Minnesota Session Laws - 1997, Regular Session

                            CHAPTER 250-S.F.No. 435 
                  An act relating to motor vehicles; making technical 
                  change to clarify that pickup truck with slip in 
                  camper may be registered depending upon its weight; 
                  providing registration tax refund for total loss 
                  vehicle damaged by flood; eliminating in 2009 the 
                  authority for the appointment of corporations as 
                  deputy registrars; restricting telephonic access to 
                  certain information related to vehicle registration; 
                  allowing vehicle dealers 21 days to send purchase 
                  receipt to department of public safety if vehicle not 
                  sold; providing for display of fleet vehicle license 
                  plates; removing sunset date relating to recreational 
                  vehicle combination length; allowing waiver of 
                  six-month possession requirement for driver's 
                  instruction permit in limited cases; providing for 
                  driver's license agents; requiring adoption of rules; 
                  requiring study and report on deputy registrar costs; 
                  amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, sections 168.011, 
                  subdivision 25; 168.16; 168.33, subdivision 2; 
                  168.345, subdivision 1; 168A.11, subdivision 2; 
                  169.79; 169.81, subdivision 3c; 171.05, subdivision 
                  2a; 171.06, subdivision 4; 373.33; and 373.35, 
                  subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law in 
                  Minnesota Statutes, chapter 171; repealing Minnesota 
                  Statutes 1996, section 171.06, subdivision 4. 
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
           Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 168.011, 
        subdivision 25, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 25.  [RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT.] (a) "Recreational 
        equipment" means travel trailers including those which telescope 
        or fold down, chassis mounted campers, house cars, motor homes, 
        tent trailers, slip in campers, and converted buses that provide 
        temporary human living quarters.  A vehicle is considered to 
        provide temporary living quarters if it:  
           (1) is not used as the residence of the owner or occupant; 
           (2) is used for temporary living quarters by the owner or 
        occupant while engaged in recreational or vacation activities; 
        and 
           (3) is self-propelled or towed on the public streets or 
        highways incidental to the recreational or vacation activities. 
           (b) For the purposes of this subdivision, a motor home 
        means a unit designed to provide temporary living quarters, 
        built into as an integral part of, or permanently attached to, a 
        self-propelled motor vehicle chassis or van.  A motor home must 
        contain permanently installed independent life support systems 
        which meet the American National Standards Institute standard 
        number A119.2 for recreational vehicles and provide at least 
        four of the following facilities, two of which must be from the 
        systems listed in clauses (1), (5), and (6):  (1) cooking 
        facility with liquid propane gas supply, (2) refrigerator, (3) 
        self-contained toilet or a toilet connected to a plumbing system 
        with connection for external water disposal, (4) heating or air 
        conditioning separate from the vehicle engine, (5) a potable 
        water supply system including a sink with faucet either 
        self-contained or with connections for an external source, and 
        (6) separate 110-125 volt electrical power supply.  For purposes 
        of this subdivision, "permanently installed" means built into or 
        attached as an integral part of a chassis or van, and designed 
        not to be removed except for repair or replacement.  A system 
        which is readily removable or held in place by clamps or tie 
        downs is not permanently installed.  
           (c) Motor homes include but are not limited to, the 
        following:  
           (1) Type A Motor Home -- a raw chassis upon which is built 
        a driver's compartment and an entire body that provides 
        temporary living quarters as defined in this paragraph; 
           (2) Type B Motor Home -- a van-type vehicle that conforms 
        to the motor home definition in this paragraph and has been 
        completed or altered by the final stage manufacturer; and 
           (3) Type C Motor Home -- an incomplete vehicle upon which 
        is permanently attached a body designed to provide temporary 
        living quarters as defined in this paragraph.  
           (c) (d) Slip in campers are mounted into a vehicle commonly 
        known as a pickup truck, in the pickup box, either by bolting 
        through the floor of the pickup box or by firmly clamping to the 
        side of the pickup box.  The vehicle must may not be registered 
        as a passenger automobile recreational vehicle. 
           Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 168.16, is 
        amended to read: 
           168.16 [REFUNDS; APPROPRIATION.] 
           After the tax upon any motor vehicle shall have been paid 
        for any year, refund shall be made for errors made in computing 
        the tax or fees and for the error on the part of an owner who 
        may in error have registered a motor vehicle that was not 
        before, nor at the time of registration, nor at any time 
        thereafter during the current past year, subject to tax in this 
        state as provided by section 168.012.  Unless otherwise provided 
        in this chapter, a claim for a refund of an overpayment of 
        registration tax must be filed within 3-1/2 years from the date 
        of payment.  The refundment shall be made from any fund in 
        possession of the registrar and shall be deducted from the 
        registrar's monthly report to the commissioner of finance.  A 
        detailed report of the refundment shall accompany the report.  
