Vehicles: license plate pilot programs.

Existing law requires a vehicle to display a license plate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles on the rear of the vehicle. Existing law requires a vehicle to display tabs upon the license plate indicating the month and year of expiration of the vehicle registration and makes it a crime to display expired tabs. Existing law authorizes the department to conduct a pilot program, to be completed no later than January 1, 2019, to evaluate the use of alternatives to stickers, tabs, license plates, and registration cards, subject to certain requirements, and to report the results of the pilot program, as specified, to the Legislature no later than July 1, 2020. Existing law also authorizes the department to enter into contracts with qualified private industry partners to provide specified service relating to the registration of vehicles. Existing law regulates the licensing of persons engaged in the business of a registration service. This bill would specify that the authorization to establish the above-mentioned pilot program includes the authority to establish a pilot program to evaluate alternative methods of collecting fees related to the registration of a motor vehicle or the purchase, renewal, or transfer of license plates.