SB215 By Senator Livingston RFD Transportation and Energy Rd 1 16-FEB-17

SYNOPSIS: This bill provides the issuance of a validation decal for metal license plates to include both the year of expiration in addition to the month of expiration.

This bill also allows registration receipts to be presented in a tangible or electronic format. This bill provides dealers that are designated agents with the ability to issue temporary license tags to motor vehicles that are to be permanently licensed in Alabama.

This bill also clarifies that the verification requirement of a state issued identification, or department approved federal identifying number only extends to the initial motor vehicle registration and not to the subsequent renewal of the registration.

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT

To amend Sections 32-6-63, 32-6-65, 32-6-211, 32-7A-17, 40-12-253, 40-12-258, and 40-12-260 of the Code of Alabama 1975, relating to motor vehicle tabs and motor vehicle registration renewals; to update the validation decal or device on metal license plates to include the year of expiration; to allow motor vehicle registration receipts to be provided in a tangible or electronic format; to provide dealers that are designated agents with the ability to issue temporary license tags to motor vehicles that are to be permanently licensed in Alabama; to clarify that the renewal of motor vehicle registration is not subject to the current identification requirements.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:Section 1. Sections 32-6-63, 32-6-65, 32-6-211, 32-7A-17, 40-12-253, 40-12-258, and 40-12-260, Code of Alabama 1975 are hereby amended as follows:

§32-6-63.

"For the years during which the five-year metal license plates are not issued, in lieu thereof, tabs, stamps, validation decals or other devices suitable for attaching to a motor vehicle license plate shall be issued. The tab, stamp, validation decal or device shall indicate the period for which it was issued and shall, when properly affixed to the license plate, evidence payment for the motor vehicle license fees and taxes for the period indicated thereon. Such tab, stamp, validation decal or device shall be such size as the legislative oversight committee, as provided for in this subdivision, deems appropriate and shall bear a bright reflective background contrasting with the digits or letters printed thereon. The first three letters of the month and year of expiration shall be printed on the bottom portion of the tab, stamp, or device and shall be no less than three inches in width and one inch in height validation decal.

"Any numbers shown on such tab, stamp, or device shall be for accounting purposes only, to be used by the Department of Revenue, and shall in no way be used for the identification of the vehicle.

"A person changing his or her county of residence shall be required to purchase a license plate indicating his or her new county of residence upon expiration of the license period covered by his or her present license plate or validation device and shall turn in his or her old license plate."

§32-6-65.

"(a) There shall be one uniform registration renewal form to be used statewide. Such form shall be designed so as to provide for both the transfer of ownership and the registration of the vehicle. All receipts shall be sent to the county agencies charged with handling vehicle registration. All receipts shall be machine prepared Receipts may be provided to the registrant in a tangible format or in an electronic format, as prescribed by the department. The state and the county shall capture the color of the motor vehicle in their permanent records. This subsection shall not give the Department of Revenue authority to centralize vehicle registration. Centralized registration is specifically prohibited and it is the legislative intent that automotive vehicle registration shall remain at the county level.

"(b)(1) A penalty of fifteen dollars ($15) shall be assessed by the official charged with issuing motor vehicle licenses for the late registration of a motor vehicle. "Late registration of a motor vehicle" shall include (1) the failure to register the vehicle within 20 calendar days of the date of purchase or acquisition; (2) the failure to renew the registration in the designated renewal month; and (3) the failure to register the vehicle in accordance with the provisions of Section 40-12-262(a). It shall be the duty of all sheriffs, police officers, state troopers, license inspectors, deputy license inspectors, field agents of the Department of Revenue, and other law enforcement officers to arrest any person operating a motor vehicle without the current license plate displaying the proper tab, disc, or validation decal. Persons apprehended for operating a motor vehicle without the current license plate, upon conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction, shall be fined not less than twenty-five dollars ($25).