        The former owner of a transferred vehicle by an assignment in 
        writing endorsed upon the registration certificate and delivered 
        to the registrar within the time provided herein may sell and 
        assign to the new owner thereof the right to have the tax paid 
        by the former owner accredited to the owner who duly registers 
        the vehicle.  Any owner at the time of such occurrence, whose 
        vehicle is declared by an insurance company to be a total loss 
        due to flood damage, permanently destroyed, or sold to the 
        federal government, the state, or political subdivision thereof, 
        and any owner who sells a rental motor vehicle and transfers the 
        license plates issued to that motor vehicle under section 
        168.15, subdivision 3, shall upon filing a verified claim be 
        entitled to a refund of the unused portion of the tax paid upon 
        the vehicle, computed as follows: 
           (1) if the vehicle is registered under the calendar year 
        system of registration, the refund is computed pro rata by the 
        month, 1/12 of the annual tax paid for each month of the year 
        remaining after the month in which the plates and certificate 
        were returned to the registrar; 
           (2) in the case of a vehicle registered under the monthly 
        series system of registration, the amount of the refund is equal 
        to the sum of the amounts of the license fee attributable to 
        those months remaining in the licensing period after the month 
        in which the plates and certificate were returned to the 
        registrar. 
           There is hereby appropriated to the persons entitled to a 
        refund, from the fund or account in the state treasury to which 
        the money was credited, an amount sufficient to make the refund 
        and payment.  Refunds under this section to licensed motor 
        vehicle lessors must be made annually in a manner the registrar 
        determines. 
           Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 168.33, 
        subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 2.  [POWERS REGARDING DEPUTY REGISTRARS.] (a) The 
        registrar may appoint, hire, and discharge and fix the 
        compensation of the necessary employees, in the manner provided 
        by law, as may be required to enable the registrar to properly 
        carry out the duties imposed by this chapter.  The registrar may 
        appoint, and for cause discontinue, a deputy registrar for any 
        statutory or home rule charter city as the public interest and 
        convenience may require, without regard to whether the county 
        auditor of the county in which the city is situated has been 
        appointed as the deputy registrar for the county or has been 
        discontinued as the deputy registrar for the county, and without 
        regard to whether the county in which the city is situated has 
        established a county license bureau which issues motor vehicle 
        licenses as provided in section 373.32. 
           (b) The registrar may appoint, and for cause discontinue, a 
        deputy registrar for any statutory or home rule charter city as 
        the public interest and convenience may require, if the auditor 
        for the county in which the city is situated chooses not to 
        accept appointment as the deputy registrar for the county or is 
        discontinued as a deputy registrar, or if the county in which 
        the city is situated has not established a county license bureau 
        which issues motor vehicle licenses as provided in section 
        373.32.  A person appointed by the registrar as a deputy 
        registrar for any statutory or home rule charter city must be a 
        resident of the county in which the city is situated. 
           (c) The registrar may appoint, and for cause discontinue, 
        the county auditor of each county as a deputy registrar.  Upon 
        approval of the county board, the auditor, with the approval of 
        the director of motor vehicles, may appoint, and for cause 
        discontinue, the clerk or equivalent officer of each statutory 
        or home rule charter city or any other person as a deputy 
        registrar as public interest and convenience may require, 
        regardless of the appointee's county of residence.  At the 
        request of the governing body of a statutory or home rule 
        charter city, the auditor shall appoint, and may for cause 
        discontinue, the clerk or equivalent officer of a city, or 
        another officer or employee of the city designated by the 
        governing body, as a deputy registrar: 
           (1) if the city is a county seat or, if not, is larger than 
        the seat of the county in which it is situated; and 
           (2) no office of a deputy registrar is situated within the 
        city or within 15 miles of the city by the most direct public 
        route. 
