Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND CONCERNING LOW -
SPEED VEHICLES, THE TOWING OF OCCUPIED VEHICLES,
SCHOOL BUSES, ELECTRIC COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, THE
PASSENGER REGISTRATION OF PICK -UP TRUCKS AND
REMOVABLE WINDSHIELD PLACARDS FOR PERSONS WHO ARE
BLIND AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2024) (a) (1) Except as provided
in subdivision (2) of this subsection, no person, firm or corporation shall
engage in the business of electronically filing applications for the
issuance of a certificate of registration or a certificate of title for motor
vehicles with the Department of Motor Vehicles, unless such person,
firm or corporation holds an electronic issuance license issued by the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.
(2) A motor vehicle dealer licensed in accordance with section 14-52
of the general statutes and acting pursuant to subsection (c) of section
14-12, subsection (b) of section 14-61 or section 14-61a of the general
statutes, a person, firm or corporation engaging in the business of
leasing or renting motor vehicles licensed and acting pursuant to section
14-15 of the general statutes or a contractor authorized pursuant to
subsection (b) of section 14-41 of the general statutes, may use the Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 2 of 68
department's electronic system for filing applications for the issuance of
a certificate of registration or certificate of title, as the case may be,
without obtaining an electronic issuance license.
(3) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may require any person,
firm or corporation that files, on average, five or more applications for
the issuance of a certificate of registration or a certificate of title for
motor vehicles each month with the Department of Motor Vehicles to
file such applications electronically and obtain an electronic issuance
license. Any such person, firm or corporation that fails or refuses to file
an application for such issuance electronically upon the request of the
commissioner shall pay a fee of twenty-five dollars to the commissioner
for each such application submitted.
(b) Each applicant for an electronic issuance license shall submit an
application containing such information as the commissioner may
require and pay a license fee in the amount of two hundred fifty dollars.
Each license may be renewed biennially according to renewal schedules
established by the commissioner to effect staggered renewal of such
licenses. If the adoption of a staggered system results in the expiration
of any license more or less than two years from its issuance, the
commissioner may charge a prorated amount for such license fee. Not
less than forty-five days prior to the date of expiration of each such
license, the commissioner shall send or transmit to each licensee, in a
manner determined by the commissioner, an application for renewal.
Any licensee that has not filed the application for renewal accompanied
by the license fee of two hundred fifty dollars prior to the expiration
date of such license shall no longer be permitted to use the department's
electronic system for filing applications for the issuance of a certificate
of registration or certificate of title pursuant to section 14-15d of the
general statutes, as amended by this act. An application for renewal filed
with the commissioner after the date of expiration shall be accompanied
by a late fee of one hundred dollars. The commissioner shall not renew Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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any license under this section that has been expired for more than forty-
five days.
(c) Each applicant for, or holder of, an electronic issuance license shall
furnish surety bonds in the following amounts: (1) Twenty thousand
dollars conditioned upon the applicant or holder complying with the
provisions of any state or federal law or regulation relating to the
conduct of filing applications for the issuance of a certificate of
registration or certificate of title and provided as indemnity for any loss
sustained by any customer of such licensee by reason of the licensee's
failure to comply with such laws or regulations; (2) twenty thousand
dollars provided as security for any monetary loss suffered by the
department as a result of the loss, destruction or misuse of any number
plates assigned to such licensee by the department pursuant to
subsection (f) of this section; and (3) five thousand dollars provided as
security for any monetary loss suffered by the department due to such
licensee's failure to remit registration and title fees received pursuant to
section 14-15d of the general statutes, as amended by this act. The surety
bond furnished pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be
executed in the name of the state of Connecticut for the benefit of any
aggrieved customer, but the penalty of the bond shall not be invoked
except upon order of the commissioner after a hearing before the
commissioner in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the
general statutes. The commissioner shall assess an administrative fee of
two hundred dollars against any electronic issuance licensee for failing
to provide proof of bond renewal or replacement on or before the date
of the expiration of the existing bond.
(d) The commissioner may, after notice and an opportunity for a
hearing pursuant to the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes,
refuse to issue or renew a license to a person, firm or corporation to
engage in the business of electronically filing applications for the
issuance of a certificate of registration or certificate of title for motor Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 4 of 68
vehicles with the department (1) if the applicant for, or holder of, such
a license, or an officer or major stockholder, if the applicant or licensee
is a firm or corporation, has been found liable in a civil action for, or has
been convicted of, a violation of any provision of law (A) pertaining to
the business of electronic filing applications for the issuance of a
certificate of registration or certificate of title, or (B) involving fraud,
larceny, stalking, embezzlement, bribery or deprivation or
misappropriation of property, in the courts of the United States or any
state, or (2) for any reason the commissioner reasonably deems
necessary. Upon renewal of such license, a licensee shall make full
disclosure of any such civil judgment or conviction under penalty of
false statement. Each applicant for the issuance of such license, or if the
applicant is a firm or corporation, each officer or major stockholder of
such firm or corporation, shall be fingerprinted and shall submit to state
and national criminal history records checks, conducted in accordance
with section 29-17a of the general statutes.
(e) The commissioner shall not issue or renew an electronic issuance
license unless the commissioner determines (1) the issuance or renewal
is likely to improve access to services offered by the department or
manage the number of transactions conducted at the main office or
branch office of the department and will not compromise the integrity
and security of the department's electronic system, and (2) the applicant
for such license is capable of ensuring the adequate control and proper
use of number plates and other materials to be provided by the
department pursuant to subsection (f) of this section.
(f) (1) The department shall provide each electronic issuance licensee
with an inventory of number plates and other materials to be used solely
for the registration of transactions performed pursuant to the provisions
of section 14-15d of the general statutes, as amended by this act. Such
licensee shall be responsible for all number plates assigned to such
licensee by the department. Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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(2) If a person, firm or corporation holds an electronic issuance license
that is no longer valid, or if an electronic issuance licensee is no longer
conducting its business, such person, firm or corporation or licensee
shall return to the commissioner, not later than five business days after
such license becoming invalid or the termination of such business, (A)
any number plates or other materials supplied by the commissioner to
enable such person, firm or corporation or licensee to perform the
registration of transactions pursuant to section 14-15d of the general
statutes, as amended by this act, and (B) any applications for such
transactions that were not acted upon or completed by such person, firm
or corporation or licensee when it was conducting its business. A
violation of any provision of this subdivision shall be an infraction.
(g) No electronic issuance licensee shall (1) include the words
"Department of Motor Vehicles" or "DMV" or other indication of the
department in the name of the licensee's business, or (2) act in any
manner that misleads consumers to believe that such licensee represents
or is otherwise affiliated with the department.
(h) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of subsection (f) of this
section, the commissioner may, after notice and an opportunity for a
hearing pursuant to the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes,
impose a civil penalty of not more than two thousand dollars on any
person, firm or corporation who violates any provision of this section.
Sec. 2. Section 14-15d of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
[The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may require any person, firm
or corporation, who in the opinion of the commissioner is qualified and
who is engaged in the business of filing applications for the issuance of
a certificate of registration or a certificate of title for motor vehicles with
the Department of Motor Vehicles, to file such applications
electronically if the commissioner determines that such person, firm or Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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corporation files, on average, seven or more such applications each
month. A qualified person, firm or corporation]
(a) Each electronic issuance licensee, licensed pursuant to section 1 of
this act, shall, not later than ten days after the electronic issuance of
[such] a certificate of registration or certificate of title, submit to the
[commissioner] Commissioner of Motor Vehicles an application
together with all necessary documents required to [register] obtain a
certificate of registration or certificate or title for the vehicle with the
[department. Any such person, firm or corporation that fails or refuses
to file such application electronically upon the request of the
commissioner shall pay a twenty-five-dollar fee to the commissioner for
each application submitted.] Department of Motor Vehicles. If such
licensee fails to provide the department with such necessary documents,
the department shall not process the application and shall inform such
licensee of the failure to submit a completed application.
(b) Any electronic issuance licensee who files such applications
electronically shall provide a form, as prescribed by the commissioner,
to the owner or lessee of the motor vehicle that is the subject of such
application. Such form shall include (1) the amount of any fee charged
by such licensee to file such application electronically, (2) a statement
that such licensee is not affiliated with the department, (3) information
regarding how such owner or lessee may file a complaint with the
department concerning a transaction performed pursuant to this
section, and (4) any other information prescribed by the commissioner.
Such licensee shall require such owner or lessee to acknowledge the
information contained in such form by obtaining such owner or lessee's
signature on such form.
(c) No electronic issuance licensee who files an application
electronically pursuant to this section shall charge the owner or lessee
of the motor vehicle that is the subject of any such application a fee in
excess of twenty-five dollars to file such application electronically with Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 7 of 68
the department.
(d) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the
provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) On and after January 1, 2025,
each person, firm or corporation that the Commissioner of Motor
Vehicles permitted or required prior to October 1, 2024, to file
applications for the issuance of a certificate of registration or a certificate
of title electronically with the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant
to section 14-15d of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to
January 1, 2024, or any regulation adopted thereunder, shall no longer
be permitted to use the department's electronic system for filing
applications for the issuance of a certificate of registration or a certificate
of title unless such person, firm or corporation holds an electronic
issuance license issued pursuant to section 1 of this act.
Sec. 4. Section 14-35 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
(a) Any person who in the opinion of the commissioner is qualified
may apply for a transporter's registration and number plate. The
applicant shall furnish such information as the commissioner requires
on forms to be furnished by the commissioner. All transporter
registrations issued pursuant to this section shall expire annually on the
last day of March. An application for the renewal of a transporter's
registration filed with the commissioner after the expiration date of such
registration shall be accompanied by a late fee of one hundred dollars
per number plate. The commissioner shall not renew any transporter's
registration under this section that has been expired for more than forty-
five days. Not later than January 1, 1989, the commissioner shall adopt
regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, specifically
identifying (1) the types of vehicles which may be registered under a
transporter's number plate, and (2) limitations on the use of such plate, Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 8 of 68
including the purposes for which such plate may be used.
(b) The [applicant shall] commissioner may issue to the applicant a
general distinguishing number, instead of [registering] requiring the
applicant to register each motor vehicle owned by such applicant or
temporarily in the applicant's custody. [, have issued to such applicant
by the commissioner a general distinguishing number.] Thereupon,
each motor vehicle owned by the applicant or temporarily in the
applicant's custody shall be regarded as registered under, and having
assigned to it, the distinguishing number. The commissioner shall
charge a fee at the rate of two hundred fifty dollars per annum for each
general distinguishing number.
(c) A registrant shall furnish proof of financial responsibility to the
commissioner as provided by section 14-112.
(d) Except as provided in this subsection, no registrant shall rent or
allow or cause to be rented, operate or allow or cause to be operated for
hire, use or cause to be used for the purpose of conveying passengers,
merchandise or freight for hire, or operate as a commercial vehicle with
a load, any motor vehicle registered under a transporter number plate.
The number plate shall not be loaned to any person and shall not be
used by its holder for personal purposes. The registrant who holds a
transporter number plate may operate, or cause to be operated by a bona
fide employee, motor vehicles for the purpose of transportation or
repossession of motor vehicles owned by [him] such registrant or
temporarily in [his] such registrant's custody. Such number plate may
be used for the movement on a contract or other basis of a storage or
office trailer, house trailer, modular building or similar, nonpower
trailing unit having unitized construction and to which a removable axle
assembly is attached. Any dealer in boats may use, or allow or cause to
be used, any trailer so registered for the purpose of transporting a boat
or boats, together with any necessary equipment, between a
demonstration site and [his] such dealer's established place of business. Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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(e) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (d) of this
section shall be fined not less than two hundred fifty dollars nor more
than five hundred dollars.
