1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to motor vehicles; authorizing use of 
  1.3             unmarked motor vehicles by investigators of gambling 
  1.4             control board and exempting their vehicles from 
  1.5             payment of registration tax; amending Minnesota 
  1.6             Statutes 2000, sections 16B.54, subdivision 2; 
  1.7             168.012, subdivision 1.  
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 16B.54, 
  1.10  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 2.  [VEHICLES.] (a)  [ACQUISITION FROM AGENCY; 
  1.12  APPROPRIATION.] The commissioner may direct an agency to make a 
  1.13  transfer of a passenger motor vehicle or truck currently 
  1.14  assigned to it.  The transfer must be made to the commissioner 
  1.15  for use in the central motor pool.  The commissioner shall 
  1.16  reimburse an agency whose motor vehicles have been paid for with 
  1.17  funds dedicated by the constitution for a special purpose and 
  1.18  which are assigned to the central motor pool.  The amount of 
  1.19  reimbursement for a motor vehicle is its average wholesale price 
  1.20  as determined from the midwest edition of the National 
  1.21  Automobile Dealers Association official used car guide. 
  1.22     (b)  [PURCHASE.] To the extent that funds are available for 
  1.23  the purpose, the commissioner may purchase or otherwise acquire 
  1.24  additional passenger motor vehicles and trucks necessary for the 
  1.25  central motor pool.  The title to all motor vehicles assigned to 
  1.26  or purchased or acquired for the central motor pool is in the 
  2.1   name of the department of administration.  
  2.2      (c)  [TRANSFER AT AGENCY REQUEST.] On the request of an 
  2.3   agency, the commissioner may transfer to the central motor pool 
  2.4   any passenger motor vehicle or truck for the purpose of 
  2.5   disposing of it.  The department or agency transferring the 
  2.6   vehicle or truck must be paid for it from the motor pool 
  2.7   revolving account established by this section in an amount equal 
  2.8   to two-thirds of the average wholesale price of the vehicle or 
  2.9   truck as determined from the midwest edition of the National 
  2.10  Automobile Dealers Association official used car guide. 
  2.11     (d)  [VEHICLES; MARKING.] The commissioner shall provide 
  2.12  for the uniform marking of all motor vehicles.  Motor vehicle 
  2.13  colors must be selected from the regular color chart provided by 
  2.14  the manufacturer each year.  The commissioner may further 
  2.15  provide for the use of motor vehicles without marking by: 
  2.16     (1) the governor; 
  2.17     (2) the lieutenant governor; 
  2.18     (3) the division of criminal apprehension, the division of 
  2.19  alcohol and gambling enforcement, and arson investigators of the 
  2.20  division of fire marshal in the department of public safety; 
  2.21     (4) the financial institutions division of the department 
  2.22  of commerce; 
  2.23     (5) the division of disease prevention and control of the 
  2.24  department of health; 
  2.25     (6) the state lottery; 
  2.26     (7) criminal investigators of the department of revenue; 
  2.27     (8) state-owned community service facilities in the 
  2.28  department of human services; 
  2.29     (9) the investigative staff of the department of economic 
  2.30  security; and 
  2.31     (10) the office of the attorney general; and 
  2.32     (11) the investigative staff of the gambling control board. 
  2.33     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 168.012, 
  2.34  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  2.35     Subdivision 1.  [VEHICLES EXEMPT FROM TAX AND REGISTRATION 
  2.36  FEES.] (a) The following vehicles are exempt from the provisions 
  3.1   of this chapter requiring payment of tax and registration fees, 
  3.2   except as provided in subdivision 1c:  
  3.3      (1) vehicles owned and used solely in the transaction of 
  3.4   official business by the federal government, the state, or any 
  3.5   political subdivision; 
  3.6      (2) vehicles owned and used exclusively by educational 
  3.7   institutions and used solely in the transportation of pupils to 
  3.8   and from such institutions; 
  3.9      (3) vehicles used solely in driver education programs at 
  3.10  nonpublic high schools; 
  3.11     (4) vehicles owned by nonprofit charities and used 
  3.12  exclusively to transport disabled persons for educational 
  3.13  purposes; 
  3.14     (5) vehicles owned and used by honorary consul; 
  3.15     (6) ambulances owned by ambulance services licensed under 
  3.16  section 144E.10, the general appearance of which is 
  3.17  unmistakable; and 
  3.18     (7) vehicles owned by a commercial driving school licensed 
  3.19  under section 171.34, or an employee of a commercial driving 
  3.20  school licensed under section 171.34, and the vehicle is used 
  3.21  exclusively for driver education and training. 
