Clarify Motor Vehicle Dealer Laws.

Added restrictions preventing manufacturers from conditioning franchise transfer approval on dealers entering right of first refusal agreements with the manufacturer.

Expanded the list of prohibited manufacturer conditions when approving franchise transfers to include requirements about constructing facilities, renovating existing facilities, or establishing exclusive display space.

Modified franchise termination notice requirements to use whichever is longer: the statutory time period or the effective date specified in the manufacturer's termination notice.

Added requirement that manufacturers must act in good faith when terminating franchises and must satisfy Commissioner determination of good cause before termination.

Changed bill status from committee substitute versions to ratified bill format, indicating the legislation has been approved and signed into law.

Manufacturers can no longer condition franchise approvals on a dealer's willingness to sign a right of first refusal agreement with the manufacturer.

Manufacturers must now require applicants to provide information about prior denials by other manufacturers, but this information can only be used to base disapproval decisions, not as a condition for approval.

Manufacturers can no longer consider whether an applicant has previously filed civil or administrative proceedings against any manufacturer or distributor when deciding on franchise applications.

Notice requirements for terminating or failing to renew franchises now require both manufacturer compliance and Commissioner determination if requested.

Attorney fee reimbursement requirements were expanded to apply when a denial is overturned by a reviewing court or administrative agency, and only after all appellate remedies are exhausted if the turndown was found unreasonable.

The bill's version identifier was updated from S295-v-1 to S295-v-2, indicating this is a revised version of the legislation.

The Commerce and Insurance Committee adoption date (4/29/25) and sponsor information were removed from the header, likely because this is a substitute version where those details were updated elsewhere.

A minor text correction was made to complete the phrase 'notice requirements' instead of the truncated 'notice requi', clarifying that manufacturers must satisfy specific notice obligations before terminating dealer franchises.

Added a requirement that manufacturers must satisfy notice requirements before they can fail to renew a franchise with a licensed new motor vehicle dealer, providing additional protection for dealers against arbitrary franchise termination.

Removed the original filing date and tracking number (DRS35112-NE-48) from the document header.

Added official session information, bill number formatting, and new tracking number (S295-v-1) to the document header.

Updated the referral information to specify the Rules and Operations of the Senate committee and the March 17, 2025 date.