Senate amends broad motor-vehicle bill to preserve DMV ability to collect deposit for road tests; bill includes multiple fee waivers and technical changes

Senators on the floor debated and amended S.123, a miscellaneous motor-vehicle bill containing a range of technical changes and fee provisions, and adopted a floor amendment from the Senate Finance Committee that preserves the Department of Motor Vehicles' ability to collect a refundable $29 scheduling deposit for road tests while allowing waiver conditions.

Senator Westman, representing the transportation committee, reviewed the bill at length and highlighted provisions ranging from updated definitions of pleasure cars to multiple fee waivers. Among the provisions described were: clarification of plug-in and battery electric vehicle definitions; a new option to mark non-driver identification cards for organ-donor election; a waiver of non-driver ID fees for people under 23 transitioning out of foster care; exemptions from an EV infrastructure fee for municipal and volunteer fire and rescue organizations; a veterans exemption that extends EV fee waivers to certain veterans; and a reduction in operator license fees for SSI and SSDI recipients that the finance committee…