Juneau -- A bill sponsored by District 26 Representative Vic Kohring would permit vehicle owners to keep their license plates when they sell, trade, or otherwise dispose of registered motor vehicles.

"With the passage of a biennial motor vehicle registration fee, many individuals have found themselves paying fees twice," said Kohring, a Republican who represents Wasilla/Peter's Creek in the 21st Alaska Legislature. "When an individual is faced with replacing a vehicle which has become disabled, either by accident or mechanical failure, or sells or trades a vehicle, new two-year tags must be purchased. This means he or she is out the price of the old tags as well as the new ones," Kohring said.

Kohring's House Bill 7 would allow plates to remain with the owner, who could transfer them to another vehicle by paying only the difference in tax resulting from any increased value of the new vehicle. HB 7 would not, however, permit plates to be transferred when a vehicle is sold, thereby preventing individuals convicted of a DWI offense from obtaining a vehicle with current tags and not registering it.

"HB 7 brings the procedures for regular plates into line with the current procedures for vanity plates, disabled plates, and other special plates, whose owners retain them when they transfer their vehicles," Kohring said. "It also corrects a relatively minor glitch in the law which most Alaskans would not even think of until we get stuck with having to pay for new tags twice during one two-year cycle."

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