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Public Safety committee backs bill to allow 'mini trucks' on local roads
Summary
The Georgia Senate Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to recommend House Bill 308, which would allow imported "mini trucks" 25 years or older to operate on county and city roads (but not interstates or highways) and sets an annual registration charge tied to ad valorem treatment.
The Georgia Senate Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to recommend passage of House Bill 308, known in the hearing as the "mini truck" bill, after a presentation from the bill's author, Representative Clifton.
Representative Clifton told the committee the bill would allow imported vehicles that are 25 years or older to be licensed for use on county and city roads, excluding marked interstates and highways, and would treat them similarly to side-by-side off-road vehicles. He said the Department of Revenue sought committee language that treats the vehicles for ad valorem purposes as an antique; under that approach, upon renewal the owner would be assessed a fee equal to $100 times the millage rate each year.
Committee members asked several procedural and light-hearted questions about the vehicles' origins and capacity; Clifton described the vehicles as generally two-person vehicles and said they are imported from a variety of countries. After discussion, Senator Bearden moved that the committee give the bill a "do pass" recommendation; Senator Goodman seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice and by a unanimous recorded response.
Senator Anderson agreed to carry House Bill 308 in the Senate.
The committee did not identify additional statutory changes beyond the ad valorem treatment nor list any implementation requirements beyond registration and road restrictions as presented in the hearing.