           (d) Notwithstanding any other provision, a person other 
        than a county auditor or a director of a county license bureau, 
        who was appointed by the registrar before August 1, 1976, as a 
        deputy registrar for any statutory or home rule charter city, 
        may continue to serve as deputy registrar and may be 
        discontinued for cause only by the registrar.  The county 
        auditor who appointed the deputy registrars is responsible for 
        the acts of deputy registrars appointed by the auditor.  Each 
        deputy, before entering upon the discharge of duties, shall take 
        and subscribe an oath to faithfully discharge the duties and to 
        uphold the laws of the state.  If a deputy registrar appointed 
        under this subdivision is not an officer or employee of a county 
        or statutory or home rule charter city, the deputy shall in 
        addition give bond to the state in the sum of $10,000, or a 
        larger sum as may be required by the registrar, conditioned upon 
        the faithful discharge of duties as deputy registrar.  
           (e) Until January 1, 2009, a corporation governed by 
        chapter 302A may be appointed a deputy registrar.  Upon 
        application by an individual serving as a deputy registrar and 
        the giving of the requisite bond as provided in this 
        subdivision, personally assured by the individual or another 
        individual approved by the commissioner of public safety, a 
        corporation named in an application shall become the duly 
        appointed and qualified successor to the deputy registrar.  The 
        appointment of any corporation as a deputy registrar expires 
        January 1, 2009.  A county board shall appoint, or the 
        commissioner shall appoint if the county board declines to do 
        so, an individual as successor to the corporation as a deputy 
        registrar.  The county board or commissioner shall appoint as 
        the successor agent to a corporation whose appointment expires 
        under this paragraph an officer of the corporation if the 
        officer applies for appointment before July 1, 2009. 
           (f) Each deputy registrar appointed under this subdivision 
        shall keep and maintain, in a convenient public place within or 
        in close proximity to the place for which appointed, a 
        registration and motor vehicle tax collection bureau, to be 
        approved by the registrar, for the registration of motor 
        vehicles and the collection of taxes on motor vehicles.  The 
        deputy registrar shall keep records and make reports to the 
        registrar as the registrar, from time to time, may require.  The 
        records must be maintained at the facility of the deputy 
        registrar.  The records and facilities of the deputy registrar 
        must at all times be open to the inspection of the registrar or 
        the registrar's agents.  The deputy registrar shall report to 
        the registrar by the next working day following receipt all 
        registrations made and taxes and fees collected by the deputy 
        registrar.  The filing fee imposed under subdivision 7 must be 
        deposited in the treasury of the place for which appointed or, 
        if not a public official, a deputy shall retain the filing fee, 
        but the registration tax and any additional fees for delayed 
        registration the deputy registrar has collected the deputy 
        registrar shall deposit by the next working day following 
        receipt in an approved state depository to the credit of the 
        state through the state treasurer.  The place for which the 
        deputy registrar is appointed through its governing body must 
        provide the deputy registrar with facilities and personnel to 
        carry out the duties imposed by this subdivision if the deputy 
        is a public official.  In all other cases, the deputy shall 
        maintain a suitable facility for serving the public. 
           Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 168.345, 
        subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
           Subdivision 1.  [TELEPHONE INFORMATION.] Information 
        concerning motor vehicle registrations shall not be furnished on 
        the telephone to any person except the personnel of law 
        enforcement agencies and the personnel of federal, state, and 
        local governmental units motor vehicle and registration offices. 
           Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 168A.11, 
        subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 2.  [PURCHASE RECEIPT.] A dealer, on buying a vehicle 
        which is subject to an outstanding for which the seller does not 
        present a certificate of title, shall at the time of taking 
        delivery of the vehicle execute in triplicate a purchase receipt 
        for the vehicle in a form designated by the department, and 
        deliver one copy to the seller.  Within 48 hours thereafter When 
        a vehicle purchased by a dealer has not been resold after 21 
        days, the dealer shall mail, transmit, or deliver one copy 
        of such the receipt to the department. 
           Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 169.79, is 
        amended to read: 
           169.79 [VEHICLE REGISTRATION.] 
