HB 1710

                                                PRINTER'S NO.     2103
                THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                    HOUSE BILL
                    No. 1710
                                          Session of
                                            2025
INTRODUCED BY GIRAL, WAXMAN, HILL-EVANS, HOHENSTEIN, BRENNAN,
   GOUGHNOUR, HADDOCK, SANCHEZ, DOUGHERTY, D. WILLIAMS AND
   BELLMON, JULY 8, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JULY 9, 2025
                               AN ACT
1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2    Statutes, in certificate of title and security interests,
3    further providing for application for certificate of title;
4    in registration of vehicles, further providing for
5    registration and certificate of title required and for period
6    of registration, repealing provisions relating to temporary
7    registration cards and to temporary registration permits,
8    providing for transition from temporary registration cards,
9    permits and plates and further providing for transfer of
10    registration, for duties of agents and for issuance and
11    reissuance of registration plates; in financial
12    responsibility, further providing for required financial
13    responsibility; in fees, further providing for temporary and
14    electronically issued registration plates; in Motor Vehicle
15    Transaction Recovery Fund, further providing for enforcement;
16    in powers of department and local authorities, further
17    providing for proportional registration not exclusive; in
18    messenger service, further providing for agent duties and
19    responsibilities; and, in liquid fuels and fuels tax, further
20    providing for electric vehicle road user charge.
21    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
22 hereby enacts as follows:
23    Section 1.    Sections 1103.1(g.1), 1301(c.1) and 1307(b) of
24 Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended
25 to read:
26 § 1103.1.   Application for certificate of title.
1    * * *
2    (g.1)    Verification.--In lieu of notarization of any document
3 required to be submitted with the application for certificate of
4 title, the department shall accept the verification of a
5 person's signature by a wholesale vehicle auction licensed by
6 the State Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers and
7 Salespersons or its employee, or an issuing agent who is
8 licensed as a vehicle dealer by the State Board of Vehicle
9 Manufacturers, Dealers and Salespersons, or its employee. The
10 name and identification number and the signature of the issuing
11 agent or wholesale vehicle auction or respective employee shall
12 be written in the space reserved for a notarization or
13 verification. If an issuing agent or wholesale vehicle auction
14 or respective employee falsely verifies a person's signature,
15 the department shall suspend the issuing agent's or wholesale
16 vehicle auction's authority to issue [temporary] registration
17 plates and cards for not less than 30 days. When verification is
18 used in lieu of notarization, the issuing agent or its employee
19 shall verify a person's identity by using at least one form of
20 government-issued photo identification. A copy of the form of
21 identification used shall be maintained by the issuing agent for
22 a period of three years from the date of the verification.
23    * * *
24 § 1301.    Registration and certificate of title required.
25    * * *
26    (c.1)    Reconstructed, recovered theft, flood, modified and
27 specially constructed vehicles.--Only the department shall issue
28 a [temporary] registration plate or card, or permit the transfer
29 of a registration plate, in conjunction with any application for
30 reconstructed, recovered theft, flood, modified and specially
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1 constructed vehicles. Proof of financial responsibility must
2 accompany the application for registration prior to the issuance
3 of a registration plate.
4    * * *
5 § 1307.    Period of registration.
6    * * *
7    (b)    New registration.--A new registration is effective on
8 the date of issuance of a registration card by the department
9 [or the date of issuance of a temporary registration card by an
10 authorized agent of the department under section 1310 (relating
11 to temporary registration cards)].
12    * * *
13    Section 2.    Sections 1310 and 1310.1 of Title 75 are
14 repealed:
15 [§ 1310. Temporary registration cards.
16    (a)    General rule.--The department shall provide temporary
17 registration cards for use pending issuance or transfer of
18 permanent registration cards. Temporary registration cards and
19 plates may be delivered to designated agents who shall have the
20 authority to issue them in accordance with regulations
21 promulgated by the department. When determining whether to
22 suspend, revoke or impose a monetary penalty upon an agent, the
23 department may consider relevant mitigating events.
24    (b)    Duration.--Temporary registration cards shall be valid
25 for such period as the department shall designate. Temporary
26 registration cards issued to a vehicle acquired in this
27 Commonwealth for transportation to another state for
28 registration or use in the other state shall be valid for 60
29 days from the date of issuance.
30    (c)    Charges by designated agent.--A designated agent may not
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1 charge any fee for issuing a temporary registration card other
2 than notary fees.
3 § 1310.1.      Temporary registration permits.
4    (a)   General rule.--A registration permit shall be issued to
5 the registrant concurrent with the issuance of a temporary
6 registration card and plate.
7    (b)   Content of registration permit.--Every registration
8 permit shall contain the following information:
9(1)    The term "Pennsylvania" preprinted on the permit.
10(2)    The term "temporary registration permit" preprinted
11    on the permit.
12(3)    The sticker issued by the department which will
13    contain the number of the temporary registration plate and
14    the dealer identification number (DIN).
15(4)    The expiration date (month/day/year) of the
16    temporary registration plate handprinted on the permit in
17    permanent black marker.
18(5)    The control number preprinted on the permit.
19    (c)   Location of registration permit.--Except as otherwise
20 provided, a registration permit shall be affixed to the extreme
21 lower left-hand (driver side) inside corner of the rear window
22 of a vehicle with the printed information visible from the
23 outside. On trailers, motorcycles, mopeds, motor-driven cycles
24 and convertibles, the registration permit shall be carried with
25 the vehicle at all times while the vehicle is being operated on
26 the highway.]
27    Section 3.      Title 75 is amended by adding a section to read:
28 § 1310.2.      Transition from temporary registration cards, permits
29and plates.