"(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (1), any person on military deployment during any part of his or her designated registration renewal month, except a person with a discharge characterization of "dishonorable" or "other than honorable," who renews his or her motor vehicle registration within 30 calendar days from the date the deployment ends shall not be assessed a late registration penalty or associated interest charges. Evidence of military deployment shall be documented using military deployment orders, a government issued Statement of Service letter, Form DD214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," or a letter from the registrant's unit commander certifying the date that his or her deployment ended.

"(c) All penalties assessed by this section shall be distributed in the same manner as motor vehicle licenses and registration fees are distributed as provided in Sections 40-12-269 and 40-12-270. Portions of Section 40-12-10 as they may conflict with this section, are hereby repealed and superseded."

§32-6-211.

"Each designated agent shall, upon proper application, issue to the owner of a motor vehicle which is to be permanently licensed in some state other than Alabama a temporary license tag to be affixed to such motor vehicle and a temporary registration certificate. Each dealer who is a designated agent may, upon proper application, issue to the owner of a motor vehicle which is to be permanently licensed in Alabama, a temporary license tag to be affixed to such motor vehicle, and a temporary registration certificate. A dealer who has been appointed by the department to perform the duties of a designated agent shall have the authority to issue a temporary license tag and temporary registration certificate only for motor vehicles which are sold by that dealer.

"Any temporary license tags and registration receipts issued under this chapter or Chapter 12 of Title 40 shall be issued in a manner as prescribed by the Department."

§32-7A-17.

"(a) License plate issuing officials shall not register or re-register a motor vehicle or transfer the license plates if the registration is suspended pursuant to Section 32-7A-12.

"(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), upon the request of the registrant, the license plate issuing official shall reinstate a registrant's suspended registration at such time the registrant meets the provisions of reinstatement provided for by this chapter.

"(c) No vehicle registration or renewal thereof shall be issued to any motor vehicle unless the license plate issuing official receives satisfactory evidence of insurance or verification of motor vehicle liability insurance through the online insurance verification system, liability insurance bond, or deposit of cash that provides the minimum motor vehicle insurance coverage required by Section 32-7-6 or is exempted under Section 32-7A-5. Verification by the license plate issuing official shall be made in a manner as prescribed by the department.

"(d) All officials authorized by law to issue motor vehicle license plates shall obtain, when issuing the initial motor vehicle registration or transferring a motor vehicle registrations, the each registrant's valid non-expired state issued driver's license or identification card number, a department approved federal identifying number, national driver's license, or for a company or other entity, the federal employer identification number, for inclusion within the motor vehicle registration records in the state and county databases provided these numbers shall not be included on the motor vehicle registration receipts. The department has the additional authority to assign an identifying number to vehicle registrants in order to document compliance with this chapter. This information shall be used by the department in the administration of this chapter. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, when renewing a motor vehicle registration that contains more than one individual or entity listed as a registrant for a motor vehicle, a valid state issued driver's license or identification card number, department approved federal identifying number, national driver's license, or, for a company or other entity, a federal employer identification number for only one of the individuals or entities listed as a registrant must be included within the motor vehicle registration records in the state and county databases The requirements of this subsection shall not apply to the renewal of a motor vehicle registration."

§40-12-253.

"(a) Effective January 1, 2000, ad valorem taxes on motor vehicles shall be assessed and the tax collected forward on a current basis to coincide with the collection of motor vehicle license taxes and registration fees.

"(1) Ad valorem taxes on motor vehicles shall become due and payable on the first day of the registration renewal month of the owner, the date the motor vehicle enters the State of Alabama, the date the motor vehicle is removed from the inventory of a dealer, or the date on which the motor vehicle is otherwise determined to be taxable, whichever comes first. Ad valorem taxes on motor vehicles shall become delinquent on the first day of the month following the registration renewal month for the owner or as otherwise provided by law.

"(2) Ad valorem tax on motor vehicles shall be collected through the last day of the month which precedes the assigned registration renewal month for the owner as provided in Section 32-6-61. The definition of owner shall be as defined in subdivision (16) of Section 40-12-240.

