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House adopts substitute clarifying display rules for license plates; bill passes 56–19
Summary
The House adopted a second substitute to HB153 that clarifies how license plates must be displayed and places responsibility on vehicle operators (rather than banning covers); debate addressed front-plate concerns and the sponsor said the front-plate requirement already exists in statute. The House passed the bill 56–19.
Representative Wheatley moved to replace HB153 with a second substitute that adds section 404 and language clarifying that license plates must be displayed in a manner that allows visibility. The sponsor said the change responded to law-enforcement concerns about license-plate covers that prevent visibility in bad weather or interfere with automatic license-plate readers.
"The license plate covers are problematic. They prevent the plates from being seen in situations like bad weather," Wheatley said, describing different cover colors and the effect on law enforcement's ability to read plates.
Representative Tanner asked whether the substitute requires front plates; the sponsor and others noted section 404 already contains a front-plate requirement and that the substitute did not add a new front-plate mandate. After discussion, the House adopted the substitute. Voting closed with 56 yes votes and 19 no votes and the bill was transmitted to the Senate.
The sponsor said the goal was to put responsibility on the operator to make sure the plate is visible, rather than an outright ban on covers.
