Esta ley enmienda la Ley de Vehículos y Tránsito de Puerto Rico para establecer una tarifa anual de un (1) dólar para los automóviles con placas especiales para autos antiguos, clásicos o clásicos modificados, reconociendo su valor histórico, cultural y sentimental y su uso limitado.
(Approved February 15, 2002)
To amend Section 24.02 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, as amended, known as "Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act," in order to add a clause (38) to subsection
(a) of said Section 24.02, providing for the amount of annual fees to be paid on antique, classic, and modified classic cars.
The new Vehicle and Traffic Act provides in Section 2.26, as amended by Act No. 365 of September 2, 2000, that at the request of the interested party, the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works shall issue a special license plate for any motor vehicle that can be classified as an antique car, being it understood that an antique car is any automobile made at least forty (40) years before the date of issue of the license plate.
It is also provided that the Secretary shall issue at the request of the interested party, a special license plate for motor vehicles that can be classified as antique, classic, or modified classic cars, being it understood that a classic car is an automobile made twenty-five (25) years before the date of issue of the license plate; and a modified classic car, an automobile made twenty-five (25) years before the date of issue of the license plate which has been substantially improved or restored with parts or fixtures not produced by the same company that made the car.
In the passing of time, these vehicles have become objects that hold great historical, cultural, and sentimental value. For the older set, these vehicles transport them to their younger years, whereas for the younger, these cars transport them to a time they did not know by piquing their interest and curiosity in that time past.
In Puerto Rico, there are at present various organizations constituted by owners of antique cars whose interest is the preservation of these vehicles by promoting social and cultural activities.
Due to the special significance and value that these vehicles hold for their owners and for the organizations to which they belong, these cars are used only for special events and occasions.
Taking into consideration the limited and special use of these vehicles, in addition to their intrinsic historical, cultural, and sentimental value, we can conclude that these cars should be exempt from payment of the annual fees contemplated in the Act in effect for vehicles for private use, by limiting this payment to the nominal fee of one (1) dollar.
Antique, classic and modified classic car organizations or clubs keep the interest and curiosity alive for many, and for others it instills a nostalgia for times past in our recent history, reason for which their preservation is meritorious.
Section 1.- A clause (38) is hereby added to subsection
(a) of Section 24.02 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, known as "Vehicle and Traffic Act," to read as follows:
"Section 24.02.- Fees to be paid.- Regarding the fees to be paid under this Act, the following standards shall be followed:
(a) The following fees shall be paid for the following vehicles: (1) (38) For automobiles with special license plates for antique, classic, or modified classic cars, as provided in Section 2.26 of this Act, one (1) dollar a year."
Section 2.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 34 (H.B. 922) of the $3^{ ext {nd }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to amend Section 24.02 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, as amended, known as "Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act," in order to add a clause (38) to subsection
(a) of said Section 24.02, providing for the amount of annual fees to be paid on antique, classic, and modified classic cars, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $29^{ ext {th }}$ of December of 2003.
Elba Rosa Rodríguez-Fuentes Director