"(3) No license shall be issued to operate a motor vehicle on the public highways of this state, nor shall any transfer be made by the license issuing official under this article, until the ad valorem tax on the motor vehicle is paid in the county, as evidenced either by a receipt of the tax collecting official where the owner of the motor vehicle resides, if the motor vehicle is owned by an individual, or by the receipt of the tax collecting official in the county where the motor vehicle is based, if the motor vehicle is owned by a firm, corporation, or association. The receipt, as referenced in this subsection, may be evidenced in either a tangible format or in an electronic format as prescribed by the department. The definition of the base of a vehicle shall be the place where a vehicle is most frequently dispatched, garaged, serviced, maintained, operated, or otherwise controlled, and from which it ordinarily departs and to which it ordinarily returns.

"(4) Every person, firm, or corporation that plans to operate a motor vehicle shall first return the motor vehicle for ad valorem taxation to the tax assessing official of the county where the individual resides or, if a firm or corporation, where the vehicle is based, and the tax assessing official shall deliver to the person making the return a certificate of assessment on a form prescribed by the Department of Revenue, and the certificate shall be the warrant of the tax collecting official to collect the tax as shown on the assessment form.

"(5) Valuation for ad valorem tax assessment purposes shall be based, as specified by law, on the value of the motor vehicle on October 1, as provided by the Department of Revenue. The October 1 valuation shall be used for calculating ad valorem taxes for the next succeeding year beginning January 1 and continuing through December 31.

"(6) Before any motor vehicle can be assessed, the tax assessing official shall determine the amount of ad valorem taxes due on the motor vehicle from information provided by the owner. If the number of months for which taxes are delinquent cannot be determined, the motor vehicle shall be presumed to have been in the state for one preceding year in addition to the current tax year for ad valorem tax assessing and collecting purposes. Motor vehicles with delinquent registrations shall be subject to payment of escaped ad valorem taxes for up to two prior years plus the current year, except for the ad valorem taxes that would have been due in arrears in 1999 during the transition year.

"(b) The license issuing official shall require the applicant to surrender the receipt of the tax collecting official which shall be kept on file in the license issuing official's office. The license plate shall be evidence of the payment of the license and the ad valorem tax due as provided under this article. The license issuing official may issue a motor vehicle license plate upon receiving certification from the tax assessing official that there is no ad valorem tax due on the motor vehicle.

"(c) Ad valorem taxes on a motor vehicle shall be collected on an annual current basis in the registration renewal month of the owner thereof, in conjunction with registration of the motor vehicle; provided, however, that ad valorem taxes due at the time of registration shall be prorated on a monthly basis from the date the motor vehicle enters the State of Alabama, from the date the motor vehicle is removed from the inventory of a dealer, from the date of transfer of ownership of the motor vehicle, or upon the date the motor vehicle otherwise becomes subject to taxation.

