Maryland HB1148 2020- Vehicle Laws - Military Surplus Vehicles - Registration and Operation

[Ajax MD]

I felt it necessary to start a fresh, clean thread on Maryland FMV registration to get clear of the thread drift and opinions in the old "Banned" thread.

Here are the solid facts:

1. I have spoken to Delegate Hornberger's staff today, 2/25.
2. I have verified that they have included our proposed amendment to ensure that wheeled surplus military vehicles and trailers may be operated commercially, if safety inspected.
3. I have verified that they have included our proposed amendment to ensure that non-commercial, private hobbyists ARE NOT REQUIRED to have a safety inspection. (This is in keeping with current laws for the Historic and Street Rod registration category)
4. The bill has cleared the Judiciary Committee (Why Judiciary and not Transportation Committee, I have no idea)
5. I have been asked to provide brief, verbal testimony before the Maryland General Assembly, tomorrow (2/26) at the 2nd Reading of HB1148.

• Amendment 1 ensures that businesses like Mission BBQ and charity organizations that use FMV's as goodwill ambassadors are able to operate unrestricted, as they have been.
• Amendment 2 ensures that hobbyists are not subject to onerous safety inspections in exchange for operating restrictions that are identical to the Historic category, which is as it has always been.
• All FMV's currently tagged, MAY KEEP their current tags, they are grandfathered in. Like your tag? Keep your tag.

So what is different?

• The bill is worded to indicate that a new type of license plate will be created for FMV's.
• The wording indicates that any wheeled multi-purpose FMV or military trailer may apply for this Historic or Hobbyist FMV license plate. NO MENTION OF YEAR OR AGE is given in the bill! That means that if you have a 2003 HMMWV *and* you are willing to accept the operating limitations of this category, then you can obtain tags without a safety inspection.
• If a Maryland FMV owner wishes to operate their vehicle commercially, the vehicle must pass a safety inspection the same as any other vehicle and obtain tags for that category.
• If a Maryland FMV owner wishes to operate their vehicle daily (daily driver, commuting to work) but NOT commercially, the vehicle must pass a safety inspection to obtain regular passenger vehicle tags.
• A one-time fee of $51.00 instead of bi-annual renewals.

So what are the operating limitations of the FMV hobbyist license plate? They're exactly the same as the Historic and Street Rod limitations that most of us operate under right now:

• May not be used for general daily transportation
• May not be used for general transportation of passengers
• May not be used for transportation to employment

If anything, this bill makes Maryland titling and registration less onerous and grants a slightly higher degree of freedom by allowing newer FMV's to obtain the new, hobbyist FMV tag. The bill also DOES NOT affect currently registered vehicles.

Two more notes:

This is only the 2nd Reading at the Assembly and it is not expected to be voted up or down as a law tomorrow (but it is remotely possible).
If the bill flops, nothing changes. Keep your tags, keep driving. If you purchase an FMV 20+ years old, get it titled and obtain Historic tags for it the same as we always have been.

Please ask questions, but keep this channel clear of thread drift. Use the "Banned in Maryland" thread for casual discussion.

Thanks.

 

[Bulldogger]

Goo d news and thanks for the update Ajax. I am across the Wilson Bridge and watching your progress with interest. If this initiative passes we can try to cite precedent in our neighboring State and perhaps sway VA. However the voiced opposition of the Chief of Police will remain a stumbling block for some time I fear.
Bulldogger

 

[Ajax MD]

Okie-dokie, here's what happened at the 2nd hearing of HB-1148:

First, I met with the bill sponsor in his office prior to presentation so that we could coordinate our statements and intentions.

The Delegate originally wrote the bill with the intent to legalize surplus HMMWVs to drive on Maryland public roads. I told him that this was all well and good, but was he aware that the MSP was attemping an end-run around the legislature by trying to ban FMV's from the road? He was quite surprised. We looked up the ASED bulletin together and he was pretty irritated when he read it. He stated "They can't do that!" which I took as a positive response to our cause. So now, the Delegate has a stronger sense of urgency about getting this bill through.

I had no troubles presenting testimony at the Judiciary Committee hearing. I only had 90 seconds to deliver prepared remarks. I fielded a couple of softball questions from the committee that I was prepared for. Question #1 was: Can municipalities sell their surplus HMMWVs to the public when they are done with them? Question #2 was about emissions. None of the committee expressed strong feelings about the bill one way or the other.

Much to my surprise, two military vehicle owners signed up to speak in opposition to the bill, after us. These two fellows own immaculate, historically accurate, WWII Jeeps. They were under the impression that the Motor Vehicle Administration was going to force them to drill and afix new VIN plates as well as force them to add all sorts of after-market safey equipment. They were rightfully concerned about destroying the value of their collectibles. The Delegate and I cornered them after the hearing and cleared things up for them so I don't see them opposing the bill in the future. We have no such intentions.

In the end, the Delegate told me that he is unsure if the bill is going to be voted on this year, but he's not going to give up or let this go away because of the ASED-009 bulletin. We will keep in touch and keep moving forward.

Important note:

There are plenty of Maryland FMV owners who are not members of the Steel Soldiers forums. Please help me spread the word that we are NOT trying to force owners to destroy their collectibles by drilling holes in them to afix new VIN plates or tacking on aftermarket safety equipment such as additional mirrors, lights, etc. We will fight any such provisions.

Inform other Marylanders that one of the main purposes of the bill is to get ahead of the state police by legislating FMVs in a positive and friendly way BEFORE the state police can stick their fingers in and turn us into California which has just prohibited ALL FMV's from public roads.

 

[cruzinz28]

I'm not sure how/if there is a way I can help. I am following this thread closely. Please feel free to contact me if you think there is anything I can contribute or help with.

 

[Ajax MD]

@cruzinz28 Nothing is happening at this moment. I'll keep you in the loop.

The main thing you can do, is email your state delegate and state that you support HB-1148 *with amendments* and urge them to take up the bill.