Esta ley enmienda la Ley de Vehículos y Tránsito de Puerto Rico para autorizar a las estaciones oficiales de inspección de vehículos a cobrar las tarifas anuales de licencias de vehículos de motor y a emitir el marbete de inspección correspondiente. Esto busca agilizar el proceso para los propietarios de vehículos.
(Approved February 19, 2002)
To amend subsection
(a) of Section 12.05 and Section 24.01 of Act No. 22 of January 6, 2000, known as "Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act," in order to empower official inspection stations to collect the annual fees for motor vehicle licenses and to issue the corresponding car inspection sticker.
The new Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act, effective on last January 7, 2000, introduces a new legal order in all aspects concerning the use and traffic of motor vehicles in the country. This Act was established, precisely, with the purpose of expediting the processing of permits and licenses issued by the Department of Transportation and Public Works to such effect.
It is a well-known fact that the banking institutions of the country issue the car inspection stickers after having obtained the Inspection Certificate from the corresponding authorized station. This has been beneficial to all motor vehicle owners, since they are being offered an alternative besides the internal revenue collectors' offices in the municipalities. This measure has resulted in expediting the process, which involved insufferable waiting lines to get said documents, which could be obtained only and exclusively at the internal revenue collectors' offices.
Even so, we believe it pertinent to empower official inspection stations to complete the motor vehicle inspection process by issuing the Inspection Certificate and the car inspection sticker in one single place, for the benefit and comfort of the thousands of motor vehicle owners in the island.
This measure is in agreement with the public policy of this administration, which intends to make it easier for the working class and for citizens in general to obtain government documents within the shortest term possible, so as not to consume so much time which could be very well employed in tending to other matters.
This is the purpose to which the present legislative measure is addressed; it will be the instrument through which to empower official inspection stations to collect the annual fees concerning motor vehicle licenses and thus be able to issue car inspection stickers.
Section 1.- Subsection
(a) of Section 12.05 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, as amended, known as the Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act, is hereby amended to read as follows: "Section 12.05.- [sic]The Secretary may authorize private entities or persons to operate official motor vehicle inspection stations as provided in this Act, and to issue any of the official certificates provided in this Act on said inspection and the adequate mechanical condition of the inspected vehicles, as well as the car inspection stickers issued after the fees for the renewal of motor vehicle licenses have been collected. In such case, the Secretary shall provide the persons that operate said stations with pertinent instructions on how to perform the inspection, and shall furnish them with the forms and any other material he/she deems is necessary to issue said
certificates and the car inspection stickers issued after the fees for the renewal of motor vehicle licenses have been collected, which shall be issued in the name of the Secretary..."
Section 2.- Section 24.01 of Act No. 22 of January 7, 2000, as amended, known as the Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act, is hereby amended to read as follows: "Section 24.01.- Procedure for the payment of fees.- Any owner of a motor vehicle subject to the payment of annual license fees shall pay at any Internal Revenue Office of any municipality, at the place designated by the Secretary of the Department of the Treasury, at the official inspection stations, or at the place designated by the Secretary, the fees corresponding to the vehicle for each year, as indicated in the notice to be sent by the Secretary to that effect. The fees on such an account shall be paid in advance for the whole year or for the remaining portion thereof on the date such fees become due, and fractions of a month shall be deemed as full months. This provision shall only apply to motor vehicles paying license fees for more than forty (40) dollars per year. Upon receipt of the corresponding fees the collector shall issue the motor vehicle license consisting of the notice form issued by the Secretary with the corresponding annotations and the signature of the collector indicating that the fees have been duly paid. Together with the license, the collector shall include the corresponding sticker or license plates, as the case may be.
Owners of inspection stations shall deposit into a special account, so that the Department of the Treasury may make daily transfers of the car inspection stickers thus issued. The Department of the Treasury shall approve regulations for such purposes, on which a bond and insurance shall be required to secure the receipt of the moneys collected from stickers sold.
The service charge collected by the inspection station, the bank, or any other place designated by the Secretary of the Treasury, shall not be greater than five (5) dollars."
Section 3.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 37 (H.B. 995) of the $3^{ ext {nd }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to amend subsection
(a) of Section 12.05 and Section 24.01 of Act No. 22 of January 6, 2000, known as "Puerto Rico Vehicle and Traffic Act," in order to empower official inspection stations to collect the annual fees for motor vehicle licenses and to issue the corresponding car inspection sticker, 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