ARTICLE 23 SUBSTITUTE A

Relating To Registration of Vehicles

SECTION 1. Section 31-3-6.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-3 entitled “Registration of Vehicles” is hereby amended to read as follows:

§ 31-3-6.2.  List of vehicles and licenses on which court costs owed delinquent – Denial of renewal of registration and licenses. – (a) The administrator/division of motor vehicles shall furnish to the State Court Administrator a listing showing the names, addresses and social security numbers of persons whose operator's license and/or motor vehicle registration is subject to renewal within ninety (90) days. If within ninety (90) days prior to the renewal date the state court administrator determines that any person seeking to renew his/her operator's license and/or registration has neglected or refused to pay any court costs owed, as defined in § 44-30.1-1(b), cash assistance benefit overpayments, court costs owed, fines owed, obligations owed or restitution owed, as such terms are defined in § 44-30.1-1, the state court administrator shall send a written notice to such person informing him/her of the state court administrator's intention to inform the division of motor vehicles not to renew the person's operator license and/or motor vehicle registration and of the procedures available to the person to contest the determination. For the purposes of this section, the terms cash assistance benefit overpayments, court costs owed, fines owed, obligations owed or restitution owed by a debtor as defined in § 44-30.1-1, are referred to as “costs owed”.

(b) Within twenty-one (21) days from the date of such notice, the licensee or registrant may request, in writing, a conference with the state court administrator or his/her designee, in order to show proof of payment of all court costs owed, as defined in § 44-30.1-1(b), or for the purpose of entering into a time payment agreement for the delinquent court costs owed satisfactory to the state court administrator.

(c) If upon the expiration of twenty-one (21) days from the date of the notice to the licensee or registrant or, if a conference has been requested, after a conference has been held, the licensee or registrant has not demonstrated to the satisfaction of the state court administrator that he/she has paid all required court costs owed, as defined in § 44-30.1-1(b), or that the licensee or registrant has not entered into time payment arrangement satisfactory to the state court administrator, the state court administrator shall notify the administrator/division of motor vehicles that the licensee or registrant is delinquent in paying court costs owed, as defined in § 44-30.1-1(b). The state court administrator shall send a copy of the notification to the licensee or registrant.

(d) The administrator/division of motor vehicles shall not renew any operator's license or registration upon expiration thereof until all state court costs owed, as defined in § 44-30.1-1(b), have been paid in full or the licensee or registrant has entered into a time payment agreement satisfactory to the state court administrator.

(e) If the licensee thereafter files an overdue return and/or remits past taxes due or enters

into a satisfactory time payment agreement with respect to any and all returns due and taxes payable, the tax administrator shall, within five (5) business days of a licensee's request, provide the appropriate agency or authority the certificate of good standing specified in § 5-76-5. Within five (5) business days of receiving such a certificate, the agency or authority shall reinstate, reissue, renew or otherwise extend the licensee's license.

SECTION 2. This article shall take effect upon passage.