"(d) Upon the sale, trade, total destruction, permanent removal from Alabama, theft without recovery, or other transfer of a motor vehicle, hereafter referred to as a "demitted motor vehicle" constituting Class I, Class II, or Class IV Property under Section 40-8-1, the owner of the demitted motor vehicle shall be entitled to a pro rata credit for the ad valorem taxes paid with respect thereto for the remainder of the then current period for which the taxes have been paid. In determining the credit available, the total ad valorem taxes previously paid for the then current registration period shall be determined by a ratio, the numerator of which shall be the number of full calendar months from the date the motor vehicle is demitted to the last day of the month which precedes the assigned registration renewal month for the owner as provided in Section 32-6-61, and the denominator of which shall be the number of months for which ad valorem taxes shall have been paid with respect to the motor vehicle. The ad valorem tax credit shall be evidenced by a serially numbered credit voucher, the in a form of which shall be specified by the department, bearing the name of the person entitled to the credit. The ad valorem tax credit so determined shall either (i) be allowed at the election of the owner on a pro rata basis against all ad valorem taxes payable on another motor vehicle or vehicles acquired by the owner in conjunction with the sale or trade of the motor vehicle in respect of which the credit is allowable under this subsection, or (ii) be allowed by the tax collecting official on a pro rata basis against all ad valorem taxes payable on another motor vehicle or vehicles owned by the owner or a member of the owner's immediate family. No interest shall be allowable on the amount of any credit allowable hereunder. A credit issued shall be creditable only against ad valorem taxes levied by those taxing authorities whose ad valorem taxes had been paid by the owner with respect to the motor vehicle for which a credit is allowed. No credit shall be allowable against any ad valorem taxes levied by the state unless the credit shall be eligible for application and applied against ad valorem taxes levied by taxing authorities other than the state. A credit voucher must be used at the time of issuance. In the event a voucher is presented for credit against ad valorem taxes due and the amount of the voucher is in excess of the taxes due, a new voucher for the excess amount shall be issued referencing the date of issuance of the voucher so presented. The new voucher shall be designated a receipt for credit for reporting purposes with a copy given to the owner. Immediately upon issuance of a receipt for credit and no later than the twentieth day of the month following the month in which the new voucher was issued, the tax collecting official shall remit to the owner a refund credit payment in the amount of the receipt for credit. When a credit voucher is issued and no ad valorem taxes payable on a vehicle are available for credit to the owner, the voucher shall be designated a receipt for credit for reporting purposes with a copy given to the owner. Immediately upon issuance of a receipt for credit and no later than the twentieth day of the month following the month in which the new voucher was issued, the tax collecting official shall remit to the owner a refund credit payment in the amount of the receipt for credit.

"(e) The credit provided under subsection (d) may be claimed by the owner of a motor vehicle pursuant to the procedure and upon presentation of the evidence of payment of tax and eligibility for credit pursuant to subsection (d) as specified by regulations issued by the Department of Revenue, including a sworn affidavit of the buyer in the case of a sale or trade of the motor vehicle. The tax collecting official shall charge and collect as a condition to the redemption of a credit voucher or the remittance of a refund credit payment a commission in order to defray the costs thereof at a flat rate of two dollars ($2) for each credit voucher redeemed or refund remitted, which shall be collected by the tax collecting official at the time of the transaction. One-half of the commissions and fees so collected shall be deposited into the general fund of the county in which the fees are collected and the balance shall be remitted to the State General Fund. There is hereby appropriated for the use of the department in carrying out its responsibilities hereunder in each fiscal year a sum as the Legislature shall appropriate to the department for this purpose.

"(f) In no event may a credit be claimed under subsection (d), whether in conjunction with the sale or trade of a motor vehicle or pursuant to the issuance of a credit voucher as provided for in subsection (d), later than 12 months after the date a motor vehicle is demitted.

"(g) The tax assessing officials and tax collecting officials of the counties in this state, in addition to assessing and collecting the ad valorem taxes due the state and counties on motor vehicles, shall collect the ad valorem taxes on motor vehicles due all cities in this state.

"(1) The tax collecting official shall report and pay the money collected for cities at the same time and in the same manner as state and county taxes are reported and paid by the official. The tax assessing and tax collecting officials shall each receive a commission of two and one-half percent of the amount of city taxes collected. The tax collecting officials shall deduct this commission from the amount collected before paying the city treasury and, at the same time, pay to the tax assessing official any commissions due him or her under this article.

"(2) The license issuing official shall not issue a license to operate a motor vehicle on the highways of this state until all ad valorem taxes due the state, counties, and cities are paid as evidenced by a receipt of the tax collecting official.

"(h) Motor vehicles assessed under this section shall not be included in any assessment made by any person, firm, or corporation under Section 40-11-1, and the motor vehicles shall not be considered an escape property by reason of the failure to include the property value of the motor vehicle in any tax return as of October 1. All motor vehicles shall be assessed and the taxes shall be collected on the motor vehicles as herein provided. The foregoing notwithstanding, any machinery or equipment including, but not limited to, cement mixers, wrecker rigs, and box-type bodies which may be added to a motor vehicle after it leaves the original manufacturer and may be moved from one motor vehicle to another shall be separately valued and assessed with the tax assessing official as personal property.

