Sponsor seeks criminal liability removal for obscured or modified registration plates to aid tolling and enforcement

Delegate Natalie Ziegler presented House Bill 4 70 to the committee to remove the intent requirement from existing code and make it an offense to obscure or modify a vehicle registration plate in a way that may prevent identification.

"Proving the intention has been difficult in the past," Ziegler told the committee, "and at the moment, we are just upping our reliance on the ability to photograph your license plate daily." She said unreadable or altered plates block automated collection systems such as Pay‑by‑Plate and video tolls and impede enforcement programs such as speed‑zone and red‑light camera enforcement.

Heather Colbert of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) testified in support and said MDTA facilities rely on E‑ZPass transponder reads or photographic reads of registration plates; if plates are obscured or modified, the agency cannot process the transaction, leading to lost revenue. Colbert said MDTA estimated approximately $2,000,000 in uncollected transactions in calendar year 2023 attributable to unreadable plates.

Sponsor and MDTA asked the committee for a favorable report to preserve automated tolling and enforcement revenue and to maintain public‑safety programs that rely on plate identification. Committee members asked procedural questions (primary vs. secondary enforcement) and the sponsor said the offense would be at officer discretion.

Ending: MDTA and the sponsor requested a favorable report citing revenue loss and enforcement practicalities; the hearing concluded after questions.