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Senate substitutes Transportation committee recommendation for S.326 and orders the bill to third reading
Summary
The Senate adopted a substitute amendment to S.326 (miscellaneous motor vehicle amendments), altering multiple statutes including inspection rules, towing payments, mini truck definitions, and DOC/DMV ID processes; the substituted bill was ordered to third reading.
The Vermont Senate adopted a substitute amendment to S.326 and ordered the bill to a third reading, advancing a broad package of miscellaneous motor vehicle statute updates.
Senator Westman (Lamoille), reporting for the Transportation Committee, said the committee moved a strike‑all substitute because the Joint Fiscal Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles provided conflicting fiscal information. The substitute removes two sections that raised the conflict and replaces the committee recommendation with the strike‑all amendment, which the Senate adopted by voice vote.
Key provisions in the substitute and accompanying section‑by‑section review included:
• Expanded DOC/DMV cooperation to provide non‑driver identification cards, replacement licenses, and learner’s permits to sentenced individuals and detainees (sections 1–6).
• Increased civil penalties for an unregistered or undecaled snowmobile (section 17).
• Authority for state and municipal employees without a CDL to operate heavy equipment during governor‑declared emergencies (section 18).
• A $40 one‑year non‑domiciled CDL fee (section 19) and clarified rules for duplicate titles and electronic signatures (sections 9–12).
• Changes to towing payment language and a higher reimbursement for towing companies responding at the request of AOT/DMV (raising a typical payment from $150 to $250) (section 15).
• Requirements to update the DMV inspection manual to focus failures on immediate safety risks and to expedite related rulemaking (sections 24 and related), and definitions and limited registration rules for home‑built or limited‑use specialty vehicles and mini trucks (sections 22–27).
Committee reports on the floor reflected largely favorable views: Transportation reported a unanimous committee vote to move the substitute; Finance reported de minimis fiscal effects and voted 7–0 to move it forward; Appropriations noted a small potential revenue effect (roughly $32,000) from towing fee changes and voted 6–0–1.
A senator asked why a provision was changed from a no‑fee model to a fee; the reporter explained DMV and corrections recommended the fee language in the substitute and that DOC already provides some non‑driver IDs at no cost in certain programs. The Senate ordered the substituted S.326 to third reading.