Sec. 5. Subsection (a) of section 14-52a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(a) The commissioner may, after notice and hearing, refuse to grant
or renew a license to a person, firm or corporation to engage in the
business of selling or repairing motor vehicles pursuant to the
provisions of section 14-52 if the applicant for, or holder of, such a
license, or an officer or major stockholder, if the applicant or licensee is
a firm or corporation, has been found liable in a civil action for odometer
fraud or operating a dealer, repairer or motor vehicle recycler business
without a license, convicted of a violation of any provision of laws
pertaining to the business of a motor vehicle dealer or repairer,
including a motor vehicle recycler, or convicted of any violation of any
provision of laws involving fraud, larceny or deprivation or
misappropriation of property, in the courts of the United States or any
state. Upon renewal of such license, a licensee shall make full disclosure
of any such civil judgment or conviction under penalty of false
statement. Each applicant for such a license shall be fingerprinted and
submit to state and national criminal history records checks, conducted
in accordance with section 29-17a. [, not more than thirty days before
such application is made and provide the results of such records checks
to the Department of Motor Vehicles.] The commissioner may require a
person, firm or corporation to submit its application electronically.
[Upon renewal of such license, a licensee shall make full disclosure of
any such civil judgment or conviction under penalty of false statement.]
Sec. 6. Section 14-67l of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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(a) Upon receiving such certificate of approval pursuant to section 14-
67i, each applicant for an issuance of a motor vehicle recycler's license
shall [present] (1) submit such certificate of approval to the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, [together with] (2) pay a fee of two
hundred eighty dollars to the commissioner for the examination of the
location or proposed location of each such motor vehicle recycler's yard
or business, [and shall] (3) pay a license fee of seven hundred five dollars
to [said] the commissioner for each motor vehicle recycler's yard or
business, and (4) submit a surety bond in the amount of twenty-five
thousand dollars.
(b) Any surety bond submitted pursuant to subsection (a) or (d) of
this section shall be conditioned upon the applicant or licensee
complying with the provisions of any state or federal law or regulation
relating to the business of operating a motor vehicle recycler's yard and
provided as indemnity for any loss sustained by any aggrieved
customer by reason of any acts of the licensee constituting grounds for
suspension or revocation of the license or such licensee going out of
business. Each surety bond shall be executed in the name of the state of
Connecticut for the benefit of any aggrieved customer, but the penalty
of the bond shall not be invoked except upon order of the commissioner
after a hearing held in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54. The
commissioner shall assess an administrative fee of two hundred dollars
against any licensee for failing to provide proof of bond renewal or
replacement on or before the date of the expiration of the existing bond.
(c) Except as provided in subsection [(b)] (e) of this section, upon
receipt of such certificate of approval, the payment of the required
[license fee] fees, the submission of such surety bond and observance of
regulations required, the commissioner may issue a license, [shall be
issued by the commissioner] provided [, however,] the commissioner
may refuse to grant a license to a person, firm or corporation to engage
in the business of operating a motor vehicle recycler's yard if the Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 11 of 68
applicant for such [business] license or an officer or major stockholder,
if the applicant is a firm or corporation, has been convicted of a violation
of any provision of laws pertaining to the business of a motor vehicle
dealer or repairer, including a motor vehicle recycler, in the courts of the
United States or of this state or any state of the United States, in
accordance with the hearing requirements provided for in section 14-
67p.
(d) Any license may be renewed on a biennial basis upon payment of
a fee of seven hundred dollars and submission of a surety bond in the
amount of twenty-five thousand dollars. Each such licensee shall,
instead of registering each motor vehicle owned by [him, make
application] the licensee, apply to the commissioner for a general
distinguishing number and mark, and the commissioner may issue to
the applicant a certificate of registration containing the distinguishing
number and mark assigned to such licensee and, thereupon, each motor
vehicle owned by such licensee shall be regarded as registered under
such general distinguishing number and mark. No licensee may be
issued more than three registrations under a general distinguishing
number and mark in a year, unless [he makes application] the licensee
applies for an additional registration to the commissioner, in such form
and containing such information as [he] the commissioner may require
to substantiate such request. The commissioner may issue to each such
licensee such additional registrations as [he] the commissioner deems
necessary. The licensee shall issue to each person driving such motor
vehicle a document indicating that such person is validly entrusted with
the vehicle, which document shall be carried in the motor vehicle. The
commissioner shall determine the form and contents of [this] such
document. For the registration of each motor vehicle under a general
distinguishing number and mark, the commissioner shall charge a fee
at the rate of seventy dollars per year. Such licensee shall furnish proof
of financial responsibility satisfactory to the commissioner, as [defined]
described in section 14-112. Such number plates may be used as Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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provided for under section 14-67n.
[(b)] (e) Each applicant for a recycler's license shall be required to
certify that, to the best of such applicant's knowledge and belief, all the
property to be used for the operation of the yard and business is in
compliance with the provisions of all applicable provisions of title 22a
and all regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Energy and
Environmental Protection pursuant to the provisions of said title. Upon
receipt of such certification and completed application, the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall notify the Commissioner of
Energy and Environmental Protection. The notification shall include a
statement of the location of the subject property and a legal description
thereof. Within forty-five days of receipt of such notification, the
Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall inform the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles if there is any reason to believe that
the property that is proposed to be licensed is not in compliance with
the above referenced statutory and regulatory requirements. If the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles is informed that there is any such
reason to believe that the subject location is not in compliance with such
requirements, said commissioner may (1) refuse to issue the license, or
(2) issue the license subject to such conditions, including, but not limited
to, the remediation of the conditions causing the suspected violation or
violations, as are acceptable to the Commissioner of Energy and
Environmental Protection.
Sec. 7. Section 14-69 of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(a) No person shall engage in the business of conducting a drivers'
school without being licensed by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.
An application for a license shall be in writing and shall contain such
information as the commissioner requires. Each applicant for a license
or the renewal of a license shall be fingerprinted before such application Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 13 of 68
is approved. The commissioner shall subject each applicant for a license
or the renewal of a license to state and national criminal history records
checks conducted in accordance with section 29-17a, and a check of the
state child abuse and neglect registry established pursuant to section
17a-101k. If any such applicant has a criminal record or is listed on the
state child abuse and neglect registry, the commissioner shall make a
determination whether to issue a license or renew a license to conduct a
drivers' school in accordance with the standards and procedures set
forth in section 14-44 and the regulations adopted pursuant to said
section. If the application is approved, the applicant shall be granted a
license upon (1) the payment of a fee of seven hundred dollars, and (2)
for each place of business operated by such drivers' school, the
submission of a surety bond in the amount of fifty thousand dollars
from a surety company authorized to do business in this state,
conditioned upon the faithful performance by the applicant of any
contract to furnish instruction. [, in such amount as the commissioner
may require.] Such surety bond shall be held by the commissioner to
satisfy any execution issued against such school in a cause arising out of
failure of such school to perform such contract. A licensee may operate
a drivers' school at an additional place of business, provided such
licensee holds a license to conduct such school at each such additional
place of business and complies with the requirements of this part and
the regulations adopted under section 14-78. For each additional place
of business of such school, the commissioner shall charge a fee of one
hundred seventy-six dollars, except if the licensee opens an additional
place of business with one year or less remaining on the term of its
license, the commissioner shall charge a fee of eighty-eight dollars for
each such additional place of business for the year, or any part thereof,
remaining on the term of such license. No license or surety bond shall
be required in the case of any board of education, or any public, private
or parochial school, which conducts a course in driver education
established in accordance with sections 14-36e and 14-36f. A license so
issued shall be valid for two years. The commissioner shall issue a Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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license certificate or certificates to each licensee, one of which shall be
displayed in each place of business of the licensee. In case of the loss,
mutilation or destruction of a license certificate, the commissioner shall
issue a duplicate license certificate to the licensee upon proof of the facts
and the payment of a fee of twenty dollars.
(b) The biennial fee for the renewal of a license shall be seven hundred
dollars and the biennial renewal fee for each additional place of business
shall be one hundred seventy-six dollars, except if the licensee opens an
additional place of business with one year or less remaining on the term
of its license, the commissioner shall charge a fee of eighty-eight dollars
for each such additional place of business for the year, or any part
thereof, remaining on the term of such license. If the commissioner has
not received a complete renewal application and all applicable renewal
fees on or before the expiration date of an applicant's license, the
commissioner shall charge such applicant, in addition to such renewal
fees, a late fee of seven hundred dollars. Upon the expiration date of a
license, the licensee shall cease to conduct business until such time as
the licensee's application for renewal is approved by the commissioner.
The commissioner shall not renew any license under this section that
has expired for more than sixty days and the holder of any such expired
license may apply for a new license in accordance with the provisions
of this section.
(c) Any person who engages in the business of conducting a drivers'
school without being licensed in accordance with this section shall be
guilty of a class B misdemeanor.
Sec. 8. Section 14-73 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
(a) (1) No person shall be employed by a drivers' school to give
instruction in driving a motor vehicle unless such person is licensed to
act as an instructor or master instructor by the commissioner. Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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(2) The drivers' school employing an instructor's licensee or a master
instructor's licensee shall be responsible for ensuring any such licensee
is in compliance with the requirements of this part and any regulations
adopted under section 14-78.
(b) Application for an instructor's license or a master instructor's
license shall be in writing and shall contain such information as the
commissioner requires. Each applicant for [a] an instructor's license or a
master instructor's license, or for any renewal thereof, shall be
fingerprinted and shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the
commissioner that such applicant: (1) Is of good moral character
considering such person's state and national criminal history records
checks conducted in accordance with section 29-17a, and record, if any,
on the state child abuse and neglect registry established pursuant to
section 17a-101k. If any applicant for a license or the renewal of a license
has a criminal record or is listed on the state child abuse and neglect
registry, the commissioner shall make a determination of whether to
issue or renew an instructor's license or master instructor's license in
accordance with the standards and procedures set forth in section 14-44
and the regulations adopted pursuant to said section; (2) has held a
license to drive a motor vehicle for the past five consecutive years and
has a driving record satisfactory to the commissioner, including no
record of a conviction or administrative license suspension for a drug or
alcohol-related offense during such five-year period; (3) has passed a
physical examination, administered not more than ninety days prior to
the date of application, by a physician, physician assistant or an
advanced practice registered nurse licensed to practice within the state
and the physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered
nurse certifies that the applicant is physically fit to operate a motor
vehicle and provide instruction in driving; (4) has received a high school
diploma or has an equivalent academic education; and (5) has
completed an instructor training course of forty-five clock hours given
by a school or agency approved by the commissioner, except that any Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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such course given by an institution under the jurisdiction of the board
of trustees of the Connecticut State University System shall be approved
by the commissioner and the State Board of Education. During the
period of licensure, an instructor shall notify the commissioner, within
forty-eight hours, of an arrest or conviction for a misdemeanor or felony,
or an arrest, conviction or administrative license suspension for a drug
or alcohol-related offense. Upon such notification, the commissioner
may suspend, revoke or withdraw the instructor's license or master
instructor's license pursuant to the provisions of section 14-79, as
amended by this act.
(c) The commissioner may deny the application of any person for an
instructor's license or a master instructor's license if the commissioner
determines that the applicant has made a material false statement or
concealed a material fact in connection with [his or her] such person's
application for the instructor's license or master instructor's license.
(d) The commissioner shall conduct such written, oral and practical
examinations, as the commissioner deems necessary, to determine
whether an applicant has sufficient skill in the operation of motor
vehicles to ensure their safe operation, a satisfactory knowledge of the
motor vehicle laws and the ability to impart such skill and knowledge
to others. If the applicant successfully completes the examinations and
meets all other requirements of this section, the commissioner shall issue
an instructor's license or a master instructor's license, as the case may
be, to such applicant. The license shall be valid for use only in
connection with a drivers' school or schools licensed pursuant to section
14-69, as amended by this act. If the applicant fails the examination, such
applicant may apply for reexamination after five days. The license and
the license renewal shall be valid for two years.
(e) The licensee shall be reexamined periodically in accordance with
standards specified in regulations adopted under section 14-78. Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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(f) The commissioner may establish, by regulations adopted in
accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, standards and procedures
for the training and licensing of master instructors who are qualified to
train driving instructors.
