HB 2977 — Prohibits the act of registering a motor vehicle in another state with the intent to circumvent the titling and registration requirements of this state

Bill Text

• Introduced View text Current pdf

Compared against the Missouri Revised Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends 4 section(s) of the Missouri Revised Statutes: Section 301.010, RSMo; Section 301.092, RSMo; Section 301.093, RSMo; Section 301.094, RSMo.

• Section 301.010, RSMo

  (53) (54) (55) (56) (57) (58) (59) (60) (61) (62) (63) (64) (66) (67) (68) (70) (72) (73) (74) (75) → bold-face "Residence address", "residence", or "resident address", the location at which a person has been physically present for an aggregated period of six months or more during any calendar year and that the person regards as home. A residence address is a person's true, fixed, principal, and permanent home, to which a person intends to return and remain, even though currently residing elsewhere; (53) "Resident", person who declares himself or herself to be a resident of Missouri for the purpose of obtaining a Missouri driver's license by showing proof of residency as defined in section 302.171 and as a resident of the state to obtain privileges not ordinarily extended to nonresidents including, but not limited to, going to school or placing children in school without paying nonresident tuition or fees; (54) (55) (56) age vehicle", a motor vehicle, semitrailer, or house trailer which: (a) Was damaged during a year that is no more than six years after the manufacturer's model year designation for such vehicle to the extent that the total cost of repairs to rebuild or reconstruct the vehicle to its condition immediately before it was damaged for legal operation on the roads or highways exceeds eighty percent of the fair market value of the vehicle immediately preceding the time it was damaged; (b) By reason of condition or circumstance, has been declared salvage, either by its owner, or by a person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity exercising the right of security interest in it; HB 2977 8 (c) Has been declared salvage by an insurance company as a result of settlement of a claim; (d) Ownership of which is evidenced by a salvage title; or (e) Is abandoned property which is titled pursuant to section 304.155 or section 304.157 and designated with the words "salvage/abandoned property". The total cost of repairs to rebuild or reconstruct the vehicle shall not include the cost of repairing, replacing, or reinstalling inflatable safety restraints, tires, sound systems, or damage as a result of hail, or any sales tax on parts or materials to rebuild or reconstruct the vehicle. For purposes of this definition, "fair market value" means the retail value of a motor vehicle as: a. Set forth in a current edition of any nationally recognized compilation of retail values, including automated databases, or from publications commonly used by the automotive and insurance industries to establish the values of motor vehicles; b. Determined pursuant to a market survey of comparable vehicles with regard to condition and equipment; and c. Determined by an insurance company using any other procedure recognized by the insurance industry, including market surveys, that is applied by the company in a uniform manner; ⟦INS⟧ (58) (59) (60) ial mobile equipment", every self-propelled vehicle not designed or used primarily for the transportation of persons or property and incidentally operated or moved over the highways, including farm equipment, implements of husbandry, road construction or maintenance machinery, ditch-digging apparatus, stone crushers, air compressors, power shovels, cranes, graders, rollers, well-drillers and wood-sawing equipment used for hire, asphalt spreaders, bituminous mixers, bucket loaders, ditchers, leveling graders, finished machines, motor graders, road rollers, scarifiers, earth-moving carryalls, scrapers, drag lines, concrete pump trucks, rock-drilling and earth-moving equipment. This enumeration shall be deemed partial and shall not operate to exclude other such vehicles which are within the general terms of this section; HB 2977 9 ⟦INS⟧ (62) nger-steered combination", a truck tractor-semitrailer wherein the fifth wheel is located on a drop frame located behind and below the rearmost axle of the power unit; ⟦INS⟧ (64) (65) (66) (68) , a motor vehicle designed, used, or maintained for the transportation of property; ⟦INS⟧ (70) d parts dealer", a business that buys and sells used motor vehicle parts or accessories,

  amended

• Section 301.092, RSMo

  residence address, as defined in section 301.010, to register a motor vehicle in another state with the intent to circumvent the motor vehicle titling and registration requirements of this chapter. 2. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that any motor vehicle owned and operated by a resident of this state with a Missouri residence address shall be subject to the titling and registration requirements of this chapter and that the owner shall be responsible for paying all applicable Missouri fees and taxes for such motor vehicle. 3.e following factors shall be considered when determining whether a Missouri resident intended to circumvent the titling and registration requirements of this chapter by registering the motor vehicle in another state: (1) The person has a Missouri driver's license with a Missouri residence address; (2) The Missouri resident was the initial purchaser of the motor vehicle; (3) The Missouri resident operates or stores the motor vehicle in Missouri; and (4) The Missouri resident has insured the motor vehicle. 4. If the department determines that a Missouri resident has violated the provisions of this section and failed to register a motor vehicle required to be registered under this chapter, the department shall notify the Missouri resident in writing that: (a) He or she is required to obtain a Missouri certificate of title and registration for the motor vehicle and pay all taxes and fees for titling and registration owed for the motor vehicle no later than sixty days from the date of the notice; and (b) Failure to pay such taxes shall result in a five-hundred dollar penalty. (2) the Missouri resident fails to comply with paragraphs (a) and (b) of subdivision (1) of this subdivision within the time period specified, the department shall suspend the Missouri resident's driver's license until all taxes and fees or titling and

