Committee hears bill to raise truck registration quarterly-pay threshold to $300 and remove two-quarter grace period

The Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2122, a Department of Revenue measure that would raise the minimum registration fee required to request quarterly payments for certain trucks and truck tractors from $100 to $300 and remove a statutory two-quarter grace period.

The bill would also make quarterly payments delinquent after a missed quarterly payment rather than after missing two payments in a registration year. If a quarterly payment becomes delinquent under the bill, penalties listed in current law would apply, including payment of the full registration fees plus a 10% penalty, denial of the quarterly-payment privilege, denial of title or renewal of title until fees are paid, and potential liens, tax warrants and vehicle seizures.

Deanna Shepherd, a Division of Vehicles representative, told the committee the department requested the change to align commercial and apportioned registrations and reduce confusion for counties that process both kinds of registrations. “This is a bill that the Division of Vehicles requested to make the quarterly payment program consistent between the commercial and the apportioned registrations by updating Statutes eight-143A and eight-one 43 m,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd said the bill “would make them the same at 300 minimum registration fee to request the quarterly pay and otherwise mirrors the statute so that they are consistent throughout for when applying late fees and or penalties for later payments.” The bill, she said, aims to mirror the commercial side where minimum charges already make the typical registration exceed $300.

Senator Tyson pressed for clarity on the practical effect on vehicle owners, saying, “So, I just want to make sure that we're not These guys are in a world of hurt right now as it is, and you know that. And so I just want to make sure that this isn't putting a larger burden on them.” Shepherd and staff said the change is intended to reduce confusion—commercial registrations typically already meet the $300 threshold—rather than to raise fees per se.

Committee staff introduced the bill and outlined its current effect: under present law, a truck or truck-tractor owner may pay registration fees on a quarterly basis when the registration fee exceeded $100; the bill would increase that threshold to $300 and remove language that created a two-quarter grace period.

The committee took testimony from proponents and closed the hearing on HB 2122 with no vote recorded at the session.