AN ACT RELATIVE TO CERTAIN MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS.
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. Chapter 140 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 58 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
Section 58. (a) Licenses granted under sections 59 and 59A shall be classified in accordance with subsections (b) to (d), inclusive.
(b) Class 1. Any person who is a recognized agent of a motor vehicle manufacturer or a seller of motor vehicles made by such manufacturer whose authority to sell the same is created by a written contract with such manufacturer or with some person authorized in writing by such manufacturer to enter into such contract, and whose principal business is the sale of new motor vehicles, the purchase and sale of second hand motor vehicles being incidental or secondary thereto, may be granted an agent's or a seller's license; provided, that with respect to second hand motor vehicles purchased for the purpose of sale or exchange and not taken in trade for new motor vehicles, such dealer shall be subject to all provisions of this chapter applicable to holders of licenses of Class 2, except subsection (c), and to rules and regulations made under those provisions; and provided further, that such dealer maintains or demonstrates access to repair facilities sufficient to enable him to satisfy the warranty repair obligations imposed by section 7N! of chapter 90, and shall remain liable for all warranty repairs made and other obligations imposed by said section 7N! of said chapter 90.
(c) Class 2. A person whose principal business is the buying or selling of second hand motor vehicles, a person who purchases and displays second hand motor vehicles for resale in retail transactions, and any other person who displays second hand motor vehicles not owned by him pursuant to an agreement in which he receives compensation, whether solely for displaying the vehicles, upon the sale of each vehicle, or otherwise, may be granted a used car dealer's license and shall be subject to the following conditions:
(1) The person shall obtain a bond, or equivalent proof of financial responsibility as described in paragraph (5), and continue in effect a surety bond or other equivalent proof of financial responsibility satisfactory to the municipal licensing authority in the amount of $25,000 executed by a surety company authorized by the insurance department to transact business in the commonwealth. The bond or its equivalent shall be for the benefit of a person who purchases a vehicle from a Class 2 licensee, and who suffers loss on account of:-
(i) the dealer's default or nonpayment of valid bank drafts, including checks drawn by the dealer for the purchase of motor vehicles;
(ii) the dealer's failure to deliver, in conjunction with the sale of a motor vehicle, a valid motor vehicle title certificate free and clear of any prior owner's interests and all liens except a lien created by or expressly assumed in writing by the buyer of the vehicle;
(iii) the fact that the motor vehicle purchased from the dealer was a stolen vehicle;
(iv) the dealer's failure to disclose the vehicle's actual mileage at the time of sale;
(v) the dealer's unfair and deceptive acts or practices, misrepresentations, failure to disclose material facts or failure to honor a warranty claim or arbitration order in a retail transaction; or
(vi) the dealer's failure to pay off a lien on a vehicle traded in as part of a transaction to purchase a vehicle when the dealer had assumed the obligation to pay off the lien.
(2) Recovery against the bond or its equivalent may be made by any person who obtains a final judgment in a court of competent jurisdiction against the dealer for an act or omission on which the bond is conditioned if the act or omission occurred during the term of the bond. Every bond shall also provide that no suit may be maintained to enforce any liability on the bond unless brought within 1 year after the event giving rise to the cause of action.
(3) The bond or its equivalent shall cover only those acts and omissions described in clauses (i) to (vi), inclusive, of paragraph (1). The surety on a bond shall not be liable for total claims in excess of the bond amount, regardless of the number of claims made against the bond or the number of years the bond remained in force.
(4) A separate bond shall be required for each different name under which the dealer conducts his business and for each city or town in which the dealer has a place of business.
(5) In lieu of the bond required by this section, the municipal licensing authority may allow the dealer to deposit collateral in the form of a certificate of deposit or irrevocable letter of credit, as authorized by the banking laws of the commonwealth, which has a face value equal to the amount of the bond otherwise required. The collateral may be deposited with or executed through any authorized state depository designated by the commissioner. Interest on the certificate of deposit shall be payable to the dealer who has deposited it as collateral, or to a person as the dealer or the certificate may direct.
(6) A surety shall provide to the municipal licensing authority notice of cancellation of the bond within 30 days of the cancellation.
(7) Upon receipt of notification from a surety that a bond has been cancelled, the municipal licensing authority shall notify the licensee that he has 10 days to comply with the bonding requirement. If the licensee does not comply within the 10 day period, the municipal licensing authority shall revoke the Class 2 license and shall notify the registrar who shall suspend or revoke any dealer plate issued to the licensee pursuant to section 5 of chapter 90.
(8) A municipal licensing authority shall not issue or renew a Class 2 license unless it is satisfied that a bond or equivalent proof of financial responsibility meeting the requirements of this section is in effect during the term under which the license shall be issued or renewed, and that the licensee maintains or demonstrates access to repair facilities sufficient to enable him to satisfy the warranty repair obligations imposed by section 7N! of chapter 90. A used car dealer shall remain liable for all warranty repairs made and other obligations imposed by said section 7N¼ of said chapter 90.
(d) Class 3. A person whose principal business is the buying of second hand motor vehicles for the purpose of remodeling, taking apart or rebuilding and selling the same, or the buying or selling of parts of second hand motor vehicles or tires, or the assembling of second hand motor vehicle parts may be granted a motor vehicle junk license.
(e) The registrar of motor vehicles, after consulting the office of consumer affairs and business regulation, shall adopt rules and regulations defining sufficient repair facilities for the purposes of subsection (b) and paragraph (8) of subsection (c).
SECTION 2. The regulations adopted by the registrar of motor vehicles under section 58 of chapter 140 of the General Laws, as they were in force on the effective date of this act, shall continue in force until amended as provided in subsection (e) of said section 58 of said chapter 140.