           No person shall operate, drive or park a motor vehicle on 
        any highway unless the vehicle is registered in accordance with 
        the laws of this state and has the number plates for the current 
        year only, except as provided in section 168.12, subdivision 2f, 
        as assigned to it by the commissioner of public safety, 
        conspicuously displayed thereon in a manner that the view of any 
        plate is not obstructed.  If the vehicle is a semitrailer, the 
        number plate displayed must be assigned to the registered owner 
        and correlate to the certificate of title documentation on file 
        with the department and shall not display a year indicator.  If 
        the vehicle is a motorcycle, motor scooter, motorized bicycle, 
        motorcycle sidecar, trailer, semitrailer, or vehicle displaying 
        a dealer plate, one plate shall be displayed on the rear 
        thereof; if the vehicle is a truck-tractor, road-tractor or farm 
        truck, as defined in section 168.011, subdivision 17, but 
        excluding from that definition semitrailers and trailers, one 
        plate shall be displayed on the front thereof; if it is any 
        other kind of motor vehicle, one plate shall be displayed on the 
        front and one on the rear thereof.  All plates shall be securely 
        fastened so as to prevent them from swinging.  The person 
        driving the motor vehicle shall keep the plate legible and 
        unobstructed and free from grease, dust, or other blurring 
        material so that the lettering shall be plainly visible at all 
        times.  It is unlawful to cover any assigned letters and numbers 
        or the name of the state of origin of a license plate with any 
        material whatever, including any clear or colorless material 
        that affects the plate's visibility or reflectivity.  License 
        plates issued to vehicles registered under section 168.017 must 
        display the month of expiration in the lower left corner as 
        viewed facing the plate and the year of expiration in the lower 
        right corner as viewed facing the plate.  License plates issued 
        to vehicles registered under section 168.127 must display either 
        fleet registration validation stickers in the lower right corner 
        as viewed facing the plates or distinctive license plates, 
        issued by the registrar, with "FLEET REG" embossed on the bottom 
        center portion of the plate. 
           Sec. 7.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 169.81, 
        subdivision 3c, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 3c.  [RECREATIONAL VEHICLE COMBINATIONS.] 
        Notwithstanding subdivision 3, a recreational vehicle 
        combination may be operated without a permit if: 
           (1) the combination does not consist of more than three 
        vehicles, and the towing rating of the pickup truck is equal to 
        or greater than the total weight of all vehicles being towed; 
           (2) the combination does not exceed 60 feet in length; 
           (3) the camper-semitrailer in the combination does not 
        exceed 28 feet in length until August 1, 1997, and 26 feet 
        thereafter; 
           (4) the operator of the combination is at least 18 years of 
        age; 
           (5) the trailer carrying a watercraft meets all 
        requirements of law; 
           (6) the trailers in the combination are connected to the 
        pickup truck and each other in conformity with section 169.82; 
        and 
           (7) the combination is not operated within the seven-county 
        metropolitan area, as defined in section 473.121, subdivision 2, 
        during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 
        p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. 
           Sec. 8.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 171.05, 
        subdivision 2a, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 2a.  [PERMIT FOR SIX MONTHS.] (a) An applicant who 
        has applied for and received an instruction permit pursuant to 
        subdivision 2 must possess the instruction permit for not less 
        than six months before qualifying for a driver's license.  
           (b) Until May 31, 1999, the commissioner may waive the 
        six-month requirement of this subdivision for an applicant for a 
        class D driver's license if: 
           (1) at least six months has elapsed since the applicant 
        successfully completed the written examination requirement of 
        the approved driver education program pursuant to subdivision 2; 
        and 
           (2) the applicant subsequently obtained a permit and 
        successfully completed all of the approved driver education 
        program requirements before applying for the class D driver's 
        license. 
        This paragraph is effective the day following final enactment 
        and expires June 1, 1999. 
           Sec. 9.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 171.06, 
        subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
           Subd. 4.  [APPLICATION, FILING; FEE RETAINED FOR EXPENSES.] 
        Any applicant for an instruction permit, a driver's license, 
        restricted license, or duplicate license may file an application 
        with a court administrator of the district court or at a state 
        office.  The administrator or state office shall receive and 
        accept the application.  To cover all expenses involved in 
        receiving, accepting, or forwarding to the department 
        applications and fees, the court administrator of the district 
        court may retain a county fee of $3.50 for each application for 
        a Minnesota identification card, instruction permit, duplicate 
        license, driver license, or restricted license.  The amount 
        allowed to be retained by the court administrator of the 
        district court shall be paid into the county treasury and 
        credited to the general revenue fund of the county.  Before the 
        end of the first working day following the final day of an 
        established reporting period, the court administrator shall 
        forward to the department all applications and fees collected 
        during the reporting period, less the amount herein allowed to 
        be retained for expenses.  The court administrators of the 
        district courts may appoint agents to assist in accepting 
        applications, but the administrators shall require every agent 
        to forward to the administrators by whom the agent is appointed 
        all applications accepted and fees collected by the agent, 
        except that an agent shall retain the county fee to cover the 
        agent's expenses involved in receiving, accepting or forwarding 
        the applications and fees.  The court administrators shall be 
        responsible for the acts of agents appointed by them and for the 
        forwarding to the department of all applications accepted and 
        those fees collected by agents and by themselves as are required 
        to be forwarded to the department.  The commissioner shall 
        suspend or revoke the appointment of a license agent or issue a 
        correction order to a license agent who violates any requirement 
        of this section or when grounds exist that would justify 
        revocation or suspension of a deputy registrar appointment under 
        Minnesota Rules, parts 7406.0800 to 7406.1000.  To revoke or 
        suspend an appointment, the commissioner shall follow procedures 
        for suspension and revocation hearings set forth in Minnesota 
        Rules, parts 7406.1100 to 7406.2600. 
