Bromley seeks end to even/odd plate rule and a 5‑year registration option in HB 21‑89
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Summary
Rep. Bob Bromley introduced HB 21‑89 to remove the even/odd model‑year registration schedule and let vehicle owners opt for 2‑year or 5‑year registration for eligible vehicles; proponents cite convenience, while DOR and highway safety officials noted implementation and verification issues.
Representative Bob Bromley told the committee that House Bill 21‑89 would eliminate a longstanding even/odd model‑year rule and give drivers the option of longer registration terms, including a proposed five‑year tag for vehicles that meet eligibility criteria. Bromley described multiple constituent experiences of long waits at license offices and said the change would reduce time and cost burdens for motorists.
Bromley said the bill’s first part would remove the provision forcing certain model years into single‑ or two‑year renewals based on odd/even year rules; the second part would allow an optional five‑year registration for vehicles within an age threshold (he suggested six years or newer as a workable rule for a five‑year option). “It would eliminate that provision. You just simply go in and get a 2 year registration,” Bromley said while explaining the bill’s aim to simplify the process.
Testimony included Camelia Peterson of Americans for Prosperity and Nimrod Chapel of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP, both of whom supported the proposal on the basis of convenience and, for the NAACP, reduced police‑stop exposure for Black and Brown motorists. Mr. Chapel testified that longer registration periods could help reduce low‑level traffic stops tied to tabs and registration events.
Zach Wyatt, legislative director for the Missouri Department of Revenue, provided informational testimony explaining that eliminating the even/odd provision aligns with a larger modernization package the department supports, and he noted that in July the department will roll out an uninsured motorist program to provide near real‑time insurance verification for registrations. Wyatt offered to supply committee members with timing and technical details on implementation.
No committee vote was recorded; the measure received informational testimony and public support at the hearing. Any statutory or effective‑date language would be determined in drafted amendments and in subsequent committee actions.
