2006 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 727 – Salvage vehicles, title

HOUSE BILL NO. 727

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Bill Status



H0727.........................................by TRANSPORTATION AND DEFENSE
SALVAGE VEHICLES - Amends existing law relating to titling of salvage
vehicles to delete the age and market value limitations relating to
obtaining a salvage certificate of ownership for a salvage vehicle; and to
provide a procedure for obtaining a branded certificate of title for a
vehicle which is more than five years old or which has a known market value
$6,000 or less which has been determined to be a salvage vehicle and which
is not required to be inspected by the Idaho Transportation Department.
                                                                        
02/23    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/24    Rpt prt - to Transp
02/27    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/28    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/03    3rd rdg - PASSED - 68-0-2
      AYES -- Anderson, Andrus, Barraclough, Barrett, Bastian, Bayer,
      Bedke, Bell, Bilbao, Black, Block, Boe, Bolz, Brackett, Bradford,
      Cannon, Chadderdon, Clark, Collins, Crow, Deal, Denney, Edmunson,
      Ellsworth, Eskridge, Field(23), Garrett, Hart, Harwood, Henbest,
      Henderson, Jaquet, Kemp, Lake, LeFavour, Loertscher, Martinez,
      Mathews, McGeachin, McKague, Miller, Mitchell, Moyle, Nielsen,
      Nonini, Pasley-Stuart, Pence, Raybould, Ring, Ringo, Roberts, Rusche,
      Rydalch, Sali, Sayler, Schaefer, Shepherd(2), Shepherd(8), Shirley,
      Skippen, Smith(30), Smith(24), Smylie, Snodgrass, Stevenson, Trail,
      Wills, Wood
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- Field(18), Mr. Speaker
    Floor Sponsor - Nonini
    Title apvd - to Senate
03/06    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Transp
03/09    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/10    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/16    3rd rdg - PASSED - 35-0-0
      AYES -- Andreason, Brandt, Broadsword, Bunderson, Burkett,
      Burtenshaw, Cameron, Coiner, Compton, Corder, Darrington, Davis,
      Fulcher, Gannon, Geddes, Goedde, Hill, Jorgenson, Kelly, Keough,
      Langhorst, Little, Lodge, Malepeai, Marley, McGee, McKenzie, Pearce,
      Richardson, Schroeder, Stegner, Stennett, Sweet, Werk, Williams
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- None
    Floor Sponsor - Marley
    Title apvd - to House
03/17    To enrol
03/20    Rpt enrol - Sp signed
03/21    Pres signed - To Governor
03/22    Governor signed
         Session Law Chapter 102
         Effective: 07/01/06

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-eighth Legislature                   Second Regular Session - 2006
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 727
                                                                        
                          BY TRANSPORTATION AND DEFENSE COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO TITLING OF SALVAGE VEHICLES; AMENDING SECTION 49-524, IDAHO  CODE,
  3        TO  DELETE  THE  AGE  AND MARKET VALUE LIMITATIONS RELATING TO OBTAINING A
  4        SALVAGE CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP FOR A SALVAGE VEHICLE; AND AMENDING  SEC-
  5        TION  49-525,  IDAHO  CODE, TO PROVIDE A PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING A BRANDED
  6        CERTIFICATE OF TITLE FOR A VEHICLE WHICH IS MORE THAN FIVE YEARS  OLD  AND
  7        WHICH  HAS  A KNOWN MARKET VALUE OF SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS OR LESS WHICH HAS
  8        BEEN DETERMINED TO BE A SALVAGE VEHICLE AND WHICH IS NOT  REQUIRED  TO  BE
  9        INSPECTED BY THE IDAHO TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
                                                                        