           Sec. 10.  [171.061] [DRIVER'S LICENSE AGENTS.] 
           Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] For purposes of this section:
           (1) "applicant" means an individual applying for a driver's 
        license, restricted license, duplicate license, instruction 
        permit, Minnesota identification card, or motorized bicycle 
        operator's permit; and 
           (2) "application" refers to an application for a driver's 
        license, restricted license, duplicate license, instruction 
        permit, Minnesota identification card, or motorized bicycle 
        operator's permit. 
           Subd. 2.  [APPOINTMENT AND DISCONTINUANCE.] (a) The 
        commissioner of public safety may appoint an individual, and for 
        cause discontinue the appointment of an agent, to serve as a 
        driver's license agent. 
           (b) A county board may appoint an individual, and for cause 
        discontinue the appointment of an agent, to serve as an agent, 
        pursuant to sections 373.32 to 373.38, with the approval of the 
        commissioner.  If a county board does not discontinue an agent's 
        appointment, although cause for discontinuance exists, the 
        commissioner may discontinue the appointment.  If a county board 
        does not appoint an individual, the commissioner may establish 
        an office and appoint an individual to accept applications as 
        the public interest and convenience may require. 
           (c) The county board is responsible for the acts of an 
        agent appointed by the board and for forwarding to the 
        department all applications accepted and fees collected by the 
        agent as required by the department. 
           Subd. 3.  [APPLICATIONS.] An applicant may file an 
        application with an agent.  The agent shall receive and accept 
        applications in accordance with the laws and rules of the 
        department of public safety for a driver's license, restricted 
        license, duplicate license, instruction permit, Minnesota 
        identification card, or motorized bicycle operator's permit. 
           Subd. 4.  [FEE; EQUIPMENT.] (a) The agent may charge and 
        retain a filing fee of $3.50 for each application.  Except as 
        provided in paragraph (b), the fee shall cover all expenses 
        involved in receiving, accepting, or forwarding to the 
        department the applications and fees required under sections 
        171.02, subdivision 3; 171.06, subdivisions 2 and 2a; and 
        171.07, subdivisions 3 and 3a. 
           (b) An agent with photo identification equipment provided 
        by the department before January 1, 1999, may retain the photo 
        identification equipment until the agent's appointment 
        terminates.  The department shall maintain the photo 
        identification equipment for these agents.  An agent appointed 
        before January 1, 1999, who does not have photo identification 
        equipment provided by the department, and any new agent 
        appointed after December 31, 1998, shall procure and maintain 
        photo identification equipment.  All photo identification 
        equipment must be compatible with standards established by the 
        department. 
           (c) A filing fee retained by the agent employed by a county 
        board must be paid into the county treasury and credited to the 
        general revenue fund of the county.  An agent who is not an 
        employee of the county shall retain the filing fee in lieu of 
        county employment or salary and is considered an independent 
        contractor for pension purposes, coverage under the Minnesota 
        state retirement system, or membership in the public employees 
        retirement association. 
           (d) Before the end of the first working day following the 
        final day of the reporting period established by the department, 
        the agent must forward to the department all applications and 
        fees collected during the reporting period except as provided in 
        paragraph (c). 
           Subd. 5.  [DISCONTINUANCE OR TRANSFER OF APPOINTMENT.] (a) 
        An agent shall notify the department no less than 30 days before 
        the discontinuance of service. 
           (b) In the event of the notice specified in paragraph (a); 
        death or retirement of the agent; or revocation or 
        discontinuance of the appointment of the agent by the county 
        board or commissioner, the appointment terminates and all 
        equipment provided by the department reverts to the department. 
           Subd. 6.  [RULES.] The commissioner shall adopt rules that 
        prescribe: 
           (1) criteria, procedures, and requirements for appointing 
        an individual as an agent of the commissioner; 
           (2) criteria for establishment, operation, management, 
        location, and movement of a license application office; 
           (3) standards for the uniform administration of laws and 
        rules governing the receipt of applications and fees for 
        applications; 
           (4) number of applications to be processed; 
           (5) standards for submitting applications including valid 
        forms of identification, depositing funds, maintaining records, 
        and holding proper bonds; and 
           (6) standards for discontinuing the individual's 
        appointment and for enforcement action. 
