The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Mr. Hedlund

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
                Court assembled:

                The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the passage of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to motor vehicle registrations.

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PETITION OF:

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. S02061 OF 2007-2008.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand and Nine

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An Act relative to motor vehicle registrations.

                Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

            SECTION 1. The first paragraph of section 2 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the second and third sentences and inserting in place thereof the following 3 sentences:-  If the owner is a corporation or business entity the application shall contain the name of the corporation or business entity, the full address, including the street, city or town, state and zip code, the federal tax identification number if a corporation and the social security number if the business entity is a sole proprietorship and does not have a federal tax identification number.  If an applicant is a natural person, the application shall contain his name, full residential address, date of birth, his license number or identification card number as issued by the registrar and such other particulars as the registrar may require. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter or in regulations adopted by the registrar, no registration shall be issued for a motor vehicle or trailer owned or leased by a natural person unless 1 of its registering owners or lessees holds a valid license or identification card issued by the registrar.

SECTION 2.  Said section 2 of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “trailer” in line 10, the following words:-  to be registered.

SECTION 3.  Said section 2 of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “statement” in line 13, the following word:-  signed.

SECTION 4.  Said section 2 of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 21 to 23, the words “register in a book or upon suitable index cards to be kept for the purpose the motor vehicle or trailer described in the application, giving to the vehicle” and inserting in place thereof the following:-  keep a record of motor vehicles and trailers that satisfy the application requirements, assign to each motor vehicle and trailer.

SECTION 5. Section 34A of Chapter 138 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended in lines 7 and 16 by striking out the word “three” and inserting in place thereof the word “five”.

SECTION 6.  Said Section 34A is hereby further amended by adding the following after line 24: -

Each subsequent violation of this Section shall be punishable as a misdemeanor and by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than three months, or both.

SECTION 7.  Section 34B of Chapter 138 of the General Laws, as so appearing in the 1994 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out lines 35 through 41, inclusive.

SECTION 8.  Said Section 34B is hereby amended by inserting the following after line 34: -

Any person who transfers, alters, defaces, uses or carries any such card or license or uses the identification card or motor vehicle license of another, or furnishes false information in obtaining such card or license, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars.  Each subsequent violation of this Section shall be punishable as a misdemeanor and by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than three months, or both.  Any person who makes, sells or distributes a false identification card shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

SECTION 9. Section 20 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 official edition, is hereby amended in line 10 by striking the words “of not less than one hundred nor more than two hundred dollars” and further amended by inserting in place thereof the following: -

of five hundred dollars for a first offense, by a fine of not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than ten days, or both, for a second offense, by a fine of not less than one thousand nor more than two thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days, or both, for any subsequent offense