 10    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
 11        SECTION  1.  That  Section  49-524, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 12    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 13        49-524.  SALVAGE CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP TO REPLACE CERTIFICATE OF  TITLE
 14    OR  ORIGIN  ON  CERTAIN  VEHICLES  --  VESSELS  NOT INCLUDED. (1) Every person
 15    acquiring a vehicle which is five (5) years old or less or which has  a  known
 16    market  value in excess of six thousand dollars ($6,000) which has been deter-
 17    mined to be a salvage vehicle, shall obtain a salvage certificate of ownership
 18    on that vehicle.
 19        (2)  The salvage certificate shall replace the certificate of origin, cer-
 20    tificate of title or other comparable ownership document  and  shall  indicate
 21    ownership only; it shall not be valid for registration purposes.
 22        (3)  A salvage certificate of ownership shall be issued by the department,
 23    the  insurer,  or  a  salvage  pool,  and shall be on a form prescribed by the
 24    department. The form shall provide for assignments of the salvage certificate.
 25        (4)  The fee for a salvage certificate shall be the same as  for  issuance
 26    of  any  regular Idaho certificate of title. The fee shall be deposited in the
 27    state highway account.
 28        (5)  Every insurer making payment for a vehicle which is  five  (5)  years
 29    old  or  less or which has a known market value in excess of six thousand dol-
 30    lars ($6,000) which has been determined to be a salvage vehicle, shall  within
 31    thirty  (30)  days from receipt of the properly released certificate of origin
 32    or certificate of title, issue a salvage certificate to the purchaser and sur-
 33    render to the department the ownership documents, a copy of the  salvage  cer-
 34    tificate,  the  salvage certificate fee and other documents as required by the
 35    department for processing. The department shall  mark  its  records  appropri-
 36    ately.
 37        (6)  If a salvage pool receives a certificate of title for a vehicle which
 38    is  five  (5) years old or less or which has a known market value in excess of
 39    six thousand dollars ($6,000) which has been determined to be a salvage  vehi-
 40    cle,  he  shall  within  thirty  (30)  days  and  upon receipt of the properly
 41    released certificate of origin or certificate of title, issue a  salvage  cer-
 42    tificate  to the purchaser and surrender to the department the ownership docu-
 43    ments, a copy of the salvage certificate,  the  salvage  certificate  fee  and
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1    other  documents  as required by the department for processing. The department
  2    shall mark its records appropriately.
  3        (7)  It is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six (6) months  in  jail,  a
  4    fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or both, if the owner of a retained sal-
  5    vage  vehicle  fails   to surrender the title and be issued a salvage certifi-
  6    cate, or to sell the vehicle and not  tell  the  buyer  that  the  vehicle  is
  7    totaled.
  8        (8)  If  an  insurer has allowed the owner to retain ownership of the sal-
  9    vage vehicle, the owner must surrender the certificate of title for such vehi-
 10    cle to the department or the insurance company not  later  than  fifteen  (15)
 11    days  from  the date that the claim was satisfied. The insurer must notify the
 12    department of a total loss payoff. The insurer or  department  shall  issue  a
 13    salvage  certificate to the owner prior to any sale or disposition of the sal-
 14    vage vehicle.
 15        (9)  If an insurer acquires the certificate of title of  a  vehicle  in  a
 16    settlement  of  a  theft claim, the insurer shall immediately, upon receipt of
 17    the properly released certificate of origin or certificate of title,  issue  a
 18    salvage certificate in the name of the insurer and surrender to the department
 19    the  ownership  documents, a copy of the salvage certificate, the salvage cer-
 20    tificate fee and other documents as required by the department for processing.
 21        (10) If an insurer has acquired a vehicle  in  a  settlement  of  a  theft
 22    claim,  has  made application to and has been issued a new salvage certificate
 23    in the name of the insurer and the vehicle is subsequently  recovered  and  is
 24    not  a salvage vehicle, the insurer may complete an affidavit indemnifying the
 25    department stating the facts of acquisition and disposition of the vehicle  in
 26    a  form  prescribed  by  the department and deliver the salvage certificate of
 27    ownership, affidavit and any other documents required by the department to the
 28    transferee at the time of delivery of the vehicle.
 29        (11) Any person acquiring ownership of a salvage vehicle  purchased  in  a
 30    state  or  jurisdiction which does not require surrender of the certificate of
 31    title or comparable ownership document shall, within thirty (30) days  follow-
 32    ing delivery of the certificate of title or ownership document, surrender such
 33    title or document to the department and apply for a salvage certificate.
 34        (12) An  owner  of  a  salvage vehicle who sells or transfers said vehicle
 35    shall provide a properly executed assignment of  the  salvage  certificate  of
 36    ownership to the transferee.
 37        (13) A  purchaser  of a salvage vehicle shall not possess or retain a sal-
 38    vage vehicle without a salvage certificate. unless the salvage vehicle is  six
 39    (6)  years  old  or  older  with  a  fair market value of six thousand dollars
 40    ($6,000) or less. The salvage vehicle purchaser shall display the salvage cer-
 41    tificate upon the request of any peace officer or agent of the department.
 42        (14) The provisions of this section shall not apply to vessels.
                                                                        