(g) The fee for an instructor's license, or for any renewal thereof, shall
be one hundred dollars. The fee for a master instructor's license, or for
any renewal thereof, shall be two hundred dollars. If the commissioner
has not received a complete renewal application and fee on or before the
expiration date of an applicant's license, such applicant shall be charged,
in addition to the renewal fee, a late fee in an amount equal to the fee
for such applicant's license. The commissioner shall not renew an
instructor's license or a master instructor's license that has expired for
more than sixty days and the holder of any such expired license may
apply for a new license in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(h) An instructor's licensee or a master instructor's licensee shall
prominently display or wear an identification badge issued by the
employing drivers' school at all times when providing classroom or
behind-the-wheel instruction. Such identification badge shall include
the licensee's name, photograph and license number, the expiration date
of such license and the name of the employing drivers' school. The
employing drivers' school shall be responsible for ensuring an
instructor's licensee and master instructor's licensee wears such
identification badge in accordance with the provisions of this
subsection.
[(h)] (i) Any person who is not licensed in accordance with this
section shall be guilty of a class B misdemeanor if such person: (1)
Engages in the business of providing, for compensation, instruction in
driving a motor vehicle; or (2) is employed by a drivers' school to give
instruction in driving a motor vehicle.
Sec. 9. Section 14-79 of the general statutes is repealed and the Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 18 of 68
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may, after notice and an opportunity
for a hearing, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, (1)
suspend, revoke or withdraw the license or licenses of any licensee, or
(2) impose a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars for each
violation on any person or firm, that violates any provision of this part
or any regulation adopted under section 14-78. In addition to, or in lieu
of, the imposition of any penalty authorized by this section, the
commissioner may order any such licensee, person or firm to make
restitution to any aggrieved customer.
(b) If the commissioner determines that an imminent threat to public
safety or welfare exists by reason of a licensee's continued possession of
an instructor's license or a master instructor's license, the commissioner
shall suspend, revoke or withdraw such license and schedule a hearing,
in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, not later than twenty
days after the date of such suspension, revocation or withdrawal.
Sec. 10. Section 14-103a of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024):
[Any motor vehicle that (1) has been reconstructed, (2) is composed
or assembled from the several parts of other motor vehicles, (3) the
identification and body contours of which are so altered that the vehicle
no longer bears the characteristics of any specific make of motor vehicle,
or (4)]
(a) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Altered vehicle" means a motor vehicle that has been materially
modified from its original construction by the removal, addition or
substitution of essential parts, new or used; Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 19 of 68
(2) "Composite vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is (A) composed
or assembled from several parts of other motor vehicles, (B) assembled
from a motor vehicle kit, or (C) has been altered, assembled or modified
from the original manufacturer's specifications;
(3) "Grey-market vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is manufactured
for use outside of, and imported into, the United States and is not
certified to meet motor vehicle safety standards promulgated by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or emission standards
promulgated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency at the
time the motor vehicle was manufactured;
(4) "Major component part" has the same meaning as provided in
subsection (a) of section 14-149a; and
(5) "Salvage vehicle" means a motor vehicle that has been declared a
total loss by any insurance carrier and subsequently reconstructed. [,]
(b) Any motor vehicle that the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles
deems to be an altered vehicle, composite vehicle, grey-market vehicle
or salvage vehicle shall be inspected by the commissioner to determine
whether the vehicle is properly equipped [,] and in good mechanical
condition. [and in the possession of its lawful owner.] The model year
designation for the purpose of registration of a composite motor vehicle
inspected in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be the
model year that the body of such composite motor vehicle most closely
resembles. [Such vehicle shall be presented for inspection at any
Department of Motor Vehicles office to conduct such inspection. The
commissioner may require any person presenting any such
reassembled, altered or reconstructed vehicle for inspection to provide
proof of lawful purchase of any major component parts not part of the
vehicle when first sold by the manufacturer] Any altered vehicle,
composite vehicle or grey-market vehicle shall be presented for
inspection at a location of the Department of Motor Vehicles designated Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 20 of 68
by the commissioner. Any salvage vehicle shall be presented for
inspection at any motor vehicle dealer or repairer who is licensed in
accordance with section 14-52 and authorized by the commissioner to
perform such inspection. The commissioner may require [, in
accordance with the provisions of this section,] the inspection of any
other motor vehicle that has not been manufactured by a person, firm
or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions of section 14-
67a.
(c) The commissioner may require any person presenting any altered
vehicle, composite vehicle, grey-market vehicle or salvage vehicle for
inspection to provide proof of lawful purchase of any major component
part that was not part of the vehicle when first sold by the manufacturer.
(d) The fee for any inspection required by the provisions of this
section shall be eighty-eight dollars. The inspection fee shall be in
addition to regular registration fees. [As used in this section,
"reconstructed" refers to each motor vehicle materially altered from its
original construction by the removal, addition or substitution of
essential parts, new or used.]
Sec. 11. Subsection (b) of section 14-276a of the 2024 supplement to
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective July 1, 2024):
(b) No person shall operate a school bus, as defined in section 14-275,
or a student transportation vehicle, as defined in section 14-212, for the
purpose of transporting school children unless such person has, prior to
the issuance or renewal of such person's license endorsement: (1)
Furnished evidence to the satisfaction of the commissioner that such
person meets the physical qualification standards established in 49 CFR
391, as amended from time to time; and (2) successfully completed a
course in safety training and, in the case of school bus operators, passed
an examination in proficiency in school bus operation given by the Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 21 of 68
commissioner. Such proficiency examination shall include a road test
administered in [either a type I school bus having a gross vehicle weight
exceeding ten thousand pounds or a type II school bus having a gross
vehicle weight of ten thousand pounds or less] the appropriate type of
school bus based on the public passenger endorsement that such person
seeks to hold or renew. Any person who is administered a road test in a
school bus with a gross vehicle weight rating not exceeding twenty-six
thousand pounds shall not be eligible for a license to operate a school
bus with a gross vehicle weight rating exceeding twenty-six thousand
pounds. The commissioner shall prioritize scheduling a road test for
persons seeking or renewing a public passenger endorsement to operate
a school bus. [Any operator administered a road test in a type II school
bus shall not be eligible for a license to operate a type I school bus.] Any
person who violates any provision of this subsection shall be deemed to
have committed an infraction.
Sec. 12. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2024) On and after October 1, 2024,
each commercial driver's instruction permit issued by the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles prior to October 1, 2024, that is
otherwise valid, shall remain valid, according to its terms, and shall
authorize each license holder to drive a commercial motor vehicle when
accompanied in such vehicle by the holder of a commercial driver's
license in accordance with the provisions of section 14-44e of the general
statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2024, until the expiration
of the commercial driver's instruction permit.
Sec. 13. Section 14-44c of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective
October 1, 2024):
(a) The application for a commercial driver's license or commercial
[driver's instruction] learner's permit, shall include the following:
(1) The full name and current mailing and residence address of the Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 22 of 68
person;
(2) A physical description of the person, including gender, height and
eye color;
(3) Date of birth;
(4) The applicant's Social Security number;
(5) The person's statement, under oath, that such person meets the
physical qualification standards set forth in 49 CFR 391, as amended
from time to time;
(6) The person's statement, under oath, that the type of vehicle in
which the person has taken or intends to take the driving skills test is
representative of the type of motor vehicle the person operates or
intends to operate;
(7) The person's statement, under oath, that such person is not subject
to disqualification, suspension, revocation or cancellation of operating
privileges in any state, and that he or she does not hold an operator's
license in any other state;
(8) The person's identification of all states in which such person has
been licensed to drive any type of motor vehicle during the last ten
years, and the person's statement, under oath that he or she does not
hold an operator's license in any other state; and
(9) The person's signature, and certification of the accuracy and
completeness of the application, subject to the penalties of false
statement under section 53a-157b. The application shall be accompanied
by the fee prescribed in section 14-44h.
(b) No person who has been a resident of this state for thirty days
may drive a commercial motor vehicle under the authority of a
commercial driver's license issued by another jurisdiction. Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 23 of 68
(c) At the time of application for a commercial driver's license, the
applicant shall make the applicable certification, as required by 49 CFR
383.71(b), regarding the type of commerce in which such person shall
engage. No commercial driver's license shall be issued to a person who
fails to make such certification.
(d) On and after November 18, 2024, the commissioner shall request
a driver's record from the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, in
accordance with 49 CFR 382.725, as amended from time to time, for any
person who applies for, renews, transfers or upgrades a commercial
driver's license or a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit.
The commissioner shall use information obtained from the Drug and
Alcohol Clearinghouse solely for the purpose of determining whether
such person is qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle and shall
not disclose such information to any other person or entity not directly
involved in determining whether such person is qualified to operate a
commercial motor vehicle. If the commissioner receives notification
pursuant to 49 CFR 382.501(a), as amended from time to time, that such
person is prohibited from operating a commercial motor vehicle, the
commissioner shall not issue, renew or upgrade the commercial driver's
license or commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit. If such
person currently holds a commercial driver's license or commercial
[driver's instruction] learner's permit, the commissioner shall, not later
than sixty days after the date the commissioner receives such
notification: (1) Downgrade the commercial driver's license to a Class D
operator's license, or (2) cancel the commercial [driver's instruction]
learner's permit. Any person who is denied a commercial driver's
license or a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit, or whose
license or permit is downgraded or cancelled pursuant to this
subsection, shall be granted an opportunity for a hearing in accordance
with the provisions of chapter 54.
(e) In addition to other penalties provided by law, any person who Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 24 of 68
knowingly falsifies information or certifications required under
subsection (a) of this section shall have such person's operator's license
or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state suspended for sixty
days.
Sec. 14. Subsection (h) of section 13b-118 of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(h) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall not require a
transportation network company driver to: (1) Obtain a commercial
driver's license or commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit
pursuant to section 14-44c, as amended by this act; or (2) register the
driver's transportation network company vehicle as a commercial
vehicle.
Sec. 15. Subdivision (87) of section 14-1 of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(87) "Serious traffic violation" means a conviction of any of the
following offenses: (A) Excessive speeding, involving a single offense in
which the speed is fifteen miles per hour or more above the posted
speed limit, in violation of section 14-218a or 14-219; (B) reckless driving
in violation of section 14-222; (C) following too closely in violation of
section 14-240 or 14-240a; (D) improper or erratic lane changes, in
violation of section 14-236; (E) using a hand-held mobile telephone or
other electronic device or typing, reading or sending text or a text
message with or from a mobile telephone or mobile electronic device in
violation of subsection (e) of section 14-296aa while operating a
commercial motor vehicle; (F) driving a commercial motor vehicle
without a valid commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-36a
or 14-44a, as amended by this act; (G) failure to carry a commercial
driver's license in violation of section 14-44a, as amended by this act; (H) Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 25 of 68
failure to have the proper class of license or endorsement, or violation
of a license restriction in violation of section 14-44a, as amended by this
act; or (I) a violation of any provision of chapter 248, by an operator who
holds a commercial driver's license or [instruction] learner's permit that
results in the death of another person;
Sec. 16. Subsection (a) of section 14-36l of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(a) As used in this section, "license" means a motor vehicle operator's
license, commercial driver's license or [instruction] learner's permit
issued pursuant to this chapter or an identity card issued pursuant to
section 1-1h.
Sec. 17. Subsection (b) of section 14-44a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to
(1) the holder of a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit
when accompanied in the vehicle by the holder of a commercial driver's
license, (2) any military personnel who operate commercial motor
vehicles solely in connection with their military duties, in accordance
with 49 CFR 383.3(c), or (3) any member of the Connecticut National
Guard who is qualified to operate a military or commercial motor
vehicle in accordance with 49 CFR 383.3(c) and operates such vehicle
while performing state military duty.
