HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 427        FILED ON: 1/12/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3433

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

William M. Straus

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to duplicate license plates.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 427        FILED ON: 1/12/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3433

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3600 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to duplicate license plates.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to regulate the issuance of duplicate license plates, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public safety.
 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 2 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended in line 156 by inserting after the word “provided,” the following:- 

“that the registrar shall not furnish a number plate with the identical sequence of horizontally aligned alphanumeric characters as another active number plate; and provided further,”.   

SECTION 2.  The registrar shall issue a new registration number and number plates to a registrant, at the registrant’s option upon application, without charge, whose number plate shares the identical sequence of horizontally aligned alphanumeric characters with another active number plate. 

SECTION 3.  Not later than January 1, 2025, the registrar shall (i) identify all registrants with number plates that share the identical sequence of horizontally aligned alphanumeric characters with another active number plate and (ii) provide written notice to such registrants informing them of same and of the registrar’s obligations under section 2.  

SECTION 4.  Municipal, county, and state agencies and other governmental entities, including but not limited to law enforcement agencies and personnel, the Massachusetts department of transportation, and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and those acting on their behalf, shall include all vertically stacked characters that are part of a registration number and shall note whether a plate is a specialty, distinctive, commercial or other plate series when documenting or otherwise recording a motor vehicle or trailer plate number for the purpose of assessing any violation, fine, surcharge, toll, or fee.