30    The department shall take the necessary steps to end all
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1 processes regarding the issuance of temporary registration
2 cards, permits and plates and develop an expedited process for
3 issuing permanent registration cards and plates within two years
4 of the effective date of this section. The department shall
5 provide only permanent registration cards and plates as provided
6 by this title.
7    Section 4.    Sections 1314(b), 1318(a), 1331(c), (d) and (e),
8 1786(h)(3), 1928, 2307(b), 6150 and 7504.1(a), (b) and (c) of
9 Title 75 are amended to read:
10 § 1314.    Transfer of registration.
11    * * *
12    (b)     Procedure for transfer.--In order to transfer
13 registration and registration plates, the transferee shall apply
14 for [a temporary registration card in accordance with section
15 1310 (relating to temporary registration cards) and
16 simultaneously apply for] transfer of registration under this
17 section.
18    * * *
19 § 1318.    Duties of agents.
20    (a)     Verification of financial responsibility.--An agent of
21 the Department of Transportation who is authorized to issue on
22 behalf of the department a vehicle registration renewal or
23 [temporary] registration shall be required to verify financial
24 responsibility prior to issuance.
25    * * *
26 § 1331.    Issuance and reissuance of registration plates.
27    * * *
28    [(c)    Temporary registration plates.--The department shall
29 provide temporary registration plates for use on vehicles which
30 are to be removed from this Commonwealth or for use as necessary
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1 pending issuance of permanent registration plates.]
2    (d)    Reflectorizing material on plate.--All registration
3 plates[, except temporary plates,] shall be treated with
4 reflectorizing material in accordance with standards approved by
5 the department.
6    (e)    Issuance of plates by agents.--The department may
7 deliver registration plates, other than special plates, to
8 designated agents, who shall have the authority to issue them
9 [in conjunction with the issuance of temporary registration
10 cards].
11    * * *
12 § 1786.    Required financial responsibility.
13    * * *
14    (h)    Reinstatement of voluntarily surrendered registration
15 plate and card.--
16* * *
17(3)   A full agent designated by the department to issue
18    [substitute temporary] registration cards and plates
19    following a voluntary surrender of registration cards and
20    plates pursuant to regulations promulgated by the department
21    or a decentralized service agent appointed by the department
22    may be authorized to issue [substitute temporary]
23    registration plates provided proof of financial
24    responsibility and a copy of the receipt showing the original
25    registration plate and card were voluntarily surrendered are
26    furnished. The fees provided pursuant to sections 1929
27    (relating to replacement registration plates) and 1932
28    (relating to duplicate registration cards) shall not be
29    charged if the original registration plate and card were
30    canceled pursuant to paragraph (1).
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1 § 1928.    [Temporary and electronically] Electronically issued
2registration plates.
3    The fee payable by a dealer or other dispensing agent for a
4 [temporary registration plate or for a] registration plate to be
5 issued for new registration processed electronically with the
6 department shall be $14. The charge of the agent for providing
7 an applicant with a plate under this section shall not exceed a
8 total of $14.
9 § 2307.    Enforcement.
10    * * *
11    (b)    Administrative penalties.--The department and the
12 Department of State may suspend the license and recall motor
13 vehicle dealer plates and the authority to issue [temporary]
14 registrations of any member who does not pay the requisite fee
15 to the fund prior to acting as a member. The suspension and
16 recall shall remain in effect until the requisite fee is paid,
17 plus an additional 30 days.
18 § 6150.    Proportional registration not exclusive.
19    Nothing contained in this subchapter relating to proportional
20 registration of fleet vehicles shall be construed as requiring
21 any vehicle to be proportionally registered if the vehicle is
22 otherwise registered in this Commonwealth for the operation in
23 which it is engaged including, but not by way of limitation,
24 [regular] registration, [temporary registration,] or trip permit
25 or registration.
26 § 7504.1.    Agent duties and responsibilities.
27    (a)    General rule.--An agent shall faithfully abide by and
28 comply with all laws pertaining to the issuance of [temporary]
29 registration plates and cards.
30    (b)    Return or surrender of [temporary] registration cards
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1 and plates.--
2(1)   An agent who discontinues the business shall, within
3    five days of discontinuance, return to the department all
4    [temporary] registration cards and plates in the agent's
5    possession. The department shall make appropriate refunds
6    under paragraph (3).
7(2)   An agent whose contract has been terminated shall
8    surrender all registration cards and plates in the agent's
9    possession as directed by the department or its designee.
10(3)   The fee paid by an agent for a [temporary]
11    registration plate shall be refunded to the agent upon the
12    return of the plate if the plate is accompanied by the
13    appropriate form provided by the department except when the
14    contract to operate as an agent is terminated. The department
15    shall deduct $25 from the refund to cover processing of the
16    request for refund.
17    (c)    Seizure of registration plates.--Designated department
18 employees and designees of the department may seize [temporary]
19 registration plates and related documents from a messenger or
20 agent who does not have a contract with the department to
21 provide agent services.
22    * * *
23    Section 5.     Section 9024(b) of Title 75, added July 17, 2024
24 (P.L.917, No.85), is amended to read:
25 § 9024.    Electric vehicle road user charge.
26    * * *
27    (b)    New [or temporary] vehicle registration.--New [or
28 temporary] registration for an electric vehicle or plug-in
29 hybrid electric vehicle issued on or after the effective date of
30 this subsection shall be subject to the electric vehicle road
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1 user charge imposed under subsection (a). The Department of
2 Transportation shall send a form to the owner or registrant for
3 the payment of the electric vehicle road user charge for the
4 initial registration consistent with Chapter 13.
5    * * *
6    Section 6.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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