is at least 3025 years old and of a model year after 1948 and that has been alteredundergone a change in some of the component parts from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from nonoriginal material.
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §458-B, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 321, §4 and affected by §6, is repealed.
Sec. 5. 29-A MRSA §458-B, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 321, §4 and affected by §6, is amended to read:
 
7. Inspection.   A custom vehicle is subject to the inspection requirements of section 1751, except for the exemptions under rules adopted by the Chief of the State Police that pertain to custom vehicles and street rods.
Sec. 6. Stakeholder group. The Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles shall convene a stakeholder group to review issues concerning the affidavit that must be filed with the bureau when registering an antique auto, custom vehicle, horseless carriage or street rod. The bureau shall invite the participation of representatives from the American Truck Historical Society, the Antique Automobile Club of America, the Maine Custom Auto Association, the Maine Obsolete Auto League, the National Street Rod Association and other interested stakeholders. The stakeholders shall examine the current affidavit and the problems that have arisen in adhering to the requirements of the affidavit, including, but not limited to, the parts of the affidavit that deal with antique autos and custom vehicles. The stakeholder group shall develop recommendations to amend the affidavit.
Sec. 7. Report. No later than December 7, 2011, the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles shall report the results of the study under section 6 along with any recommended legislation to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation. The Joint Standing Committee on Transportation may submit a bill related to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 125th Legislature.
 
SUMMARY
This bill amends the definition of "antique auto" to include that the vehicle may be used for occasional personal use and that it may not have undergone a change in some of the component parts of the vehicle. It amends the definition of "custom vehicle" by changing the number of years of age that would constitute a custom vehicle from 30 years to 25 years. It removes the weight limit of what constitutes a custom vehicle and indicates that the exemptions adopted by the Chief of the State Police apply to a custom vehicle. The bill also directs the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles to invite the participation of representatives of antique auto, street rod and custom vehicle organizations to review the affidavit that must be filed with the bureau when registering an antique auto, custom vehicle, horseless carriage or street rod and to report to the Second Regular Session of the 125th Legislature with its findings.