Sec. 18. Subsection (b) of section 14-44e of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(b) The commissioner shall not issue a commercial driver's license or
a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit to any applicant Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 26 of 68
who does not meet the physical qualification standards set forth in 49
CFR 391, as amended from time to time. As required by 49 CFR
383.71(h), each applicant for a commercial driver's license or commercial
[driver's instruction] learner's permit shall provide to the commissioner
a copy of a medical examiner's certificate, prepared by a medical
examiner, as defined in 49 CFR 390.5, indicating that such applicant is
medically certified to operate a commercial motor vehicle. For each
applicant who has submitted such medical certification and who has
also certified, in accordance with 49 CFR 383.71(b) and subsection (c) of
section 14-44c, as amended by this act, that such applicant operates in
nonexcepted interstate commerce, the commissioner shall post a
medical certification status of "certified" on the Commercial Driver's
License Information System driver record for such applicant. The holder
of a commercial driver's license who has not been examined and
certified as qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle during the
preceding twenty-four months, or a shorter period as indicated by the
medical examiner submitting such certificate, shall be required to
submit a new medical certificate. The commissioner shall not issue a
commercial driver's license or commercial [driver's instruction]
learner's permit to any applicant or holder who fails to submit the
medical certification required by this section. If the holder of a
commercial driver's license or commercial [driver's instruction]
learner's permit fails to submit a new medical examiner's certificate
before the expiration of twenty-four months or the period specified by
the medical examiner, whichever is shorter, the commissioner shall, not
later than sixty days after the date that such holder's medical status
becomes uncertified: (1) Downgrade the commercial driver's license to
a Class D operator's license; or (2) cancel the commercial [driver's
instruction] learner's permit. Any applicant or holder who is denied a
commercial driver's license or a commercial [driver's instruction]
learner's permit, or whose license or permit is disqualified, suspended,
revoked or cancelled pursuant to this subsection, shall be granted an
opportunity for a hearing in accordance with the provisions of chapter Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 27 of 68
54.
Sec. 19. Subsections (g) and (h) of section 14-44e of the general statutes
are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective
October 1, 2024):
(g) The commissioner may issue a commercial [driver's instruction]
learner's permit to any person who holds a valid operator's license. Such
permit may be issued for a period not exceeding one year. Any holder
of a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit who has not
obtained a commercial driver's license on or before the expiration date
of such permit shall be required to retake the commercial driver's license
knowledge test and any applicable endorsement knowledge tests. The
holder of a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit may,
unless otherwise disqualified or suspended, drive a commercial motor
vehicle if such holder is accompanied by the holder of a commercial
driver's license of the appropriate class and bearing endorsements for
the type of vehicle being driven who occupies a seat beside the
individual for the purpose of giving instruction in driving the
commercial motor vehicle. The commissioner shall not administer a
commercial driver's license driving skills test to any holder of a
commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit unless such person
has held such permit for a minimum period of fourteen days.
(h) (1) The commissioner shall deny or disqualify for a period of sixty
days a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit or commercial
driver's license if it is determined that an applicant or holder has
provided false information on any certification the applicant or holder
is required to give relative to such permit or license application.
(2) If an applicant or holder is suspected of fraud related to the
issuance of a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit or
commercial driver's license, such applicant or holder shall be required
to schedule the commercial driver's license knowledge test and driving Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 28 of 68
skills test not later than thirty days after notification by the
commissioner of the suspected fraud. Failure to schedule both such tests
or failure to pass both such tests shall result in disqualification of such
permit or license and the applicant or holder shall be required to reapply
for the permit or license.
(3) Any applicant or holder convicted of fraud related to the issuance
of a commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit or commercial
driver's license shall have such applicant's or holder's permit or license
disqualified for one year from the date of conviction and shall be
required to retake such tests.
Sec. 20. Subsection (b) of section 14-44i of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(b) There shall be charged for each commercial driver's license
knowledge test a fee of sixteen dollars. There shall be charged for each
commercial driver's license skills test a fee of thirty dollars. There shall
be charged for each commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit a
fee of twenty dollars.
Sec. 21. Subsection (h) of section 14-44k of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(h) A person is disqualified for life if such person commits two or
more of the offenses specified in subsection (b) of this section, or if such
person is the subject of two or more findings by the commissioner under
subsection (c) of this section, or any combination of those offenses or
findings, arising from two or more separate incidents. A person is
disqualified for life if the commissioner takes suspension actions against
such person for two or more alcohol test refusals or test failures, or any
combination of such actions, arising from two or more separate Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 29 of 68
incidents. Any person disqualified for life, except a person disqualified
under subsection (g) of this section, who has both voluntarily enrolled
in and successfully completed an appropriate rehabilitation program, as
determined by the commissioner, may apply for reinstatement of such
person's commercial driver's license or commercial [driver's instruction]
learner's permit, provided any such applicant shall not be eligible for
reinstatement until such time as such person has served a minimum
disqualification period of ten years. An application for reinstatement
shall be accompanied by documentation satisfactory to the
commissioner that such person has both voluntarily enrolled in and
successfully completed a program established and operated by the
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services pursuant to
chapter 319j, a program operated through a substance abuse treatment
facility licensed in accordance with section 19a-491 or the equivalent of
either program offered in another state. The commissioner shall not
reinstate a commercial driver's license or commercial [driver's
instruction] learner's permit that was disqualified for life unless an
applicant for reinstatement requests an administrative hearing in
accordance with chapter 54, and offers evidence that the reinstatement
of such applicant's commercial driver's license or commercial [driver's
instruction] learner's permit does not endanger the public safety or
welfare. Such evidence shall include, but not be limited to, proof that
such applicant has not been convicted of any offense involving alcohol,
a controlled substance or a drug during a period of ten years following
the date of such applicant's most recent lifetime disqualification. If a
person whose commercial driver's license or commercial [driver's
instruction] learner's permit is reinstated under this subsection is
subsequently convicted of another disqualifying offense, such person
shall be permanently disqualified for life and shall be ineligible to
reapply for a reduction of the lifetime disqualification. The following
shall remain on the driving history record of a commercial motor vehicle
operator or commercial driver's license or commercial [driver's
instruction] learner's permit holder for a period of fifty-five years, as Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 30 of 68
required by 49 CFR Part 384, as amended from time to time: (1) Any
offense specified in subsection (b) or (c) of this section, provided such
offense occurred on or after December 29, 2006; (2) each of two or more
offenses specified in subsection (b) or (c) of this section that occur within
ten years of each other and result in a lifetime disqualification,
regardless of when such offenses occur; (3) any conviction under
subsection (g) of this section for using a motor vehicle in the commission
of a felony involving the manufacture, distribution or dispensing of a
controlled substance, committed on or after January 1, 2005.
Sec. 22. Subsection (k) of section 14-44k of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(k) After taking disqualification action, or suspending, revoking or
cancelling a commercial driver's license or commercial [driver's
instruction] learner's permit, the commissioner shall update the
commissioner's records to reflect such action within ten days. After
taking disqualification action, or suspending, revoking or cancelling the
operating privileges of a commercial motor vehicle operator or a
commercial driver who is licensed or holds a commercial [driver's
instruction] learner's permit in another state, the commissioner shall
notify the licensing state of such action within ten days. Such
notification shall identify the violation that caused such disqualification,
suspension, cancellation or revocation.
Sec. 23. Subsection (a) of section 17a-696 of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(a) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person
charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g or 14-227m,
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n or section 53a-
56b or 53a-60d or with a class A, B or C felony or to any person who was Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 31 of 68
twice previously ordered treated under this section, subsection (i) of
section 17-155y, section 19a-386 or section 21a-284 of the general statutes
revised to 1989, or any combination thereof. The court may waive the
ineligibility provisions of this subsection for any person, except that the
court shall not waive the ineligibility provisions of this subsection for
any person charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g, 53a-56b
or 53a-60d if, at the time of the offense, such person was operating a
commercial vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, as amended by this act,
or held a commercial driver's license or a commercial [driver's
instruction] learner's permit.
Sec. 24. Subsection (a) of section 17b-137a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(a) The Social Security number of the applicant shall be recorded on
each (1) application for a license, certification or permit to engage in a
profession or occupation regulated pursuant to the provisions of title
19a, 20 or 21; (2) application for a commercial driver's license or
commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit completed pursuant
to subsection (a) of section 14-44c, as amended by this act; and (3)
application for a marriage license made under section 46b-25.
Sec. 25. Subsection (c) of section 54-56e of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(c) This section shall not be applicable: (1) To any person charged
with (A) a class A felony, (B) a class B felony, except a violation of
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 53a-122 that does not
involve the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force
against another person, or a violation of subdivision (3) of subsection (a)
of section 53a-122 that does not involve the use, attempted use or
threatened use of physical force against another person and does not Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 32 of 68
involve a violation by a person who is a public official, as defined in
section 1-110, or a state or municipal employee, as defined in section 1-
110, or (C) a violation of section 53a-70b of the general statutes, revision
of 1958, revised to January 1, 2019, or section 14-227a or 14-227m,
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n, subdivision (2)
of subsection (a) of section 53-21 or section 53a-56b, 53a-60d, 53a-70, 53a-
70a, 53a-71, except as provided in subdivision (5) of this subsection, 53a-
72a, 53a-72b, 53a-90a, 53a-196e or 53a-196f, (2) to any person charged
with a crime or motor vehicle violation who, as a result of the
commission of such crime or motor vehicle violation, causes the death
of another person, (3) to any person accused of a family violence crime
as defined in section 46b-38a who (A) is eligible for the pretrial family
violence education program established under section 46b-38c, or (B)
has previously had the pretrial family violence education program
invoked in such person's behalf, (4) to any person charged with a
violation of section 21a-267, 21a-279 or 21a-279a, who (A) is eligible for
the pretrial drug education and community service program established
under section 54-56i or the pretrial drug intervention and community
service program established under section 54-56q, or (B) has previously
had (i) the pretrial drug education program, (ii) the pretrial drug
education and community service program established under the
provisions of section 54-56i, or (iii) the pretrial drug intervention and
community service program established under section 54-56q, invoked
on such person's behalf, (5) unless good cause is shown, to (A) any
person charged with a class C felony, or (B) any person charged with
committing a violation of subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 53a-
71 while such person was less than four years older than the other
person, (6) to any person charged with a violation of section 9-359 or 9-
359a, (7) to any person charged with a motor vehicle violation (A) while
operating a commercial motor vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, as
amended by this act, or (B) who holds a commercial driver's license or
commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit at the time of the
violation, (8) to any person charged with a violation of subdivision (6) Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 33 of 68
of subsection (a) of section 53a-60, (9) to a health care provider or vendor
participating in the state's Medicaid program charged with a violation
of section 53a-122 or subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 53a-123,
or (10) to any person charged with a violation of section 15-132a, [15,133]
15-133 or 15-140n.
Sec. 26. Subsection (h) of section 54-56g of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(h) The provisions of this section shall not be applicable in the case of
any person charged with a violation of section 14-227a or 14-227m or
subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-227n (1) while
operating a commercial motor vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, as
amended by this act, or (2) who holds a commercial driver's license or
commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit at the time of the
violation.
Sec. 27. Subsection (b) of section 54-56p of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(b) This section shall not be applicable to any person (1) who, at the
time of the motor vehicle violation, holds a commercial driver's license
or commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit or is operating a
commercial motor vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, as amended by this
act, or (2) charged with a motor vehicle violation causing serious injury
or death, a motor vehicle violation classified as a felony unless good
cause is shown, or a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g or 14-296aa.
Sec. 28. Subsection (a) of section 54-56r of the 2024 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
(a) (1) There is established a pretrial impaired driving intervention Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 34 of 68
program for persons charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-
227g, 14-227m, 14-227n, subsection (d) of section 15-133 or section 15-
140n. The program shall consist of a twelve-session alcohol education
component or a substance use treatment component of not less than
fifteen sessions, and may also include a victim impact component, as
ordered by the court pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.