 43        SECTION 2.  That Section 49-525, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
 44    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 45        49-525.  SALVAGE-CERTIFIED  VEHICLE  -- INSPECTIONS -- BRANDING -- BRANDED
 46    CERTIFICATE OF TITLE. (1) The department shall issue a branded certificate  of
 47    title  on  any  motor vehicle for which a salvage certificate, salvage bill of
 48    sale or other  documentation  showing  evidence  that  the  vehicle  has  been
 49    declared salvage has been issued by this or any other state, provided, if doc-
 50    umentation  of salvage certification has been received from another state, the
 51    requirements specified in section 49-524, Idaho Code, shall be applied to that
 52    vehicle.
 53        (2)  An initial vehicle identification number inspection and major  compo-
                                                                        
                                           3
                                                                        
  1    nent  parts inspection shall be conducted by an authorized department employee
  2    and shall include examination of the vehicle and its parts to  determine  that
  3    the  identification numbers of the vehicle or its parts have not been removed,
  4    falsified, altered, defaced or destroyed and that  there  are  no  indications
  5    that the vehicle or any of its parts are stolen. Such certification  shall not
  6    attest  to  the roadworthiness or safety condition of the vehicle. The fee for
  7    initial inspection shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) and shall  be  depos-
  8    ited in the state highway account. The department may contract with private or
  9    public entities to conduct the inspections.
 10        (a)  If  the  inspector  determines  that one (1) major component part has
 11        damage requiring repair or replacement, the  vehicle  statement  of  facts
 12        shall indicate that the vehicle shall not be eligible for a certificate of
 13        title  until  it has been repaired and has been reinspected as a "repaired
 14        vehicle." The vehicle statement of facts shall indicate that  the  vehicle
 15        will  require a "repaired vehicle" decal before issuance of a branded cer-
 16        tificate of title. The owner may  then  submit  an  application  with  all
 17        required supporting documents to the department for issuance of a certifi-
 18        cate of title.
 19        (b)  If  the  inspector  determines  that  two (2) or more major component
 20        parts have damage requiring repair or replacement, or that the vehicle has
 21        sustained flood damage, the vehicle shall not be eligible for  a  certifi-
 22        cate  of  title  until  it has been restored or reconstructed and has been
 23        reinspected as a reconstructed vehicle. The  vehicle  statement  of  facts
 24        shall  indicate  that  the  vehicle will require a "reconstructed vehicle"
 25        decal before issuance of a branded certificate of title.
 26    The provisions of this subsection (2) shall not apply to a  vehicle  which  is
 27    more  than  five (5) years old and which has a known market value of six thou-
 28    sand dollars ($6,000) or less which has been determined to be a salvage  vehi-
 29    cle.
 30        (3)  Every  owner of a salvage vehicle which has been restored or repaired
 31    in this state to its operating condition, in compliance with chapter 9,  title
 32    49, Idaho Code, shall, if the inspector issued a vehicle statement of facts as
 33    required in subsection (2) of this section, present the vehicle to the depart-
 34    ment for inspection as a reconstructed vehicle or as a repaired vehicle.
 35        (a)  If  the  inspector  determines  that the receipts for major component
 36        parts are valid, including the vehicle identification numbers of the vehi-
 37        cles from which the major component parts were removed,  a  "reconstructed
 38        vehicle" decal or a "repaired vehicle" decal shall be affixed to the vehi-
 39        cle  and  the  statement of facts shall indicate that the vehicle has been
 40        branded and that the certificate of title shall be branded accordingly.
 41        (b)  The fee  for  issuance  of  a  "reconstructed  vehicle"  decal  or  a
 42        "repaired vehicle" decal shall be ten dollars ($10.00) and shall be depos-
 43        ited in the state highway account.
 44        (c)  The  owner  may then submit an application for branded certificate of
 45        title to the department which application shall be accompanied by the sal-
 46        vage bill of sale, salvage certificate or other documentation showing evi-
 47        dence that the vehicle has been declared  salvage,  vehicle  statement  of
 48        facts,  indemnifying affidavit, bills of sale or invoices for major compo-
 49        nent parts and written affirmation which states:
 50             1.  That the owner personally rebuilt or repaired the vehicle or per-
 51             sonally  supervised  its  rebuilding  or  repairing  and  includes  a
 52             description of work done to restore the vehicle to the operating con-
 53             dition that existed prior to the event which caused the salvage  cer-
 54             tificate to be issued;
 55             2.  That  the  identification numbers of the restored vehicle and its
                                                                        