"(i) In addition to the refunds provided for in subsection (d), refunds shall be granted for ad valorem taxes on motor vehicles for monies collected in error, as provided in Section 40-7-9.1, or upon evidence of valuation change or adjustment by the county board of equalization.

"(j) All millage rate levies and changes affecting ad valorem taxes on motor vehicles shall become effective on the January 1 following the levy or rate change.

"(k) The Department of Revenue may promulgate and implement rules and regulations for the administration of this section.

§40-12-258.

"(a) Except for vehicles provided for in subsections (b) and (c), an individual reregistering a motor vehicle that has been stored in this state and not used or operated on the public highways of this state shall pay the annual license taxes and registration fees on the vehicle. The license taxes and registration fees associated with the reregistering of motor vehicles shall not be prorated.

"(b) The owners of motor vehicles commonly known as self-propelled campers or house cars, when stored in this state and not used or operated on the public highways of this state, upon reregistering, shall pay license taxes and registration fees on a monthly prorated basis.

"(c) The owners of farm trucks and farm truck tractors and vintage vehicles, without regard to subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of Section 40-12-290, when stored in this state and not used or operated on the public highways of this state, upon reregistering, shall pay license taxes and registration fees on a monthly prorated basis.

"(d) The payment of the registration fee or license tax on motor vehicles shall be evidenced by the delivery of a license plate, which shall be placed in such position as to be lighted by the license plate lamp in accordance with subdivision (3) of subsection (g) Section 32-5-242 in an upright position, right side up, on the rear of the automobile; when a semitrailer truck is operated, the plate shall be placed on the rear of the semitrailer. It shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than ten dollars ($10) and not exceeding twenty-five dollars ($25) for each offense, to display the plate in any other place or in any other manner than as herein provided. The Department of Revenue shall provide plates for all motor vehicles and shall also provide receipts in triplicate, one of which shall be retained by the judge of probate, one shall be delivered to the person paying the license fee, and one legible copy shall be mailed by the judge of probate to the Department of Revenue on the day the license was issued. Every part of each Each receipt shall bear the same number as the plate delivered to the licensee. These receipts shall be prepared in the form to be determined by the Department of Revenue and delivered to the judges of probate of the several counties of the state under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Department of Revenue; and the Department of Revenue shall have power to prescribe rules and regulations concerning the application for and delivery to the licensee of the plate and receipt required by this article.

"(e) The automobile licensee shall be required to state in his or her application the proposed use of the automobile, whether for private use or for commercial purposes.

"(f) The plates furnished for commercial vehicles, except those used or rented by a U-Drive-It or similar system, shall be of a different design from those used for private or pleasure cars. In applying for license for buses, taxicabs, or U-Drive-Its or like motor vehicles, the application shall give the seating capacity and the weight of the vehicle."

§40-12-260.

"(a) Effective January 1, 1998, license plates, except for license plates issued under the provisions of Section 40-12-290, et seq., or any subsequent enactment which authorizes special license plates based on vehicle age, shall not be transferable between motor vehicle owners and the following registration procedures shall apply:

"(1) When a current and valid Alabama motor vehicle license plate has been obtained for the current tax year for use on a motor vehicle and the vehicle has been sold or otherwise transferred to a new owner, the license plate shall be removed from the vehicle and retained by the original plate owner.

"(2) In the event an owner purchases, trades, exchanges, or otherwise acquires another vehicle of the same license registration classification, the licensing official shall authorize the transfer of the current and valid Alabama license plate previously obtained by the owner to the replacement vehicle for the remainder of the current license year. In the further event the owner acquires a vehicle requiring a higher license classification, the owner shall first request a transfer of the valid Alabama license plate to the newly acquired vehicle, and, immediately, shall surrender the license plate to the issuing official, and upon payment of the difference in registration fees on a monthly prorated basis, shall be issued the higher license plate classification. Provided, that the owner shall not be entitled to a refund when the registration fee for the vehicle to which the plate(s) is to be assigned is less than the registration fee for that vehicle to which the license plate(s) was last assigned. Furthermore, if the owner does not have or does not acquire another vehicle to which the license plate(s) may be transferred, the owner shall not be entitled to a refund and the license plate shall be revoked.

