An Act To Amend the Motor Vehicle Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1694
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: HATCH, USHER, BLANCHETTE, DUNLAP, PARADIS
Amends: 25 MRSA §2103-A, 29-A MRSA §521, 29-A MRSA §1763, 29-A MRSA §2054, 29-A MRSA §2307, 29-A MRSA §2411

Legislative Document 
No. 1694 
S.P.626 
In Senate, December 17, 2003 
An Act To Amend the Motor Vehicle Laws 
Submitted by the Department of Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 16, 2003. Referred to the Committee 
on Transportation pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. 
Presented by Senator HATCH of Somerset. 
Cosponsored by Representative USHER of Westbrook and 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Representatives: BLANCHETTE of Bangor, DUNLAP of Old Town, McKENNEY of 
Cumberland, PARADIS of Frenchville. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2103-A, sub-§I, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 
754, Pt. C, §1, is amended to read: 
1. 
Content of state ru1es. 
Any state rule adopted under 
this section must contain a-e~ie~-~~~~~~~-~~-&~&&~aa~e-9E 
the-~e~e~e~€eQ-~~~-~~~~~~~-~aGffiea~&-aBe instructions 
for obtaining a 
copy or a certified copy of these referenced 
federal regulations or amendments 
from the appropriate federal 
agency. 
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §521, sub-§9-A, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 
673, §2, is amended to read: 
9-A. 
Enforcement of disabi1ity parking restrictions. 
beeal 
eF--€e~Bty A 
law 
enforcement 
a~eBe~es officer 
may 
enforce 
haBQieappee disability parking restrictions 9B-p~ivate-e££-6~Fee~ 
paF~iB~--a~eas. 
The 
State 
Police 
shall 
enforce 
haBeieappee 
disability parking restrictions at service facilities established 
on the Maine Turnpike and on the interstate highway system in the 
State. 
A person commits 
a traffic infraction if that person 
parks 
in 
a 
parking space designated 
and clearly marked 
for 
persons with physical disabilities and has not been issued or is 
not transporting 
a 
person who 
has 
been issued 
a 
disability 
registration plate or a removable windshield placard pursuant to 
this section or section 523 or a disability registration plate or 
placard issued by another state. 
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §1763, first 1[, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 
683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
Notwithstanding Title 
5, 
section 
10003, 
a 
State 
Police 
officer or employee of the State Police designated as a motor 
vehicle inspector may immediately suspend or revoke the license 
issued to 
any official inspection stat10n or the 
inspection 
mechanic certificate issued to any inspecting mechanic 
for 
a 
violation of this chapter or the rules promulgated pursuant to 
section 1769. 
The penalty for 
a first offense is a 
license 
suspension for a period of 6 months. 
The penalty for a 2nd or 
subsequent offense is a license suspension for a period of one 
year or license revocation. 
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §2054, sub-§2, 1[D, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
78, §l, is further amended to read: 
D. 
Emergency lights used 
of 
Corrections 
vehicle 
paragraph B, subparagraph 
of police, 
a sheriff or 
on a police vehicle: a Department 
as 
described 
in 
subsection 
1, 
(6); a vehicle operated by a chief 
a deputy sheriff; and a vehicle 
Page l-LR2620(1) 
-
operated by a qualified deputy sheriff or other qualified 
individual performing court security-related functions and 
services must emit a blue light or a combination of blue and 
white light. 
No 
other vehicle may be equipped with or 
display 
a 
blue light, 
except that an emergency medical 
services vehicle, a fire department vehicle and a hazardous 
material response vehicle may be equipped with one auxiliary 
blue light on the rear of the vehicle that is visible only 
to approaching traffic from the rear. 
QB-aBY A vehicle, or 
replica 
of 
a 
vehicle, 
manufactured 
prior 
to 
1952 
and 
registered under section 457, 
t;he--t-a-j,.]"]"~ht; may contain a 
blue or purple insert of not more than one inch in diameter 
on its taillight. 
Sec. 5. 29·A MRSA §2054, sub·§2, tF, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
78, §2, is further amended to read: 
F. 
Only vehicles listed in this paragraph, 
rural 
vehicles as provided in paragraph C, subparagraph (5) 
school buses may be equipped with, display or use a 
auxiliary or emergency light. 
mail 
and 
red 
(1) 
Emergency 
lights 
used 
on 
an 
ambulance, 
an 
emergency medical service vehicle, 
a fire department 
vehicle, 
a 
fire 
vehicle 
or 
a 
hazardous 
material 
response vehicle must emit a red light or a combination 
of red and white light 
aBa-~-ee---eq-I:l-~--w4.-t.-h--9Be 
alye-~~~-~~-at;-~ae-~~--&~-the-~~~~-t;hat 
t;he-li~ht;-is-visiale-t;9-a~~FeaehiB~-t;Fa{{ie. 
