(1)Existing law establishes fees for original and renewal registration of vehicles to be collected by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Existing law requires the department, with a specified exception, to notify the registered owner of each vehicle of the date that registration renewal fees for the vehicle are due, at least 60 days prior to that due date, and to indicate the fact that the required notice was mailed by a notation in the department’s records.

This bill would, commencing on May 1, 2011, and operative until January 1, 2012, require that the department’s time period for notification that vehicle registration renewal fees are due does not apply to vehicles with registration expiring on or after July 1, 2011.

(2)Existing law prohibits a person from driving, moving, or leaving standing upon a highway, or in an offstreet public parking facility, any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole or pipe dolly, or logging dolly, unless it is registered and the appropriate fees have been paid under the Vehicle Code or registered under the permanent trailer identification program, except as specified.

This bill would require, beginning July 1, 2011, and operative until January 1, 2012, that enforcement of the above-specified provisions commence on the first day of the 2nd month following the month of expiration of the vehicle’s registration.

(3)Existing law requires that the renewal of registration for a vehicle that is either currently registered or for which a specified certification is filed be obtained not more than 75 days prior to the expiration of the current registration or certification.

This bill would, notwithstanding any other law, commencing on the date of its enactment and operative until January 1, 2012, instead apply the above-specified requirement only to the renewal of registration for any vehicle that expires on or before June 30, 2011, and would require that the renewal of registration for a vehicle that expires on or after July 1, 2011, or for which a specified certification is filed, may not be obtained until the expiration of the current registration or certification or until the department has issued a notice of renewal, whichever occurs first.

(4)Existing law requires that if an application for a registration transaction is filed with the Department of Motor Vehicles during the 30 days immediately preceding the date of expiration of registration of the vehicle, the application be accompanied by the full renewal fees for the ensuing registration year in addition to any other fees that are due and payable.

This bill would provide that, until January 1, 2012, the above-specified provisions should not apply if the expiration of the registration occurs on or after July 1, 2011.

(5)Existing law requires that a penalty be added on any application for renewal of registration made later than midnight of the date of expiration or on or after the date penalties become due and requires that the penalties and any fee be computed pursuant to a specified formula and that the penalties be collected with the fee.

This bill would require, commencing on July 1, 2011, and operative until January 1, 2012, that a penalty not be added if an application for renewal of registration, or an application for renewal of special license plates, is made within 30 days after midnight of the expiration date of the registration or the special plates.

(6)This bill would appropriate $1,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Motor Vehicles for administrative operations.

(7)The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. Governor Schwarzenegger issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 6, 2010. Governor Brown issued a proclamation on January 20, 2011, declaring and reaffirming that a fiscal emergency exists and stating that his proclamation supersedes the earlier proclamation for purpose of that constitutional provision.

This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared and reaffirmed by the Governor by proclamation issued on January 20, 2011, pursuant to the California Constitution.

(8)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.