  3.22     (b) Vehicles owned by the federal government, municipal 
  3.23  fire apparatuses including fire-suppression support vehicles, 
  3.24  police patrols and ambulances, the general appearance of which 
  3.25  is unmistakable, shall not be required to register or display 
  3.26  number plates.  
  3.27     (c) Unmarked vehicles used in general police work, liquor 
  3.28  investigations, arson investigations, and passenger automobiles, 
  3.29  pickup trucks, and buses owned or operated by the department of 
  3.30  corrections shall be registered and shall display appropriate 
  3.31  license number plates which shall be furnished by the registrar 
  3.32  at cost.  Original and renewal applications for these license 
  3.33  plates authorized for use in general police work and for use by 
  3.34  the department of corrections must be accompanied by a 
  3.35  certification signed by the appropriate chief of police if 
  3.36  issued to a police vehicle, the appropriate sheriff if issued to 
  4.1   a sheriff's vehicle, the commissioner of corrections if issued 
  4.2   to a department of corrections vehicle, or the appropriate 
  4.3   officer in charge if issued to a vehicle of any other law 
  4.4   enforcement agency.  The certification must be on a form 
  4.5   prescribed by the commissioner and state that the vehicle will 
  4.6   be used exclusively for a purpose authorized by this section.  
  4.7      (d) Unmarked vehicles used by the departments of revenue 
  4.8   and labor and industry, fraud unit, in conducting seizures or 
  4.9   criminal investigations must be registered and must display 
  4.10  passenger vehicle classification license number plates which 
  4.11  shall be furnished at cost by the registrar.  Original and 
  4.12  renewal applications for these passenger vehicle license plates 
  4.13  must be accompanied by a certification signed by the 
  4.14  commissioner of revenue or the commissioner of labor and 
  4.15  industry.  The certification must be on a form prescribed by the 
  4.16  commissioner and state that the vehicles will be used 
  4.17  exclusively for the purposes authorized by this section. 
  4.18     (e) Unmarked vehicles used by the division of disease 
  4.19  prevention and control of the department of health must be 
  4.20  registered and must display passenger vehicle classification 
  4.21  license number plates.  These plates must be furnished at cost 
  4.22  by the registrar.  Original and renewal applications for these 
  4.23  passenger vehicle license plates must be accompanied by a 
  4.24  certification signed by the commissioner of health.  The 
  4.25  certification must be on a form prescribed by the commissioner 
  4.26  and state that the vehicles will be used exclusively for the 
  4.27  official duties of the division of disease prevention and 
  4.28  control.  
  4.29     (f) Unmarked vehicles used by staff of the gambling control 
  4.30  board in gambling investigations and reviews must be registered 
  4.31  and must display passenger vehicle classification license number 
  4.32  plates.  These plates must be furnished at cost by the 
  4.33  registrar.  Original and renewal applications for these 
  4.34  passenger vehicle license plates must be accompanied by a 
  4.35  certification signed by the board chair.  The certification must 
  4.36  be on a form prescribed by the commissioner and state that the 
  5.1   vehicles will be used exclusively for the official duties of the 
  5.2   gambling control board.  
  5.3      (g) All other motor vehicles shall be registered and 
  5.4   display tax-exempt number plates which shall be furnished by the 
  5.5   registrar at cost, except as provided in subdivision 1c.  All 
  5.6   vehicles required to display tax-exempt number plates shall have 
  5.7   the name of the state department or political subdivision, 
  5.8   nonpublic high school operating a driver education program, or 
  5.9   licensed commercial driving school, on the vehicle plainly 
  5.10  displayed on both sides; except that each state hospital and 
  5.11  institution for the mentally ill and mentally retarded may have 
  5.12  one vehicle without the required identification on the sides of 
  5.13  the vehicle, and county social service agencies may have 
  5.14  vehicles used for child and vulnerable adult protective services 
  5.15  without the required identification on the sides of the 
  5.16  vehicle.  Such identification shall be in a color giving 
  5.17  contrast with that of the part of the vehicle on which it is 
  5.18  placed and shall endure throughout the term of the 
  5.19  registration.  The identification must not be on a removable 
  5.20  plate or placard and shall be kept clean and visible at all 
  5.21  times; except that a removable plate or placard may be utilized 
  5.22  on vehicles leased or loaned to a political subdivision or to a 
  5.23  nonpublic high school driver education program.