(2) 
The municipal officers or a 
municipal official 
designated by the municipal officers, with the approval 
of the fire chief, may authorize an active member of a 
municipal 
or 
volunteer 
fire 
department 
to 
use 
a 
flashing red signal light not more than 5 inches in 
diameter on a vehicle. 
The light may be displayed but 
may be used only while the member is en route to or at 
the scene of a fire or other emergency. 
The light must 
be 
mounted 
as 
near 
as 
practicable 
above 
the 
registration plate on the front of the vehicle or on 
the dashboard. 
A light mounted on the dashboard must 
be 
shielded 
so 
that 
the 
emitted 
light 
does 
not 
interfere with the operator's vision. 
(3) 
Members of an emergency medical service licensed 
by Maine Emergency Medical Services may display and use 
on a vehicle a flashing red signal light of the same 
proportion, in the same location and under the same 
conditions as those permitted municipal and volunteer 
firefighters, when authorized by the chief official of 
the emergency medical service. 
Sec. 6. 29-A MRSA §2307, sub-§§l, 2 and 3, as enacted by PL 
1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by Pt. B, §5, are amended to 
read: 
1. 
Biannual inspection. 
Notwithstanding 
chapter 
15, 
a 
school bus must be inspected by an official inspection station 
designated by the Chief of the State Police as 
a 
school bus 
inspection station, biannually during each Aa~as~-aas-FeaFaaFy of 
the 2 months designated by the State Police in consultation with 
the Department of Education. 
2. 
Additional 
inspection. 
In 
addition 
to 
ias~ee~iea 
inspections 
under 
subsection 
1, 
ae~weea--~~---b&~--aas 
NeVeRlaeF--3-O-t:-h--aas--be-t.-wee.n--MaFeR--J:..s..t--aas--May--d-1st a school bus 
inspection must 
be 
conducted 
by 
the 
State Police 
at least 
annually 
within 
months 
following 
one 
of 
the 
inspections 
required by subsection 1. 
3. 
other dates. 
A school bus requiring inspection during a 
month other than A~~~s~-aRs-FeaF~aFy a month designated pursuant 
to subsection 1 that satisfies the inspection requirements must 
be issued the school bus inspection sticker that expires the next 
Aa~as~--eF--~~~~--~~---~&--eaFlieF month 
designated 
pursuant to subsection 1. 
Sec. 7. 29-A MRSA §2411, sub-§l-A, 1(1), as enacted by PL 2003, 
c. 452, Pt. Q, §78 and affected by Pt. X, §2, is amended to read: 
D. 
Violates paragraph A, B or C and: 
(1) 
In fact causes serious bodily injury as defined in 
Title l7-A, section 2, subsection 23 to another person 
or in fact causes the death of another person; or 
(2) 
Has either a prior conviction for a Class C crime 
under this section or former Title 29, section 1312-B 
or a prior criminal homicide conviction involving or 
resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle while 
under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs or 
with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08% or greater. 
SUMMARY 
The bill makes the following changes to the laws affecting 
motor vehicles. 
1. 
It removes a requirement that state rules regarding the 
transportation of hazardous materials that adopt federal rules by 
reference must contain a brief description of the substance of 
the referenced federal rule. 
2. 
It allows all 
law 
enforcement officers 
to 
enforce 
disability parking 
restrictions. 
It also 
creates 
a 
traffic 
infraction prohibiting a person from parking in a parking space 
that is clearly marked for use by a physically disabled person 
only if the person has not been issued a disability registration 
plate or placard or is not transporting a person who has been 
issued a disability registration plate or placard. 
3. 
It allows an employee of the State Police designated as 
a motor vehicle inspector to immediately suspend or revoke 
a 
license 
issued 
to 
any 
official 
inspection 
station 
or 
an 
inspection 
mechanic 
for 
a 
violation of 
the 
laws 
or 
rules 
pertaining to motor vehicle inspections. 
4. 
It clarifies that one blue auxiliary light may 
be 
displayed and used on the rear of an emergency medical services 
vehicle, fire department vehicle or hazardous material response 
vehicle that is visible to rear-approaching traffic only. 
Fire 
vehicles that are privately owned vehicles are excluded from the 
vehicles that may display a blue light. 
5. 
It 
Changes 
the 
requirements 
regarding 
school 
bus 
inspections so that each bus must be inspected twice per year at 
an inspection station, at times set by the State Police in 
consul tation with the Department of Education, and once instead 
of twice per year by a State Police officer. 
6. 
It adds a cross-reference that was inadvertently omitted 
regarding prior convictions to be considered for the aggravated 
punishment category for operating under the influence.