An Act To Keep Bridges Safe
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 2313
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: MARLEY, SAVAGE, BARSTOW, CAMPBELL, CAREY, CEBRA, CROCKETT, CUMMINGS, FAIRCLOTH, FISCHER, FISHER, HOGAN, KOFFMAN, MAZUREK, PEOPLES, PERCY, PINGREE, ROSEN, THERIAULT, WALKER, DAMON, DOW, EDMONDS, GOOLEY, MARTIN, MILLS, MITCHELL, PERRY, TURNER
Amends: 29-A MRSA §453, 29-A MRSA §501, 29-A MRSA §504, 29-A MRSA §603

Legislative Document 
No. 2313 
H.P.1673 
House of Representatives, April 9,2008 
An Act To Keep Bridges Safe 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative MARLEY of Portland. (GOVERNOR'S BILL) 
Cosponsored by Senator SAVAGE of Knox and 
Representatives: BARSTOW of Gorham, CAMPBELL of Newfield, CAREY of Lewiston, 
CEBRA of Naples, CROCKETT of Augusta, Speaker CUMMINGS of Portland, FAIRCLOTH 
of Bangor, FISCHER of Presque Isle, FISHER of Brewer, HOGAN of Old Orchard Beach, 
KOFFMAN of Bar Harbor, MAZUREK of Rockland, PEOPLES of Westbrook, PERCY of 
Phippsburg, PINGREE of North Haven, ROSEN of Bucksport, THERIAULT of Madawaska, 
WALKER of Lincolnville, Senators: DAMON of Hancock, DOW of Lincoln, President 
EDMONDS of Cumberland, GOOLEY of Franklin, MARTIN of Aroostook, MILLS of 
Somerset, MITCHELL of Kennebec, PERRY of Penobscot, TURNER of Cumberland. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §453, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and 
affected by Pt. B, §5, is amended to read: 
2. Fee. The annual service fee for a vanity registration plate is m $25 in addition to 
the regular motor vehicle registration fee. +he Fifteen dollars of the service fee must be 
credited to the General Highway Fund. 
A sum sufficient to defray the cost of this 
program must be allocated annually from the General Highway Fund. 
Beginning July 1, 2009, $10 of the service fee must be transferred by the Treasurer of 
State to the TransCap Trust Fund established by Title 30-A, section 6006-G. 
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §501, sub-§l, as amended by PL 2007, c. 383, §7, is further 
amended to read: 
1. Automobiles; pickup trucks. The fee for an automobile, pickup truck or sport 
utility vehicle used for the conveyance of passengers or interchangeably for passengers or 
property is ~ 
$35. 
An automobile or sport utility vehicle used for the conveyance of passengers or property 
is a "combination" vehicle and may be issued a special plate with the word "combination" 
instead of "Vacationland." A passenger vehicle used under contract with the State, a 
municipality or a school district to transport students must be designated as 
"combination." A vehicle owned or operated by parents or legal guardians is exempt 
from this subsection. 
Commercial plates may not be issued for or displayed on an automobile. 
A sport utility vehicle may be registered either as an automobile or a truck. A sport 
utility vehicle with a gross vehicle weight or combined gross vehicle weight in excess of 
10,000 pounds and used in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise must be registered 
as a truck according to its actual gross weight as provided in section 504. 
The gross weight of a pickup truck registered as provided by this subsection may not 
exceed 6,000 pounds. An owner of a pickup truck who operates the pickup truck with a 
gross weight in excess of 6,000 pounds or the pickup truck drawing a semitrailer with a 
combined gross weight in excess of 6,000 pounds must register the truck as provided in 
section 504. 
A combination of vehicles consisting of a pickup truck as defined in section 101, 
subsection 55 and a semitrailer with a registered weight of 2,000 pounds or less may be 
operated at the combined gross weight of the pickup truck and the semitrailer. 