"(3) In the event the owner of a license plate purchases, trades, exchanges, or otherwise acquires a vehicle for which a license plate has been issued during the current license year, and the license plate has not been removed by the previous owner in accordance with this section, the new owner of the vehicle shall remove and return the license plate to the county license plate issuing official of the county where the owner resides, if the owner is an individual, or of the county in which said motor vehicle is used or operated if the owner is a firm, corporation, or association, who shall receive, account for, and dispose of the license plate. However, if the license plate has expired, the new owner shall not be required to surrender the license plate.

"(4)a. The new owner of a motor vehicle shall, within 20 calendar days from the date of vehicle purchase or acquisition, make application to record the registration of the vehicle by the transfer to or the purchase of a license plate for the newly acquired vehicle with the license issuing official of the county in which the owner resides if the owner is an individual, or with the license issuing official of the county in which the motor vehicle is used or operated if the owner is a firm, corporation, or association and shall pay the fee provided under Section 40-12-271.

"b. The county license issuing official shall mail or deliver provide a copy of the registration receipt record to the Department of Revenue not later than the 10th day of the month succeeding the month the registration was issued or transferred. One copy shall be retained in the files of the county license issuing official, and one copy shall be furnished to the registered owner. However, the Department of Revenue may waive the sending of the receipt if the data is electronically transmitted; provided, that the data electronically transmitted shall be furnished to the Department of Revenue by the 10th day of the month succeeding the month in which the registration was issued or transferred. The Department of Revenue shall have the authority to prescribe rules and regulations for the administration of this paragraph.

"c. Licensed motor vehicle dealers shall not be required to register vehicles in the name of the dealership for vehicles held for resale. The dealership shall register any motor vehicle and purchase an Alabama license plate of the proper classification for any motor vehicle purchased, leased, or otherwise withdrawn from dealer inventory for private, personal, or business use by any person, including any of the dealership employees.

"(5) Any person failing to register a motor vehicle by timely transferring the license plate as provided by subsections (a)(2) and (a)(4) above and (a)(7) below shall pay a penalty of fifteen dollars ($15). The penalty shall be paid into the treasury of the county, with the county treasurer maintaining these moneys as a special training fund. Only one special training fund shall be established in each county. These moneys shall be used for all reasonable and necessary official educational expenses directly related to the assessment and collection of taxes on motor vehicles or registration and titling of motor vehicles. The special training fund shall be for the use of the officials in the county charged with the motor vehicle responsibilities mentioned above, and shall be in addition to the amount budgeted for these offices. Moneys shall be disbursed by the county treasurer for the payment of the motor vehicle related educational expenses of those officials and their employees by the county officials requisitioning expenditures from the fund. Not more than three thousand dollars ($3,000) shall be paid into the special training fund during any fiscal year (October 1 through September 30). Any excess moneys shall accrue to the general fund of the county.

"(6) Any person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of selling or otherwise disposing of motor vehicles which are required to be registered in this state shall furnish each purchaser of a motor vehicle with a legal bill of sale on which there shall be printed, stamped, or otherwise inscribed in a bold and conspicuous manner the words: "Penalty of fifteen dollars ($15) due if vehicle is not registered in the name of the new owner within 20 calendar days."

"(7)a. In the event a motor vehicle is registered pursuant to Section 32-6-150 or Section 32-6-300, or any other section designated by the Commissioner of Revenue by rule or regulation, and is transferred to the transferor's spouse or child, at the option of the transferor, the license plate may remain on the vehicle in the hands of the transferee upon payment of the fee for recording the transfer of the license plate.

