Omnibus transportation bill advanced

Lawmakers gave first-round approval Feb. 11 to a bill containing several transportation measures.

LB944, as introduced by Lincoln Sen. Suzanne Geist, would allow owners to seek a refund on vehicle registration if a vehicle is lost to natural disaster. Geist said the bill also would harmonize several technical provisions of state law related to motor vehicles.

A Transportation and Telecommunications Committee amendment, adopted 42-0, incorporated provisions of LB831, originally introduced by Brainard Sen. Bruce Bostelman.

These would allow the state Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a salvage title for a vehicle manufactured prior to 1940 if it previously was titled as “junk.” The vehicle owner also would be required to prove that no major component part had been replaced, the vehicle had been restored to its original specifications and that it had been inspected.

Bostelman said he brought the bill on behalf of a constituent who owns a 1930 Ford Model A that had been passed down through the generations. His constituent was unable to obtain a title, he said, because the vehicle erroneously was titled as “junk” years ago.

The committee amendment also incorporated provisions of four additional bills, including:
• LB768, originally introduced by Thurston Sen. Joni Albrecht, which would incorporate updated federal regulations related to cabin trailers, low-speed vehicles, handicapped parking, vehicle registration and driver licenses and state identification cards, among others;
• LB785, originally introduced by Henderson Sen. Curt Friesen, which would provide length, weight and load capacity exceptions for stinger-steered automobile transporters, towaway trailer transporter combinations, battery-powered vehicles, emergency vehicles and certain heavy-duty tow and recovery vehicles;
• LB983, originally introduced by Bellevue Sen. Sue Crawford, which would eliminate the one-point deduction from a person’s driver license for a speeding violation of up to five miles per hour over the speed limit; and
• LB1067, originally introduced by Bayard Sen. Steve Erdman, which would allow all-terrain and utility-type vehicles to cross controlled-access highways of more than two marked lanes, if used for agricultural purposes.

Senators advanced LB944 to select file on a 42-0 vote.