Beginning July 1, 2009, $10 of the fee must be transferred by the Treasurer of State to the 
TransCap Trust Fund established by Title 30-A, section 6006-G. 
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §504, sub-§l, ~A, as amended by PL 1999, c. 790, Pt. C, §8 
and atlected by § 19, is further amended to read: 
A. 
For gross weight from 0 to 6,000 pounds, the fee is ~ 
$35. 
Beginning July 1, 2009, $10 of the fee must be transferred by the Treasurer of State 
to the TransCap Trust Fund established by Title 30-A, section 6006-G. 
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §603, sub-§l, as amended by PL 2001, c. 440, Pt. C, §l, is 
further amended to read: 
1. Fee of $33. A fee of m $33 must be paid to the Secretary of State for the 
following: 
A. 
A report of a search of the records of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for each 
name or identification number; 
B. 
Filing an application for a first certificate of title, including security interest; 
C. 
Filing notice of a security interest after the first certificate of title has been 
issued; 
D. 
A certificate of title after a transfer; 
E. 
A certificate of salvage; 
F. 
A corrected certificate of title or salvage; 
G. 
A duplicate certificate; or 
H. 
Assignment of a new vehicle identification number. 
Beginning July 1, 2009, $10 of the fee must be transferred by the Treasurer of State to the 
TransCap Trust Fund established by Title 30-A, section 6006-G. 
For a person who possesses a trailer or semitrailer registration pursuant to section 512, 
subsection 3, the fee is $18. 
Sec. 5. Authorization to issue TransCap Trust Fund revenue bonds for 
bridges. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Maine Municipal Bond Bank, 
at the request of the Department of Transportation, is authorized to issue TransCap Trust 
Fund revenue bonds as provided in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 6006-
G from time to time in amounts that in total do not exceed $160,000,000 from the 
effective date of this bill to fiscal year 2012-13 for the purpose of making capital 
improvements to bridges and minor spans on or over public ways in the State. This 
section does not limit the ability to authorize additional TransCap Trust Fund revenue 
bonds for additional bridge needs or any other eligible purpose. 
Sec. 6. Bridge innovation and composites initiative. 
The Department of 
Transportation, working with the University of Maine, shall implement a bridge 
innovation and composites initiative. This initiative seeks to expand the use of composite 
technologies in bridge maintenance and capital applications, expand markets and research 
for transportation-related uses of composites, use technology and products to inspect and 
extend the life of bridges and bridge components and reduce reliance on fossil fuels in the 
content or the production of bridge components. The initiative also seeks to develop 
materials, components and delivery models that expedite the design, rehabilitation and 
construction of bridges, reduce costs and reduce the impact on the traveling public. The 
delivery models may use a composite content scale and other standards to provide 
incentives to meet the objectives of this initiative. As used in this section, "bridge" 
includes minor spans. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides the revenue to support the issuance of the TransCap Trust Fund 
revenue bonds authorized in this bill. 
This bill increases the registration fee for 
noncommercial vehicles by $10 to $35 per year; increases the registration fee for 
commercial motor vehicles weighing less than 6,000 pounds by $10 to $35 per year; 
increases the title fee by $10 to $33 per year; and increases the vanity plate fee by $10 to 
$25 per year. 
The bill transfers the amounts raised by the fee adjustments to the 
TransCap Trust Fund at the Maine Municipal Bond Bank. 
The bill also authorizes the Maine Municipal Bond Bank, at the request of the 
Department of Transportation, to issue $160,000,000 in TransCap Trust Fund revenue 
bonds through fiscal year 2012-13 for the purpose of making capital improvements to 
bridges. 
The bill also establishes a bridge innovation and composites lllltIatlve. 
The 
Department of Transportation, working with the University of Maine, shall seek to 
expand the use of composite technologies in bridge maintenance and capital applications, 
use technology and products to inspect and extend the life of bridges and develop 
delivery models that expedite the design, rehabilitation and construction of bridges, 
reduce costs and reduce the impact on the traveling public.