(2) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person:
(A) Who has been placed in the pretrial impaired driving intervention
program under this section or the pretrial alcohol education program
established under section 54-56g, as amended by this act, within ten
years immediately preceding the application;
(B) Who has been convicted of a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g,
14-227m, 14-227n, 15-132a, subsection (d) of section 15-133 or section 15-
140l, 15-140n, 53a-56b or 53a-60d;
(C) Who has been convicted in any other state at any time of an
offense the essential elements of which are substantially the same as any
statutory provision set forth in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision;
(D) Who is charged with a violation of section 14-227a, 14-227g, 14-
227m or 14-227n (i) and held a commercial driver's license or
commercial [driver's instruction] learner's permit at the time of the
violation; or (ii) while operating a commercial motor vehicle, as defined
in section 14-1, as amended by this act; or
(3) Whose alleged violation caused the serious physical injury, as
defined in section 53a-3, of another person, unless good cause is shown.
Sec. 29. Subsection (b) of section 14-212e of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1,
2024): Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 35 of 68
(b) The council shall be comprised of the following members: The
Commissioners of Transportation, [Public Safety] Emergency Services
and Public Protection and Motor Vehicles, or their designees; the
president of the Connecticut Employees Union Independent, or such
person's designee; the president of the Connecticut State Police Union,
or such person's designee; and a representative of the Connecticut
Construction Industries Association, designated by the president of said
association. Appointees should be persons with knowledge and
experience concerning highway work zones. Appointments to the
council shall be made not later than November 1, 2008. The chairperson
of the council shall be appointed by the Governor and shall convene the
first meeting of the council not later than December 1, 2008.
Sec. 30. Subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 14-10 of the general
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof
(Effective October 1, 2024):
(2) "Motor vehicle record" means any record that pertains to an
operator's license, instruction or learner's permit, identity card,
registration, certificate of title or any other document issued by the
Department of Motor Vehicles. "Motor vehicle record" does not include
any record relating to vessels and certificates of title for vessels, as
provided in section 15-210;
Sec. 31. Subsection (c) of section 14-36d of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(c) The commissioner may issue, renew or duplicate a license, an
instruction or learner's permit or an identity card pursuant to this title
or section 1-1h by any method that the commissioner deems to be secure
and efficient. If the commissioner determines that an applicant has met
all conditions for such issuance, renewal or duplication, the
commissioner may require that such license, instruction or learner's Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 36 of 68
permit or identity card be produced at a centralized location and mailed
to the applicant. The commissioner may issue a temporary license,
instruction or learner's permit or identity card for use by the applicant
for the period prior to the applicant's receipt of the permanent license,
instruction or learner's permit or identity card. Such temporary license,
instruction or learner's permit or identity card shall not be required to
contain a photograph or digital image of the applicant as specified in
subdivision (8) of subsection (a) of section 14-36h. Such temporary
license, instruction or learner's permit or identity card shall have an
expiration date not later than thirty days after the date of issuance and
shall remain valid until the earlier of such expiration date or the date the
applicant receives such license, instruction or learner's permit or
identity card.
Sec. 32. Subsection (a) of section 14-42a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(a) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and the Commissioner of
Administrative Services shall enter into an agreement with one or more
federally designated organ and tissue procurement organizations to
provide to such organizations access to the names, dates of birth and
other pertinent information of holders of operator's licenses, instruction
or learner's permits and identity cards issued pursuant to section 1-1h
who have registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles an intent
to become organ and tissue donors. Such access shall be provided in a
manner and form to be determined by the commissioners, following
consultation with such organizations, and may include electronic
transmission of initial information and periodic updating of
information. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall not charge a fee
for such access pursuant to section 14-50a, but may charge such
organizations reasonable administrative costs. Information provided to
such organizations shall be used solely for identifying such holders as Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 37 of 68
organ and tissue donors.
Sec. 33. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2024) (a) A person may operate a
low-speed vehicle on a highway with an established speed limit of not
more than twenty-five miles per hour, unless the traffic authority of any
town, city or borough or the Office of State Traffic Administration, as
provided in section 14-298 of the general statutes, prohibits or otherwise
limits the operation of low-speed vehicles on any highway under the
jurisdiction of such traffic authority or office.
(b) No person may operate a low-speed vehicle unless such vehicle is
equipped in accordance with the requirements of sections 14-80 to 14-
106b, inclusive, of the general statutes, except insofar as any
requirement of said sections is inapplicable to or inconsistent with the
design and equipment standards for low-speed vehicles as required by
49 CFR 571.500, as amended from time to time.
(c) Any person who operates a low-speed vehicle in violation of any
provision of this section shall have committed an infraction.
Sec. 34. Subsection (f) of section 14-12 of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(f) (1) The commissioner may refuse to register or issue a certificate
of title for a motor vehicle or class of motor vehicles if the commissioner
determines that the characteristics of the motor vehicle or class of motor
vehicles make it unsafe for highway operation. The commissioner may
adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to
implement the provisions of this subsection and the provisions of
subsection (h) of this section.
(2) The commissioner shall not register a motor vehicle if the
commissioner knows that the motor vehicle's equipment fails to comply
with the provisions of this chapter, provided nothing contained in this Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 38 of 68
section shall preclude the commissioner from issuing one or more
temporary registrations for a motor vehicle not previously registered in
this state or from issuing a temporary registration for a motor vehicle
under a trade name without a certified copy of the notice required by
section 35-1.
(3) The commissioner shall not register any motor vehicle, except a
platform truck the motive power of which is electricity, or a tractor
equipped with solid tires, if it is not equipped with lighting devices as
prescribed by this chapter. The registration of any motor vehicle which
is not equipped with such prescribed lighting devices is void and money
paid for the registration shall be forfeited to the state. Nothing in this
subdivision shall prevent the commissioner, at the commissioner's
discretion, from registering a motor vehicle not equipped with certain
lighting devices if the operation of the vehicle is restricted to daylight
use.
(4) The commissioner shall not register any motor vehicle or a
combination of a motor vehicle and a trailer or semitrailer that exceeds
the limits specified in section 14-267a.
(5) No motor vehicle registration shall be issued by the commissioner
for any motorcycle unless the application for registration is
accompanied by sufficient proof, as determined by the commissioner,
that the motorcycle is insured for the amounts required by section 14-
289f.
(6) The commissioner shall not register any motor vehicle which is
subject to the federal heavy vehicle use tax imposed under Section 4481
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or any subsequent corresponding
internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time
amended, if the applicant fails to furnish proof of payment of such tax,
in a form prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United
States. Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 39 of 68
(7) The commissioner shall not issue a certificate of title for a
homemade low-speed vehicle or a golf cart that has been retrofitted
from the original manufacturer's specifications in an attempt to qualify
as a low-speed vehicle.
Sec. 35. Section 14-1 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
Terms used in this chapter shall be construed as follows, unless
another construction is clearly apparent from the language or context in
which the term is used or unless the construction is inconsistent with
the manifest intention of the General Assembly:
(1) "Activity vehicle" means a student transportation vehicle that is
used to transport students in connection with school-sponsored events
and activities, but is not used to transport students to and from school;
(2) "Agricultural tractor" means a tractor or other form of
nonmuscular motive power used for transporting, hauling, plowing,
cultivating, planting, harvesting, reaping or other agricultural purposes
on any farm or other private property, or used for the purpose of
transporting, from one farm to another, agricultural implements and
farm products, provided the agricultural tractor is not used on any
highway for transporting a pay load or for some other commercial
purpose;
(3) "Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" means a motor
vehicle twenty years old or older which is being preserved because of
historic interest and which is not altered or modified from the original
manufacturer's specifications;
(4) "Apparent candle power" means an illumination equal to the
normal illumination in foot candles produced by any lamp or lamps,
divided by the square of the distance in feet between the lamp or lamps
and the point at which the measurement is made; Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 40 of 68
(5) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means (A) a fire department
vehicle, (B) a police vehicle, or (C) an authorized emergency medical
services vehicle, as defined in section 19a-175;
(6) "Autocycle" means a motor vehicle that meets the requirements of
a motorcycle under 49 CFR Part 571, and (A) does not have more than
three wheels in contact with the ground, (B) is designed to be controlled
with a steering mechanism and foot pedals for acceleration, braking or
shifting, (C) has a seat or seats that are fully or partially enclosed and in
which the occupants sit with their legs forward, and (D) is equipped
with safety belts, in accordance with section 14-100a, for all occupants;
(7) "Auxiliary driving lamp" means an additional lighting device on
a motor vehicle used primarily to supplement the general illumination
in front of a motor vehicle provided by the motor vehicle's head lamps;
(8) "Bulb" means a light source consisting of a glass bulb containing a
filament or substance capable of being electrically maintained at
incandescence;
(9) "Camp trailer" includes any trailer designed for living or sleeping
purposes and used exclusively for camping or recreational purposes;
(10) "Camp trailer registration" means the type of registration issued
to any trailer that is for nonbusiness use and is limited to camp trailers
and utility trailers;
(11) "Camp vehicle" means any motor vehicle that is regularly used
to transport persons under eighteen years of age in connection with the
activities of any youth camp, as defined in section 19a-420;
(12) "Camper" means any motor vehicle designed or permanently
altered in such a way as to provide temporary living quarters for travel,
camping or recreational purposes; Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 41 of 68
(13) "Class 1 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with
a motor that engages only when the rider operates the electric bicycle's
foot pedals, and disengages when the rider stops pedaling or such
electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour;
(14) "Class 2 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with
a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the electric bicycle, and
disengages when the brakes are applied or such electric bicycle reaches
the speed of twenty miles per hour;
(15) "Class 3 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with
a motor that engages only when the rider operates the electric bicycle's
foot pedals, and disengages when the rider stops pedaling or such
electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty-eight miles per hour;
(16) "Combination registration" means the type of registration issued
to a motor vehicle used for both private passenger and commercial
purposes if such vehicle does not have a gross vehicle weight rating in
excess of twelve thousand five hundred pounds;
(17) "Commercial driver's license" or "CDL" means a license issued to
an individual in accordance with the provisions of sections 14-44a to 14-
44m, inclusive, as amended by this act, which authorizes such
individual to drive a commercial motor vehicle;
(18) "Commercial driver's license information system" or "CDLIS"
means the national database of holders of commercial driver's licenses
established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
pursuant to Section 12007 of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act
of 1986;
(19) "Commercial motor vehicle" means a vehicle designed or used to
transport passengers or property, except a vehicle used for farming
purposes in accordance with 49 CFR 383.3(d), fire fighting apparatus or
an emergency vehicle, as defined in section 14-283, or a recreational Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 42 of 68
vehicle in private use, which (A) has a gross vehicle weight rating of
twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, or a gross combination
weight rating of twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, inclusive
of a towed unit or units with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than
ten thousand pounds; (B) is designed to transport sixteen or more
passengers, including the driver, or is designed to transport more than
ten passengers, including the driver, and is used to transport students
under the age of twenty-one years to and from school; or (C) is
transporting hazardous materials and is required to be placarded in
accordance with 49 CFR 172, Subpart F, as amended, or any quantity of
a material listed as a select agent or toxin in 42 CFR Part 73;
(20) "Commercial registration" means the type of registration
required for any motor vehicle designed or used to transport
merchandise, freight or persons in connection with any business
enterprise, unless a more specific type of registration is authorized and
issued by the commissioner for such class of vehicle;
(21) "Commercial trailer" means a trailer used in the conduct of a
business to transport freight, materials or equipment whether or not
permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer;
(22) "Commercial trailer registration" means the type of registration
issued to any commercial trailer;
(23) "Commissioner" includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles
and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is
designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner
of Motor Vehicles under a designation; except that the deputy
commissioners of motor vehicles and the Attorney General are deemed,
unless the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles otherwise provides, to be
