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Hearing on HB 259: bill would remove per‑household limit on handicap license plates
Summary
Representative Matthew Bittar proposed HB 259 to allow an individual to obtain special‑designation handicap license plates for every vehicle they own; supporters said the change improves convenience and access, while disability advocates and others warned about placard misuse and urged retaining limits on portable placards.
Representative Matthew Bittar told the Transportation Committee HB 259 would remove the statutory limit that effectively restricts an individual to one handicap plate and one placard. The sponsor said the bill is intended to treat the disability designation as tied to the person, not the household or a single car.
"If somebody's handicapped, they should be able to designate each of their vehicles if they register with a handicap plate," Representative Bittar said, adding the bill as drafted addresses only plates and does not change placard rules.
Supporters included Representative Heath Howard, who said the change would reduce the juggling of a single portable placard among multiple household vehicles. "It is easier if we just allow these people to have the plates on the front of their vehicle because then they will never be able to forget," Howard said.
Opponents and disability‑policy groups urged caution. Melinda Sims of United Spinal Association told the committee she was concerned HB 259’s public summary and some testimony conflated plates and placards. She and others pointed to what they called large existing numbers of permanent placards and to evidence of abuse and black‑market sales; United Spinal cited national and state comparisons showing New Hampshire's rate of placards per capita is high and warned that increasing placards would worsen enforcement and access problems for disabled users.
Family caregivers who spoke described real‑world difficulties: Rod Sims, who helps his wife with mobility needs, described encountering vehicles parked in van‑accessible spaces with only a placard on the dash, sometimes used by people without visible need.
Representatives of the Division of Motor Vehicles outlined current practice: a person with a qualifying walking disability can request either one plate plus one placard or two placards; DMV staff said New Hampshire has about 132,636 active permanent placards on file and 3,715 temporary placards. DMV staff suggested that plates remain an administrative option and that decisions about placards and enforcement would require system and administrative work.
ABLE New Hampshire (disability advocacy) told the committee it supports allowing more plates for qualified individuals but was cautious about increasing portable placards without administrative checks; ABLE said it had not taken a position on placards in principle and encouraged further consultation.
The committee heard both the convenience argument for plates and warnings about placard misuse. No committee action was taken on HB 259 during the hearing.