"b.1. A surviving spouse, desiring to operate a vehicle devolving from a deceased spouse, shall present an application for certificate of title to the licensing official in his or her name within 30 20 days of obtaining ownership. The licensing official shall then transfer the license plate to the surviving spouse. If the motor vehicle is not subject to the provisions of the Alabama Uniform Certificate of Title and Antitheft Act (Section 32-8-1, et seq.), the surviving spouse shall provide the licensing official evidence that ownership has been conveyed to the surviving spouse.

"2. In the event that a vehicle is registered and bears a distinctive plate or a registration fee-exempt plate, the plate shall be surrendered to the licensing official within 30 20 days of the date of obtaining ownership conveyance and, upon surrender, the owner shall make application for registration of the vehicle. If the motor vehicle is not subject to the Alabama Uniform Certificate of Title and Antitheft Act (Section 32-8-1, et seq.), the surviving spouse shall provide the licensing official evidence that ownership has been conveyed to the surviving spouse.

"(8) In the event the owner of a motor vehicle junks the vehicle or the vehicle is totally destroyed deemed a total loss, as defined in Section 32-8-87, the license plate may be transferred to a motor vehicle of the same class during the same tax year. The owner of the license plate, after authorization by the licensing official, and after compliance with the provisions of the Alabama Uniform Certificate of Title and Antitheft Act, if applicable, may transfer the plate to a vehicle currently owned but not operated by that owner for the period remaining before expiration of the registration, or the license plate may be transferred to a newly acquired vehicle.

"(9) All references in this article to the words "tag" or "plate" shall have identical meaning and may be used interchangeably. The words "tag," "plate," and "owner" shall mean singular or plural.

"(b)(1) Any person operating a self-propelled vehicle required to be registered in this state on the public roads and highways of this state shall retain within the vehicle a current and valid Alabama motor vehicle registration receipt issued to the vehicle being operated. This subsection shall apply to all vehicles registered on or after January 1, 1998.

"(2) Within the first 20 calendar days of purchase or acquisition of a self-propelled motor vehicle, prior to receiving a copy of a registration receipt, there shall be retained within the vehicle being operated a legible copy of the legal bill of sale if the motor vehicle is not subject to the provisions of the Alabama Uniform Certificate of Title and Antitheft Act (Section 32-8-1, et seq.), or the owner's permit copy of the application for certificate of title for a 1975 and subsequent year model vehicle, or an official copy of a current and valid Alabama temporary registration receipt as authorized under Section 32-6-210 to Section 32-6-219, inclusive, assigned to the vehicle being operated.

"(3) (a) The retained documents specified by subsections (b)(1) and (b)(2) above shall be presented, on demand, by the vehicle operator, for inspection by law enforcement officers. The registration receipt may be presented in either a tangible format or in an electronic format. It shall be unlawful for the operator to fail or refuse to present, when requested by a law enforcement officer, the official registration receipt, or other document herein described, or legible copy thereof, for the vehicle being used or operated.

"(b) The use of a cellular phone or other electronic device to display evidence of a registration receipt does not constitute consent for law enforcement or other governmental employees to access any other content on the electronic device. Any law enforcement officer or other governmental employee presented with an electronic device pursuant to this section shall be subject to the provisions of Section 36-1-12 for damages to the electronic device resulting from acts taken when viewing the device pursuant to this section.

"(4) A motor vehicle dealer licensed under the provisions of Section 40-12-390 to Section 40-12-400, inclusive, or a motorcycle dealer licensed under the provisions of Section 40-12-62, or any motor vehicle manufacturer utilizing manufacturer license plates as authorized under the provisions of subsection (g) of Section 40-12-264 shall not be required to comply with this subsection for self-propelled motor vehicles within the dealer inventory of the motor vehicle dealer, or, in the case of the motor vehicle manufacturer, shall not be required to comply for new vehicles utilizing the manufacturer license plates and being operated within the provisions of subsection (g) of Section 40-12-264.

"(c) Any person failing to perform the duties required by the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50)."