designated and authorized by, and acting for, the Commissioner of
Motor Vehicles under a designation; Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 43 of 68
(24) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as provided in
section 21a-240 and the federal laws and regulations incorporated in
chapter 420b;
(25) "Conviction" means an unvacated adjudication of guilt, or a
determination that a person has violated or failed to comply with the
law in a court of original jurisdiction or an authorized administrative
tribunal, an unvacated forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure
the person's appearance in court, the payment of a fine or court cost, or
violation of a condition of release without bail, regardless of whether or
not the penalty is rebated, suspended or probated;
(26) "Dealer" includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling
or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of
business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair
motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his
or her employ;
(27) "Disqualification" means a withdrawal of the privilege to drive a
commercial motor vehicle, which occurs as a result of (A) any
suspension, revocation, or cancellation by the commissioner of the
privilege to operate a motor vehicle; (B) a determination by the Federal
Highway Administration, under the rules of practice for motor carrier
safety contained in 49 CFR 386, as amended from time to time, that a
person is no longer qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle
under the standards set forth in 49 CFR 391, as amended from time to
time; or (C) the loss of qualification which follows any of the convictions
or administrative actions specified in section 14-44k, as amended by this
act;
(28) "Drive" means to drive, operate or be in physical control of a
motor vehicle, including a motor vehicle being towed by another;
(29) "Driver" means any person who drives, operates or is in physical Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 44 of 68
control of a commercial motor vehicle, or who is required to hold a
commercial driver's license;
(30) "Driver's license" or "operator's license" means a valid
Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license or a license issued by
another state or foreign jurisdiction authorizing the holder thereof to
operate a motor vehicle on the highways;
(31) "Electric bicycle" means a bicycle equipped with operable foot
pedals and an electric motor of fewer than seven hundred fifty watts of
power that is either a class 1, class 2 or class 3 bicycle. "Electric bicycle"
does not include a dirt bike or an all-terrain vehicle;
(32) "Electric foot scooter" means a device (A) that weighs not more
than seventy-five pounds, (B) that has two or three wheels, handlebars
and a floorboard that can be stood upon while riding, (C) that is
powered by an electric motor and human power, and (D) whose
maximum speed, with or without human propulsion on a paved level
surface, is not more than twenty miles per hour;
(33) "Employee" means any operator of a commercial motor vehicle,
including full-time, regularly employed drivers, casual, intermittent or
occasional drivers, drivers under contract and independent owner-
operator contractors, who, while in the course of operating a commercial
motor vehicle, are either directly employed by, or are under contract to,
an employer;
(34) "Employer" means any person, including the United States, a
state or any political subdivision thereof, who owns or leases a
commercial motor vehicle, or assigns a person to drive a commercial
motor vehicle;
(35) "Farm implement" means a vehicle designed and adapted
exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock-raising operations
and which is not operated on a highway for transporting a pay load or Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 45 of 68
for any other commercial purpose;
(36) "Felony" means any offense, as defined in section 53a-25 and
includes any offense designated as a felony under federal law;
(37) "Fatality" means the death of a person as a result of a motor
vehicle accident;
(38) "Foreign jurisdiction" means any jurisdiction other than a state of
the United States;
(39) "Fuels" means (A) all products commonly or commercially
known or sold as gasoline, including casinghead and absorption or
natural gasoline, regardless of their classification or uses, (B) any liquid
prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and
commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, which,
when subjected to distillation in accordance with the standard method
of test for distillation of gasoline, naphtha, kerosene and similar
petroleum products by "American Society for Testing Materials Method
D-86", shows not less than ten per cent distilled (recovered) below 347°
Fahrenheit (175° Centigrade) and not less than ninety-five per cent
distilled (recovered) below 464° Fahrenheit (240° Centigrade); provided
the term "fuels" does not include commercial solvents or naphthas
which distill, by "American Society for Testing Materials Method D-86",
not more than nine per cent at 176° Fahrenheit and which have a
distillation range of 150° Fahrenheit, or less, or liquefied gases which
would not exist as liquids at a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit and a
pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute, and (C) any liquid
commonly referred to as "gasohol" which is prepared, advertised,
offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and commercially used, as
a fuel in internal combustion engines, consisting of a blend of gasoline
and a minimum of ten per cent by volume of ethyl or methyl alcohol;
(40) "Garage" includes every place of business where motor vehicles Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 46 of 68
are, for compensation, received for housing, storage or repair;
(41) "Gross vehicle weight rating" or "GVWR" means the value
specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a
single or a combination (articulated) vehicle. The GVWR of a
combination (articulated) vehicle commonly referred to as the "gross
combination weight rating" or GCWR is the GVWR of the power unit
plus the GVWR of the towed unit or units;
(42) "Gross weight" means the light weight of a vehicle plus the
weight of any load on the vehicle, provided, in the case of a tractor-
trailer unit, "gross weight" means the light weight of the tractor plus the
light weight of the trailer or semitrailer plus the weight of the load on
the vehicle;
(43) "Hazardous materials" has the same meaning as provided in 49
CFR 383.5;
(44) "Head lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the front of a
motor vehicle projecting a high intensity beam which lights the road in
front of the vehicle so that it can proceed safely during the hours of
darkness;
(45) "High-mileage vehicle" means a motor vehicle having the
following characteristics: (A) Not less than three wheels in contact with
the ground; (B) a completely enclosed seat on which the driver sits; (C)
a single or two cylinder, gasoline or diesel engine or an electric-powered
engine; and (D) efficient fuel consumption;
(46) "Highway" includes any state or other public highway, road,
street, avenue, alley, driveway, parkway, place or dedicated roadway
for bus rapid transit service, under the control of the state or any
political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to
public travel or other use; Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 47 of 68
(47) "Imminent hazard" means the existence of a condition that
presents a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, severe
personal injury or a substantial endangerment to health, property, or the
environment may occur before the reasonably foreseeable completion
date of a formal proceeding begun to lessen the risk of that death, illness,
injury or endangerment;
(48) "Intersecting highway" includes any public highway which joins
another at an angle whether or not it crosses the other;
(49) "Light weight" means the weight of an unloaded motor vehicle
as ordinarily equipped and ready for use, exclusive of the weight of the
operator of the motor vehicle;
(50) "Limited access highway" means a state highway so designated
under the provisions of section 13b-27;
(51) "Local authorities" includes the board of aldermen, common
council, chief of police, warden and burgesses, board of selectmen or
other officials having authority for the enactment or enforcement of
traffic regulations within their respective towns, cities or boroughs;
(52) "Low-speed vehicle" has the same meaning as provided in 49
CFR 571.3, as amended from time to time;
[(52)] (53) "Maintenance vehicle" means any vehicle in use by the state
or by any town, city, borough or district, any state bridge or parkway
authority or any public service company, as defined in section 16-1, in
the maintenance of public highways or bridges and facilities located
within the limits of public highways or bridges;
[(53)] (54) "Manufacturer" means (A) a person, whether a resident or
nonresident, engaged in the business of constructing or assembling new
motor vehicles of a type required to be registered by the commissioner,
for operation upon any highway, except a utility trailer, which are Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 48 of 68
offered for sale in this state, or (B) a person who distributes new motor
vehicles to new car dealers licensed in this state;
[(54)] (55) "Median divider" means an intervening space or physical
barrier or clearly indicated dividing section separating traffic lanes
provided for vehicles proceeding in opposite directions;
[(55)] (56) "Modified antique motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle
twenty years old or older which has been modified for safe road use,
including, but not limited to, modifications to the drive train,
suspension, braking system and safety or comfort apparatus;
[(56)] (57) "Motor bus" includes any motor vehicle, except a taxicab,
as defined in section 13b-95, operated in whole or in part on any street
or highway in a manner affording a means of transportation by
indiscriminately receiving or discharging passengers, or running on a
regular route or over any portion of a regular route or between fixed
termini;
[(57)] (58) "Motor home" means a vehicular unit designed to provide
living quarters and necessary amenities which are built into an integral
part of, or permanently attached to, a truck or van chassis;
[(58)] (59) "Motor-driven cycle" means any of the following vehicles
that have a seat height of not less than twenty-six inches and a motor
having a capacity of less than fifty cubic centimeters piston
displacement: (A) A motorcycle, other than an autocycle; (B) a motor
scooter; or (C) a bicycle with attached motor, except an electric bicycle;
[(59)] (60) "Motor vehicle" means any vehicle propelled or drawn by
any nonmuscular power, [except] including a low-speed vehicle. "Motor
vehicle" does not include aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage
trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities,
electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with
physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 49 of 68
carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one
part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on
roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state
employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run
only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and
lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were
designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour,
whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment,
motor-driven cycles, as defined in section 14-286, special mobile
equipment, as defined in section 14-165, mini-motorcycles, as defined in
section 14-289j, electric bicycles, electric foot scooters and any other
vehicle not suitable for operation on a highway;
[(60)] (61) "Motorcycle" means (A) an autocycle, as defined in this
section, or (B) a motor vehicle, with or without a side car, that has (i) not
more than three wheels in contact with the ground, (ii) a saddle or seat
which the rider straddles or a platform on which the rider stands, and
(iii) handlebars with which the rider controls the movement of the
vehicle. "Motorcycle" does not include a motor-driven cycle, an electric
bicycle or an electric foot scooter;
[(61)] (62) "National Driver Registry" or "NDR" means the licensing
information system and database operated by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration and established pursuant to the National
Driver Registry Act of 1982, as amended;
[(62)] (63) "New motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle, the equitable
or legal title to which has never been transferred by a manufacturer,
distributor or dealer to an ultimate consumer;
[(63)] (64) "Nonresident" means any person whose legal residence is
in a state other than Connecticut or in a foreign country;
[(64)] (65) "Nonresident commercial driver's license" or "nonresident Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 50 of 68
CDL" means a commercial driver's license issued by a state to an
individual who resides in a foreign jurisdiction;
[(65)] (66) "Nonskid device" means any device applied to the tires,
wheels, axles or frame of a motor vehicle for the purpose of increasing
the traction of the motor vehicle;
[(66)] (67) "Number plate" means any sign or marker furnished by the
commissioner on which is displayed the registration number assigned
to a motor vehicle by the commissioner;
[(67)] (68) "Officer" includes any constable, state marshal, inspector of
motor vehicles, state policeman or other official authorized to make
arrests or to serve process, provided the officer is in uniform or displays
the officer's badge of office in a conspicuous place when making an
arrest;
[(68)] (69) "Operator" means any person who operates a motor vehicle
or who steers or directs the course of a motor vehicle being towed by
another motor vehicle and includes a driver;
[(69)] (70) "Out-of-service order" means an order (A) issued by a
person having inspection authority, as defined in regulations adopted
by the commissioner pursuant to section 14-163c, or by an authorized
official of the United States Department of Transportation Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration pursuant to any provision of
federal law, to prohibit any motor vehicle specified in subsection (a) of
section 14-163c from being operated on any highway, or to prohibit a
driver from operating any such motor vehicle, or (B) issued by the
United States Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration, pursuant to any provision of federal law, to
prohibit any motor carrier, as defined in Section 386.2 of Title 49 of the
Code of Federal Regulations, from engaging in commercial motor
vehicle operations; Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 51 of 68
[(70)] (71) "Owner" means any person holding title to a motor vehicle,
or having the legal right to register the same, including purchasers
under conditional bills of sale;
[(71)] (72) "Parked vehicle" means a motor vehicle in a stationary
position within the limits of a public highway;
[(72)] (73) "Passenger and commercial motor vehicle" means a motor
vehicle used for private passenger and commercial purposes which is
eligible for combination registration;
[(73)] (74) "Passenger motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle used for
the private transportation of persons and their personal belongings,
designed to carry occupants in comfort and safety, with a capacity of
carrying not more than ten passengers including the operator thereof;
[(74)] (75) "Passenger registration" means the type of registration
issued to a passenger motor vehicle unless a more specific type of
registration is authorized and issued by the commissioner for such class
of vehicle;
[(75)] (76) "Person" includes any individual, corporation, limited
liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business
trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state
or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or
requires;
[(76)] (77) "Pick-up truck" means a motor vehicle with an enclosed
forward passenger compartment and an open rearward compartment
used for the transportation of property;
