Bill Text: MI HB5100 | 2017-2018 | 99th Legislature | Chaptered


Bill Title: Traffic control; violations; definition of obstructed license plate; clarify. Amends sec. 225 of 1949 PA 300 (MCL 257.225).

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-05-16 - Assigned Pa 147'18 With Immediate Effect [HB5100 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2017-HB5100-Chaptered.html

Act No. 147

Public Acts of 2018

Approved by the Governor

May 15, 2018

Filed with the Secretary of State

May 16, 2018

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 14, 2018

STATE OF MICHIGAN

99TH LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2018

Introduced by Reps. Hughes, Marino, Lucido, Reilly and Gay-Dagnogo

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 5100

AN ACT to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled “An act to provide for the registration, titling, sale, transfer, and regulation of certain vehicles operated upon the public highways of this state or any other place open to the general public or generally accessible to motor vehicles and distressed vehicles; to provide for the licensing of dealers; to provide for the examination, licensing, and control of operators and chauffeurs; to provide for the giving of proof of financial responsibility and security by owners and operators of vehicles; to provide for the imposition, levy, and collection of specific taxes on vehicles, and the levy and collection of sales and use taxes, license fees, and permit fees; to provide for the regulation and use of streets and highways; to create certain funds; to provide penalties and sanctions for a violation of this act; to provide for civil liability of manufacturers, the manufacturers of certain devices, the manufacturers of automated technology, upfitters, owners, and operators of vehicles and service of process on residents and nonresidents; to regulate the introduction and use of certain evidence; to regulate and certify the manufacturers of certain devices; to provide for approval and certification of installers and servicers of certain devices; to provide for the levy of certain assessments; to provide for the enforcement of this act; to provide for the creation of and to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state and local agencies; to impose liability upon the state or local agencies; to provide appropriations for certain purposes; to repeal all other acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act or contrary to this act; and to repeal certain parts of this act on a specific date,” by amending section 225 (MCL 257.225), as amended by 2014 PA 26.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 225. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and subsection (6), a registration plate issued for a vehicle shall be attached to the rear of the vehicle. A registration plate issued for a truck tractor or road tractor shall be attached to the front of the vehicle.

(2) A registration plate shall at all times be securely fastened in a horizontal position to the vehicle for which the plate is issued so as to prevent the plate from swinging. The plate shall be attached at a height of not less than 12 inches from the ground, measured from the bottom of the plate, in a place and position that is clearly visible. The plate shall be maintained free from foreign materials that obscure or partially obscure the registration information and in a clearly legible condition. The attachment to the rear of a vehicle of a tow ball, bicycle rack, removable hitch, or any other device designed to carry an object on the rear of a vehicle, including the object being carried, does not violate this subsection.

(3) A registration plate or an expiration tab on the registration plate shall be of a different color designated by the secretary of state with a marked contrast between the color of the registration plate and the numerals or letters on the plate. The secretary of state may provide a distinctive registration plate as a replacement for a standard plate. To honor a special or historical event, the secretary of state may provide a commemorative plate as a replacement for a standard plate.

(4) A person shall not attach a name plate, insignia, or advertising device to a registration plate in a manner that obscures or partially obscures the registration information.

(5) A person shall not operate a motor vehicle that has a name plate, insignia, or advertising device attached to a registration plate in a manner that obscures or partially obscures the registration information.

(6) A registration plate issued for a historic military vehicle that is authorized to be operated on the roads of this state is not required to be attached to the rear or the front of the historic military vehicle unless the historic military vehicle was originally manufactured with lighting and mounting provisions for a registration plate. However, if the registration plate is not attached to the exterior of the historic military vehicle, it shall be present in the historic military vehicle to which it refers and shall be made available upon demand of a police officer. As used in this subsection, “historic military vehicle” means a vehicle, including a trailer, regardless of the vehicle’s size, weight, or year of manufacture, that was manufactured for use in any country’s military forces and is maintained to represent its military design and markings accurately.

(7) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction.

Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days after the date it is enacted into law.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved

Governor