                                           4
                                                                        
  1             parts have  not,  to  the  knowledge  of  the  owner,  been  removed,
  2             destroyed, falsified, altered or defaced;
  3             3.  That  the salvage certificate document or out-of-state title cer-
  4             tificate attached to the application has not to the knowledge of  the
  5             owner been forged, falsified or altered; and
  6             4.  That all information contained on the application and its attach-
  7             ments is true and correct.
  8        (4)  Upon  presentation  of  the documents required by the department, the
  9    department shall issue a branded certificate of title which shall contain  the
 10    word "reconstructed vehicle" or "repaired vehicle."
 11        (5)  If  an  otherwise  correct  application  is made for a certificate of
 12    title on any salvage-certified vehicle which was not inspected as required  by
 13    the  provisions  of subsection (2) of this section, the department shall brand
 14    the vehicle with a "reconstructed vehicle" decal and  shall  issue  a  branded
 15    certificate of title.
 16        (6)  If  an  otherwise  correct  application  is made for a certificate of
 17    title on any salvage-certified vehicle which is not required to  be  inspected
 18    pursuant  to  the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, the department
 19    shall issue a branded certificate of title as a "reconstructed vehicle" if the
 20    application for a certificate of title is supported by a  written  affirmation
 21    of the owner which states:
 22        (a)  That  the owner personally rebuilt or repaired the vehicle or person-
 23        ally supervised its rebuilding or repairing and includes a description  of
 24        work  done  to restore the vehicle to the operating condition that existed
 25        prior to the event which caused the salvage certificate to be issued;
 26        (b)  That the identification numbers of the restored vehicle and its parts
 27        have not, to the knowledge of the owner, been removed,  destroyed,  falsi-
 28        fied, altered or defaced;
 29        (c)  That  the salvage certificate document or out-of-state title certifi-
 30        cate attached to the application has not to the  knowledge  of  the  owner
 31        been forged, falsified or altered; and
 32        (d)  That all information contained on the application and its attachments
 33        is true and correct.
 34        (7)  Each  branded certificate of title received from another jurisdiction
 35    shall have its brand carried forward to all subsequent certificates  of  title
 36    issued in this state.
 37        (78)  The  department  may  promulgate rules as necessary to implement the
 38    provisions of sections 49-524 and 49-525, Idaho Code.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                    STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
                              
                         RS 16095C1
                              
       The purpose of this legislation is to provide vehicle
  purchasers with necessary and important information relating
  to significant damage history of a vehicle. 
       
  Under current law, a vehicle that has been declared
  "salvage" in another jurisdiction, or which vehicle has been
  damaged to such an extent that the cost of repair minus the
  salvage value makes it uneconomical to repair or rebuild,
  must be issued a title in Idaho which is branded to show
  that it is a repaired or rebuilt vehicle. However, if the
  "salvage" vehicle is more than five years old or has a
  market value of less than $6,000, Idaho law permits a new
  title to be issued and the "salvage" brand to be removed
  from the title. A purchaser of such vehicle would not know,
  from the title, he was receiving a vehicle previously
  declared to be "salvage." Idaho is one of the few states
  that permits the "salvage" brand to be removed for these
  vehicles, and the Idaho consumers are deprived of this
  information. 
  
  This legislation treats all salvage vehicles alike,
  regardless of age or value. However, as to vehicles older
  than five years or with a value of less than $6,000, that
  have been repaired under the personal supervision of the
  owner, the Department of Transportation may, upon the
  affidavit of the owner as to facts relating to the repair of
  the vehicle, issue a title showing a "reconstructed vehicle"
  brand without inspecting the vehicle. However, the purchaser
  of such vehicle will have necessary information to make an
  informed decision as to the purchase.
  
                        FISCAL NOTE
                              
  There will be no fiscal impact on state or local funds.
  
  Contact
  
  Name:     Rep. Bob Nonini
  Name:     Bill Roden, Idaho State Independent 
       Automobile Dealers Association
  Phone:    336-7930
                              
  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                       H 727