[(77)] (78) "Pneumatic tires" means tires inflated or inflatable with air;
[(78)] (79) "Pole trailer" means a trailer which is (A) intended for
transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, logs, pipes Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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or structural members, which loads are capable of sustaining
themselves as beams between supporting connections, and (B) designed
to be drawn by a motor vehicle and attached or secured directly to the
motor vehicle by any means including a reach, pole or boom;
[(79)] (80) "Public passenger endorsement" means an endorsement
issued to an individual, which authorizes such individual to transport
passengers, including, but not limited to, passengers who are students
in accordance with subsection (b) or (c) of section 14-36a;
[(80)] (81) "Recreational vehicle" includes the camper, camp trailer
and motor home classes of vehicles;
[(81)] (82) "Registration" includes the certificate of motor vehicle
registration and the number plate or plates used in connection with such
registration;
[(82)] (83) "Registration number" means the identifying number or
letters, or both, assigned by the commissioner to a motor vehicle;
[(83)] (84) "Resident", for the purpose of registering motor vehicles,
includes any person who is a legal resident of this state, as the
commissioner may presume from the fact that such person occupies a
place of dwelling in this state for more than six months in a year, or any
person, firm or corporation owning or leasing a motor vehicle used or
operated in intrastate business in this state, or a firm or corporation
having its principal office or place of business in this state;
[(84)] (85) "School bus" means any school bus, as defined in section
14-275, including a commercial motor vehicle used to transport
preschool, elementary school or secondary school students from home
to school, from school to home, or to and from school-sponsored events,
but does not include a bus used as a common carrier;
[(85)] (86) "Second" violation or "subsequent" violation means an Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 53 of 68
offense committed not more than three years after the date of an arrest
which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same
statutory provision, except in the case of a violation of section 14-215,
14-224, 14-227a or 14-227m, "second" violation or "subsequent" violation
means an offense committed not more than ten years after the date of an
arrest which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same
statutory provision;
[(86)] (87) "Semitrailer" means any trailer type vehicle designed and
used in conjunction with a motor vehicle so that some part of its own
weight and load rests on or is carried by another vehicle;
[(87)] (88) "Serious traffic violation" means a conviction of any of the
following offenses: (A) Excessive speeding, involving a single offense in
which the speed is fifteen miles per hour or more above the posted
speed limit, in violation of section 14-218a or 14-219; (B) reckless driving
in violation of section 14-222; (C) following too closely in violation of
section 14-240 or 14-240a; (D) improper or erratic lane changes, in
violation of section 14-236; (E) using a hand-held mobile telephone or
other electronic device or typing, reading or sending text or a text
message with or from a mobile telephone or mobile electronic device in
violation of subsection (e) of section 14-296aa while operating a
commercial motor vehicle; (F) driving a commercial motor vehicle
without a valid commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-36a
or 14-44a, as amended by this act; (G) failure to carry a commercial
driver's license in violation of section 14-44a, as amended by this act; (H)
failure to have the proper class of license or endorsement, or violation
of a license restriction in violation of section 14-44a, as amended by this
act; or (I) a violation of any provision of chapter 248, by an operator who
holds a commercial driver's license or instruction permit that results in
the death of another person;
[(88)] (89) "Service bus" includes any vehicle except a vanpool vehicle
or a school bus designed and regularly used to carry ten or more Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 54 of 68
passengers when used in private service for the transportation of
persons without charge to the individual;
[(89)] (90) "Service car" means any motor vehicle used by a
manufacturer, dealer or repairer for emergency motor vehicle repairs on
the highways of this state, for towing or for the transportation of
necessary persons, tools and materials to and from the scene of such
emergency repairs or towing;
[(90)] (91) "Shoulder" means that portion of a highway immediately
adjacent and contiguous to the travel lanes or main traveled portion of
the roadway;
[(91)] (92) "Solid tires" means tires of rubber, or other elastic material
approved by the Commissioner of Transportation, which do not depend
on confined air for the support of the load;
[(92)] (93) "Spot lamp" or "spot light" means a lighting device
projecting a high intensity beam, the direction of which can be readily
controlled for special or emergency lighting as distinguished from
ordinary road illumination;
[(93)] (94) "State" means any state of the United States and the District
of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the
state of Connecticut;
[(94)] (95) "Stop" means complete cessation of movement;
[(95)] (96) "Student" means any person under the age of twenty-one
years who is attending a preprimary, primary or secondary school
program of education;
[(96)] (97) "Tail lamp" means a lighting device affixed to the rear of a
motor vehicle showing a red light to the rear and indicating the presence
of the motor vehicle when viewed from behind; Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 55 of 68
[(97)] (98) "Tank vehicle" means any commercial motor vehicle
designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material within a tank that
is either permanently or temporarily attached to the vehicle or its
chassis, which includes, but is not limited to, a cargo tank and portable
tank, as defined in 49 CFR 383.5, as amended, provided it does not
include a portable tank with a rated capacity not to exceed one thousand
gallons;
[(98)] (99) "Tractor" or "truck tractor" means a motor vehicle designed
and used for drawing a semitrailer;
[(99)] (100) "Tractor-trailer unit" means a combination of a tractor and
a trailer or a combination of a tractor and a semitrailer;
[(100)] (101) "Trailer" means any rubber-tired vehicle without motive
power drawn or propelled by a motor vehicle;
[(101)] (102) "Truck" means a motor vehicle designed, used or
maintained primarily for the transportation of property;
[(102)] (103) "Ultimate consumer" means, with respect to a motor
vehicle, the first person, other than a dealer, who in good faith purchases
the motor vehicle for purposes other than resale;
[(103)] (104) "United States" means the fifty states and the District of
Columbia;
[(104)] (105) "Used motor vehicle" includes any motor vehicle which
has been previously separately registered by an ultimate consumer;
[(105)] (106) "Utility trailer" means a trailer designed and used to
transport personal property, materials or equipment, whether or not
permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer;
[(106)] (107) "Vanpool vehicle" includes all motor vehicles, the
primary purpose of which is the daily transportation, on a prearranged Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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nonprofit basis, of individuals between home and work, and which: (A)
If owned by or leased to a person, or to an employee of the person, or to
an employee of a local, state or federal government unit or agency
located in Connecticut, are manufactured and equipped in such manner
as to provide a seating capacity of at least seven but not more than
fifteen individuals, or (B) if owned by or leased to a regional ride-
sharing organization in the state recognized by the Commissioner of
Transportation, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to
provide a seating capacity of at least six but not more than nineteen
individuals;
[(107)] (108) "Vehicle" includes any device suitable for the
conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property,
whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other
means. The term does not include devices propelled or drawn by human
power or devices used exclusively on tracks;
[(108)] (109) "Vehicle identification number" or "VIN" means a series
of Arabic numbers and Roman letters that is assigned to each new motor
vehicle that is manufactured within or imported into the United States,
in accordance with the provisions of 49 CFR 565, unless another
sequence of numbers and letters has been assigned to a motor vehicle
by the commissioner, in accordance with the provisions of section 14-
149;
[(109)] (110) "Wrecker" means a vehicle which is registered, designed,
equipped and used for the purposes of towing or transporting wrecked
or disabled motor vehicles for compensation or for related purposes by
a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions
of subpart (D) of part III of this chapter or a vehicle contracted for the
consensual towing or transporting of one or more motor vehicles to or
from a place of sale, purchase, salvage or repair.
Sec. 36. Subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 14-390f of the Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 57 of 68
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
(1) "All-terrain vehicle" means any three or more wheeled motorized
vehicle, generally characterized by large, low-pressure tires, a seat
designed to be straddled by the operator and handlebars for steering,
which is intended for off-road use by an individual rider on various
types of nonpaved terrain. [Such vehicles do] "All-terrain vehicle" does
not include trail bikes, golf carts, agricultural tractors, farm implements,
[and] construction machines and low-speed vehicles;
Sec. 37. Subsection (b) of section 14-66 of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(b) The commissioner, or an inspector authorized by the
commissioner, shall examine each wrecker, including its number,
equipment and identification, and shall determine the mechanical
condition of such wrecker and whether or not it is properly equipped to
do the work intended. A wrecker shall be deemed properly equipped if
there are flashing yellow lights installed and mounted on such wrecker
that (1) show in all directions at all times, and (2) are as close to the back
of the cab of such wrecker as practicable. Such lights shall be in
operation when such wrecker is towing a vehicle and when such
wrecker is at the scene of an accident or the location of a disabled motor
vehicle. In addition, each wrecker shall be equipped with a spot light
mounted so that its beam of light is directed toward the hoisting
equipment in the rear of such wrecker. The hoisting equipment of each
wrecker shall be of sufficient capacity to perform the service intended
and shall be securely mounted to the frame of such vehicle. A fire
extinguisher shall be carried at all times on each wrecker which shall be
in proper working condition, mounted in a permanent bracket on each
wrecker and have a minimum rating of eight bc. A set of three flares in
operating condition shall be carried at all times on each wrecker and Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 58 of 68
shall be used between the periods of one-half hour after sunset and one-
half hour before sunrise when the wrecker is parked on a highway while
making emergency repairs or preparing to pick up a disabled vehicle to
remove it from a highway or adjoining property. No registrant or
operator of any wrecker shall offer to give any gratuities or inducements
of any kind to any police officer or other person in order to obtain
towing business or recommendations for towing or storage of, or
estimating repairs to, disabled vehicles. No licensee shall require the
owner to sign a contract for the repair or storage of such owner's
damaged vehicle as part of the towing consideration or to sign an order
for the repair of, or authorization for estimating repairs to such vehicle,
until the tow job has been completed. No licensee shall tow a vehicle in
such a negligent manner as to cause further damage to the vehicle being
towed. No licensee shall knowingly permit any person to occupy a
vehicle while the vehicle is being towed. Nothing in this subsection shall
be construed to prohibit the licensee and owner of the damaged vehicle
from entering into an agreement for the repair or storage of such vehicle
upon the completion of the tow job.
Sec. 38. (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than September 1, 2024,
the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall review, and amend or revise
as necessary, any regulation, internal procedure or policy and any other
guidance provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles to the owners
or operators of school buses regarding the operation and inspection of
school buses to ensure such regulations, procedures or policies and
guidance (1) promote adherence to subsection (b) of section 14-277 of
the general statutes and the regulations adopted under section 22a-174
of the general statutes, and (2) do not explicitly or implicitly require a
school bus to idle in excess of three minutes during the performance of
a daily vehicle inspection.
(b) Not later than September 1, 2024, the commissioner shall provide
guidance to the owners or operators of school buses that identifies the Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
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portions of a daily vehicle inspection that could be performed while the
school bus is in accessory mode or while the engine is turned off and
post such guidance on the department's Internet web site.
Sec. 39. Subsection (f) of section 13a-26 of the 2024 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
(f) The provisions of this part restricting the use and accommodation
of motor vehicle traffic on parkways to noncommercial vehicles shall
not apply to use of the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways by (1)
taxicabs, as defined in section 13b-95, (2) vanpool vehicles, as defined in
section 14-1, as amended by this act, (3) service buses, service buses for
students with special needs, or two-axle, four-wheeled type II,
registered school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of ten
thousand pounds or less, which are owned by or under contract to a
public, private or religious school or public school district and which are
engaged in the transportation of school children to and from school or
school activities, provided (A) such service buses conform to the
regulations establishing the maximum weight, length, height or width
of vehicles permitted to use such parkways; (B) such school buses are
not more than ninety-eight inches high, eighty-four inches wide and two
hundred three inches long; and (C) such service buses for students with
special needs are not more than one hundred twenty inches high, ninety
inches wide and two hundred eighty-eight inches long, (4) vehicles with
a gross vehicle weight rating of seven thousand five hundred pounds or
less, even if such vehicles contain any branding, advertising or logos
thereon, or (5) commercial motor vehicles used by an automobile club
or association, licensed in accordance with the provisions of section 14-
67, solely for the purpose of providing roadside assistance to vehicles
located on the parkway, provided such commercial motor vehicles
[confirm] conform to the regulations establishing the maximum length,
height or width of vehicles permitted to use such parkways. The Office Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 60 of 68
of the State Traffic Administration shall adopt regulations, in
accordance with chapter 54, establishing the maximum allowable length
and height for any vanpool vehicle using said Merritt and Wilbur Cross
Parkways and reducing the maximum weight, length, height or width
of, or limiting the registration classes of, motor vehicles permitted to use
such parkways, in order to fully carry out the prohibition on the
operation of commercial motor vehicles on such parkways.