           Sec. 11.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 373.33, is 
        amended to read: 
           373.33 [STATE LICENSES MAY BE ISSUED.] 
           A county license bureau may issue, process or assist in 
        preparing an application for any license or permit issued by the 
        state or a state official including but not limited to game and 
        fish, trapping, wild rice harvest, motor vehicle, manufactured 
        home, trailer, snowmobile, watercraft or drivers license or as 
        many of the licenses as designated by the county board.  The 
        processing of driver's license applications by a county license 
        bureau is subject to the provisions of section 171.061.  This 
        authority does not include the issuance of marriage licenses.  
        The county board may delegate the responsibility for the 
        issuance of any county license or permit to the county license 
        bureau.  
           Sec. 12.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 373.35, 
        subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
           Subdivision 1.  [AUDITOR OR BOARD APPOINTEE.] The county 
        auditor shall serve as the director of the county license bureau 
        or, if the auditor chooses not to serve, the county board shall 
        appoint any other county officer or employee, or any other 
        person, to serve as the director upon the terms and conditions 
        the county board deems advisable.  The county board shall set 
        the compensation of the director and may provide for the 
        expenses of the office including the premium of any bond 
        required to be furnished by the director.  The director shall 
        have the powers and duties imposed on the county officer who 
        previously had the authority to issue or process the application 
        for any license referred to in section 373.32. 
           Notwithstanding section 168.33, subdivision 2, the 
        commissioner of public safety may appoint, and for cause 
        discontinue, the director as the deputy registrar of motor 
        vehicles in the county.  If the director is a deputy registrar, 
        all provisions of section 168.33 and Minnesota Rules, chapter 
        7406, apply to a county license bureau.  If the director is a 
        driver's license agent, section 171.061 and rules promulgated 
        thereunder apply to the county license board director. 
           Sec. 13.  [REAPPOINTMENT OF DRIVER'S LICENSE AGENTS.] 
           The appointment of a driver's license agent appointed 
        before January 1, 1999, expires on January 1, 1999, unless the 
        agent applies to the commissioner before that date for 
        reappointment to serve as an agent under Minnesota Statutes, 
        section 171.061, subdivision 2, paragraph (a) or (c).  The 
        commissioner shall reappoint any agent who applies under this 
        section unless the commissioner determines that the applicant's 
        performance as a driver's license agent would be grounds for 
        discontinuance as an agent under the rules adopted under 
        Minnesota Statutes, section 171.061, subdivision 6, clause (6). 
           Sec. 14.  [TRANSITION.] 
           The court administrators of the district courts may not 
        appoint an agent before January 1, 1999, under Minnesota 
        Statutes, section 171.06, other than an agent appointed to 
        replace or succeed an already existing agent. 
           Sec. 15.  [APPOINTMENT BY THE COMMISSIONER.] 
           Notwithstanding the effective date of section 10, 
        subdivisions 1 to 4, the commissioner shall appoint an applicant 
        that is an individual or corporation, and may for cause 
        discontinue the appointment of an agent, as a driver's license 
        agent if the applicant: 
           (1) is a deputy registrar who is not a public official 
        operating in Dakota county; 
           (2) has operated for at least nine years the office at 
        which the applicant will carry out the functions of a driver's 
        license agent; and 
           (3) procures and maintains photo identification equipment 
        satisfactory to the commissioner. 
        An agent appointed under this section is subject to section 13. 
           Sec. 16.  [STUDY OF DEPUTY REGISTRAR TRANSACTION COSTS.] 
           The commissioner of public safety shall investigate, 
        survey, and report findings regarding the costs of deputy 
        registrar transactions in Minnesota.  The commissioner shall 
        submit a written report to the legislature by January 15, 1998. 
           Sec. 17.  [REPEALER.] 
           Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 171.06, subdivision 4, is 
        repealed. 
           Sec. 18.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
           Sections 10, subdivisions 5 and 6; 14; and 15 are effective 
        the day following final enactment.  Sections 9; 10, subdivisions 
        1 to 4; 11; 12; 16; and 17 are effective January 1, 1999. 
           Presented to the governor May 30, 1997 
           Signed by the governor June 3, 1997, 2:12 p.m.