HB 976 -- Disabled License Plates and Placards

Sponsor:  Schlottach

This bill:

(1)  Changes the fraudulent procurement or use of a disabled
license plate or placard from a class C misdemeanor to a class A
misdemeanor;

(2)  Changes the penalty for certifying an individual for a
disabled plate or placard outside the practitioner's scope from a
class C misdemeanor to a class A misdemeanor and requires
certification to meet certain standards;

(3)  Allows other health care practitioners (chiropractors,
podiatrists, and optometrists) to certify individuals for
disabled license plates or placards;

(4)  Excludes age as a factor in determining whether a person is
entitled to a disabled license plate or placard;

(5)  Establishes record maintenance requirements for physicians
and health care practitioners who issue physician's statements
for disabled license plates or placards.  These records must be
open to inspection and review by the physician's licensing board
to verify compliance with the bill;

(6)  Requires physicians' statements to be on a form prescribed
by the Director of the Department of Revenue, state the specific
diagnosis which renders the person physically disabled, include
the physician's license number, and be signed by the physician or
health care practitioner;

(7)  Limits to two the number of removable windshield handicap
placards that may be issued by the director to any one person;

(8)  Increases the fee for removable windshield handicap placards
from $2 to $4;

(9)  Limits the use of the placard to when the person is in the
motor vehicle at the time of parking or when the person is being
delivered;

(10)  Requires every applicant or renewal for a disabled license
plate or placard, beginning August 1, 2005, to present a new
physician's statement dated no more than 90 days prior to the
application.  Thereafter, the director must not renew pre-
existing disabled plates or placards unless the applicant
furnishes a new physician's statement every four years; and

(11)  Makes any person who cannot produce the certificate which
authorizes him or her to park in a disabled parking space guilty
of a class A misdemeanor.  If a person can later produce a valid
certificate in court, the person will not be found guilty.
Placards can only be used when the vehicle is parked in a
disabled parking space.

The bill has an effective date of January 1, 2005.

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:14 am