Sec. 40. Section 14-275d of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2025):
(a) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall administer a program to
provide funding to offset a portion of sales tax on the purchase of school
buses equipped with [3-point lap/shoulder] three-point lap and
shoulder seat safety belts installed during the manufacture of such
buses. [From July 1, 2011, to December 31, 2017, inclusive] On and after
October 1, 2025, a local or regional school district may submit an
application to the department, on a form provided by said department,
which shall include a proposed agreement between such district and a
private carrier under contract with such district for the provision of
transportation of school children. Such agreement shall require such
carrier to provide the district with at least one but not more than fifty
school buses, each of which shall be equipped with such seat safety
belts, and shall include a request by such carrier for funds in an amount
equal to fifty per cent of the sales tax paid by the carrier for the purchase
of any such bus purchased on or after [July 1, 2011] October 1, 2025. Such
agreement shall be contingent upon approval of the application and the
payment of such amount by the department. The department shall make
any such payments with funds available from the school bus seat belt
account established pursuant to subsection (a) of section 14-50b.
(b) A school district participating in the program shall provide
written notice concerning the availability and proper use of such seat
safety belts to a parent or legal guardian of each student who will be Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 61 of 68
transported on such school bus. A school district shall instruct such
students on the proper use, fastening and unfastening of such seat safety
belts.
(c) No local or regional school district, carrier with whom a local or
regional school district has contracted for the transportation of students,
or operator of a school bus shall be liable for damages for injury
resulting solely from a student's use, misuse or failure to use a seat
safety belt installed on a school bus used in the program established
under this section.
(d) The Department of Motor Vehicles, in collaboration with the
Department of Education, shall inform local and regional school
districts annually of the program established pursuant to subsection (a)
of this section and how to apply to such program.
[(d)] (e) During the [2018] 2030 regular session of the General
Assembly, the joint standing committees of the General Assembly
having cognizance of matters relating to transportation and education
shall conduct a joint public hearing on the level of participation in such
program and its effectiveness with respect to the use of such seat safety
belts. [Not later than March 1, 2018, the joint standing committees shall
make a recommendation to the General Assembly concerning the
continuation of such program.]
Sec. 41. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2024) The owner of a commercial
motor vehicle that is powered primarily through the use of an electric
battery shall be granted a weight tolerance exemption of two thousand
pounds from the gross, total axle, total tandem or bridge formula weight
limits established by section 14-267a of the general statutes. Such
exemption shall be granted by any official or law enforcement officer
authorized to enforce the provisions of section 14-267a of the general
statutes. Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 62 of 68
Sec. 42. Subsection (e) of section 14-49 of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October
1, 2024):
(e) (1) For the registration of a passenger motor vehicle used in part
for commercial purposes, except any pick-up truck having a gross
vehicle weight rating of less than twelve thousand five hundred
pounds, the commissioner shall charge a triennial fee of one hundred
thirty-two dollars and shall issue combination registration to such
vehicle. Any individual who is sixty-five years of age or older may, at
such individual's discretion, renew the combination registration of such
vehicle owned by such individual for either a one-year period or the
registration period as determined by the commissioner pursuant to
subsection (a) of section 14-22. (2) For the registration of a school bus,
the commissioner shall charge an annual fee of one hundred seven
dollars for a type I school bus and sixty-four dollars for a type II school
bus. (3) For the registration of a motor vehicle when used in part for
commercial purposes and as a passenger motor vehicle or of a motor
vehicle having a seating capacity greater than ten and not used for the
conveyance of passengers for hire, the commissioner shall charge a
biennial fee for gross weight as for commercial registration, as outlined
in section 14-47, plus the sum of fourteen dollars and shall issue
combination registration to such vehicle. (4) Each vehicle registered as
combination shall be issued a number plate bearing the word
"combination". No vehicle registered as combination may have a gross
vehicle weight rating in excess of twelve thousand five hundred
pounds. (5) For the registration of a pick-up truck having a gross vehicle
weight rating of less than twelve thousand five hundred pounds that is
not used in part for commercial purposes, the commissioner shall
charge a triennial fee for gross weight as for commercial registration, as
provided in section 14-47, plus the sum of twenty-one dollars [. The
commissioner may] and shall issue combination registration to such
pick-up truck, except the commissioner shall issue passenger Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 63 of 68
registration to any [such vehicle with] pick-up truck having a gross
vehicle weight rating of eight thousand five hundred fifty pounds or
less that is not used in part for commercial purposes.
Sec. 43. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 14-253a of the 2024
supplement to the general statutes are repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):
(a) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Special license plate" means a license plate displaying the symbol
of access in a size identical to that of the letters or numerals on the plate
and in a color that contrasts with the background color of the plate;
(2) "Removable windshield placard" means a two-sided, hanger-style
placard which bears on both of its sides: (A) The symbol of access in a
height of three inches or more centered on such placard and colored
white on a blue background; (B) a unique identification number; (C) a
date of expiration; (D) a statement indicating that the Connecticut
Department of Motor Vehicles issued such placard; and (E) the words
"Accessibility Parking Permit";
(3) "Temporary removable windshield placard" means a placard that
is the same as a removable windshield placard except that the symbol
of access appears on a red background;
(4) "Person with disabilities" means a person with disabilities which
limit or impair the ability to walk, as defined in 23 CFR [Section] 1235.2;
[and]
(5) "Symbol of access" means the symbol designated by the
Commissioner of Administrative Services pursuant to section 29-269b
used to indicate access for persons with disabilities; and
(6) "Health care professional" means a licensed physician, licensed Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 64 of 68
physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse licensed in
accordance with the provisions of chapter 378, psychiatrist who is
employed by, or under contract with, the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs, ophthalmologist or optometrist.
(b) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall accept applications
and renewal applications for removable windshield placards from (1)
any person who is blind, as defined in section 1-1f; (2) any person with
disabilities; (3) any parent or guardian of any person who is blind or any
person with disabilities, if such person is under eighteen years of age at
the time of application; (4) any parent or guardian of any person who is
blind or any person with disabilities, if such person is unable to request
or complete an application; and (5) any organization which meets
criteria established by the commissioner and which certifies to the
commissioner's satisfaction that the vehicle for which a placard is
requested is primarily used to transport persons who are blind or
persons with disabilities. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this
section, on and after October 1, 2011, the commissioner shall not accept
applications for special license plates, but shall accept renewal
applications for such plates that were issued prior to October 1, 2011.
No person shall be issued a placard in accordance with this section
unless such person is the holder of a valid motor vehicle operator's
license, or identification card issued in accordance with the provisions
of section 1-1h. The commissioner [is authorized to] may adopt
regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, for the
issuance of placards to persons who, by reason of hardship, do not hold
or cannot obtain an operator's license or identification card. The
commissioner shall maintain a record of each placard issued to any such
person. Such applications and renewal applications shall be on a form
prescribed by the commissioner. The application and renewal
application shall include: (A) Certification by a licensed physician, a
licensed physician assistant, an advanced practice registered nurse
licensed in accordance with the provisions of chapter 378, or a member Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 65 of 68
of the driver training unit for persons with disabilities established
pursuant to section 14-11b, that the applicant meets the definition of a
person with a disability which limits or impairs the ability to walk, as
defined in 23 CFR [Section] 1235.2, as amended from time to time; or (B)
certification by a psychiatrist who is employed by, or under contract
with, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that the
applicant (i) is a veteran, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103,
who has post-traumatic stress disorder certified as service-connected by
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and (ii) meets the
definition of a person with a disability which limits or impairs the ability
to walk, as defined in 23 CFR [Section] 1235.2, as amended from time to
time. In the case of persons who are blind, the application or renewal
application shall include certification of legal blindness made by the
Department of Aging and Disability Services, an ophthalmologist or an
optometrist. Any certification issued by a health care professional
pursuant to this section shall be based upon such person's professional
opinion after having completed a medically reasonable assessment of
the applicant's medical history and current medical condition made in
the course of a bona fide health care professional-patient relationship.
Any person who makes a certification required by this subsection shall
sign the application or renewal application under penalty of false
statement pursuant to section 53a-157b. The commissioner, in said
commissioner's discretion, may accept the discharge papers of a
disabled veteran, as defined in section 14-254, in lieu of such
certification. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may require
additional certification at the time of the original application or at any
time thereafter. If a person who has been requested to submit additional
certification fails to do so within thirty days of the request, or if such
additional certification is deemed by the Commissioner of Motor
Vehicles to be unfavorable to the applicant, the commissioner may
refuse to issue or, if already issued, suspend or revoke such special
license plate or placard. The commissioner shall not issue more than one
placard per applicant, except the commissioner shall issue one placard Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 66 of 68
to each applicant who is a parent or guardian of any person who is blind
or any person with disabilities, provided no more than two such
placards shall be issued on behalf of such person. The fee for the
issuance of a temporary removable windshield placard shall be five
dollars. Any person whose application has been denied or whose special
license plate or placard has been suspended or revoked shall be afforded
an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with the provisions of
chapter 54.
Sec. 44. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2024) (a) As used in this section,
"health care professional" and "removable windshield placard" have the
same meanings as provided in section 14-253a of the general statutes, as
amended by this act.
(b) No health care professional shall charge a fee for the provision of
services to an applicant for a removable windshield placard that is
contingent on such health care professional certifying that such
applicant meets the definition of a person with a disability which limits
or impairs the ability to walk, as defined in 23 CFR 1235.2, as amended
from time to time.
(c) No health care professional shall enter into any written or oral
agreement or understanding with a person who utilizes the services of
such health care professional that makes or has the effect of making the
amount of the health care professional's commissions, fees or charges
contingent upon the health care professional certifying an application or
renewal application for a removable windshield placard that an
applicant meets the definition of a person with a disability which limits
or impairs the ability to walk, as defined in 23 CFR 1235.2, as amended
from time to time.
(d) Any person who violates any provision of this section may be
assessed a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars. The
Attorney General, upon complaint of the Commissioner of Motor Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 67 of 68
Vehicles, shall institute a civil action to recover such penalty in the
superior court for the judicial district of Hartford.
Sec. 45. Subsection (b) of section 14-253c of the 2024 supplement to
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(b) The advisory council shall consist of (1) the Commissioner of
Motor Vehicles or the commissioner's designee, (2) the Commissioner of
Aging and Disability Services or the commissioner's designee, (3) two
members appointed by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, who are
licensed physicians, physician assistants or advanced practice registered
nurses who certify applications for removable windshield placards
while in the course of employment, (4) one member appointed by the
Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services who represents an
organization that advocates on behalf of persons with physical
disabilities, (5) one appointed by the House chairperson of the joint
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to transportation, [who is a municipality planner,] (6)
one appointed by the Senate chairperson of the joint standing committee
of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to
transportation, who uses accessible parking or advocates on behalf of
such users, [of accessible parking,] (7) one appointed by the House
ranking member of the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation, who
uses accessible parking or advocates on behalf of such users, [of
accessible parking,] (8) one appointed by the Senate ranking member of
the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to transportation, who is a sworn
member of a municipal police department, and (9) and such other
members as the advisory council may prescribe. All initial
appointments to the advisory council shall be made not later than
September 1, 2023. Each member appointed pursuant to subdivisions (3) Substitute Senate Bill No. 183
Public Act No. 24-20 68 of 68
to (9), inclusive, of this subsection shall serve for a term of two years and
may serve until such member's successor is appointed. Any vacancy
shall be filled by the appointing authority. The Commissioner of Motor
Vehicles, or the commissioner's designee, shall serve as chairperson of
the advisory council. The advisory council shall meet at such times as it
deems necessary and may establish rules governing its internal
procedures.