Updated on Tuesday, March 12 to reflect the changing nature of this legislation.
The full Senate passed an updated version of Senate Bill 2035 on March 12.
The new version no longer transfers metal plates with private car sales. Instead, the updated bill would create a standardized process for all used vehicle sales, rather than what Treat called “a patchwork of regulations and deadlines.”
While car buyers will still have 60 days to fully register and pay taxes on their vehicle, they’ll be required to “preregister” it online within two days of the purchase. People who buy cars in private sales would be able to print a temporary tag at home.
But paper tags would only be valid for 10 days — after that, car buyers would need to acquire a metal plate without an annual registration decal until they can finish registering the vehicle.
Treat clarified these new rules would not affect tribal tag registrations.
The Oklahoma Senate unanimously passed the bill, which now heads to the House of Representatives.
The Oklahoma legislature is considering a bill to make license plates transferable between owners during private car sales. Lawmakers hope the proposed legislation could prevent unnecessary traffic stops.
When an Oklahoman buys a car from a dealership, they get a temporary paper tag and 60 days to register the car with the state. If someone purchases a used car directly from its previous owner, they still get that 60-day grace period but no paper tag. Under existing laws, it’s not possible to transfer a metal plate between vehicle owners.
That means Oklahomans who recently purchased used cars in private sales may be driving legally without any tag at all, as long as they’re carrying a bill of sale and a copy of the vehicle’s title.
Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R - Oklahoma City) said that’s what his son Mason was doing when a deputy sheriff pulled him over in Canadian County. A car going 70 miles per hour plowed into Treat’s son and the deputy while they were stopped on the roadside.
“My son's life and the deputy's life were needlessly risked because of some gaps in Oklahoma law,” Treat said.
Mason Treat ended up spending 20 days in the hospital following the crash. The Canadian County Deputy Jose Tayahua Mendoza also spent several weeks hospitalized and in rehab.
Treat hopes to prevent unnecessary stops in the future with Senate Bill 2035. Under the proposed law, a vehicle would keep its metal license plate when its ownership transfers, regardless of the type of sale.
“You’ll still have some paper tags when this is done for about a 10-day period,” Treat said. “But other than that, you will have a metal plate from nearly the date you purchase it.”
Treat said his proposed system will allow Public Service Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, the Motor Vehicle Commission and the Department of Public Safety to quickly know who owns a vehicle, even one that recently changed hands.
The bill unanimously passed the Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee last week and can now be considered by the full Senate.
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