  amended

• Section 301.093, RSMo

  residence address, as defined in section 301.010, to register a motor vehicle under a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation that is operating as a shell entity in another state, with the intent to circumvent the motor vehicle titling and registration requirements of this chapter. 2. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that any motor vehicle owned and operated by a resident of this state with a Missouri residence address shall be subject to the titling and registration requirements of this chapter and that the owner shall be responsible for paying all applicable Missouri fees and taxes for such motor vehicle. The following factors shall be considered when determining whether a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation is a shell entity for purposes of this section: (1) The partnership, limited liability company, or corporation lacks a specific business activity or purpose; (2) The partnership, limited liability company, or corporation fails to maintain a bonafide location in the state where the motor vehicle is titled or registered; (3) The partnership, limited liability company, or corporation fails to employ individual persons or fails to provide employees with Internal Revenue Service form W- 2 wage and tax statements; or (4) The partnership, limited liability company, or corporation fails to file a federal tax return or fails to file a required state tax return in the state where the motor vehicle is titled and registered. The following factors shall be considered when determining whether a Missouri resident intended to circumvent the titling and registration requirements of this chapter by registering the motor vehicle under a shell entity: (1)person has a Missouri driver's license with a Missouri residence address; (2) The Missouri resident was the initial purchaser of the motor vehicle; (3) The Missouri resident operates or stores the motor vehicle in Missouri; and (4) The Missouri resident has insured the motor vehicle. 5. (1) If the department determines that a Missouri resident has violated the provisions of this section and failed to register a motor vehicle required to be registered under this chapter, the department shall notify the Missouri resident in writing that: (a)or she is required to obtain a Missouri certificate of title and registration for the motor vehicle and pay all taxes and fees for titling and registration owed for the motor vehicle no later than sixty days from the date of the notice; and (b) Failure to pay such taxes shall result in a five-hundred dollar penalty. (2) If the Missouri resident fails to comply with paragraphs (a) and (b) of subdivision (1) of this subdivision within the time period specified, the department shall suspend the Missouri resident's driver's license until all taxes and fees or titling and

  amended

• Section 301.094, RSMo

  to the purchase of a motor vehicle that is subject to fees and taxes for titling and registration under this chapter, or who willfully attempts in any manner to evade payment of the fees and taxes required under this chapter, is guilty of a fraudulent practice and shall be assessed a fine equal to seventy-five percent of the amount of the unpaid fees and taxes and shall be required to be pay all applicable fees and taxes at the time the motor vehicle is titled and registered. The department may use the motorist insurance identification database established under section 303.406 to identify and determine the ownership of any motor vehicle not properly titled and registered in the state as required by law. If through the department's investigation it is determined the owner of the motor vehicle is not in compliance with this chapter, the department may impose a penalty on the owner of the motor vehicle in the amount of five hundred dollars. 3. (1) If the department determines that a Missouri resident has violated the provisions of this section and failed to register a motor vehicle required to be registered under this chapter, the department shall notify the Missouri resident in writing that: (a) He or she is required to obtain a Missouri certificate of title and registration for the motor vehicle and pay all taxes and fees for titling and registration owed for the motor vehicle no later than sixty days from the date of the notice; and (b) Failure to pay such taxes shall result in a five-hundred dollar penalty. (2) If the Missouri resident fails to comply with paragraphs (a) and (b) of subdivision (1) of this subdivision within the time period specified, the department shall suspend the Missouri resident's driver's license until all taxes and fees or titling and registration are paid in full. If during an investigation under this section the department finds no appropriate fees and taxes were paid when a motor vehicle was purchased, the owner shall pay all appropriate fees, taxes, and penalties to comply with Missouri law. 5.withstanding the provisions of this section, upon making a record of the department's actions, and upon reasonable cause shown, the director may waive or reduce any penalty imposed under this section. 6. All revenues received from fines collected under this section for failing to properly title or register a motor vehicle shall be deposited into the county school fund and distributed as provided under section 166.131.

  amended

Action History

1. January 29, 2026

   HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 11 NOES: 2 PRESENT: 1

2. January 27, 2026

   HCS Voted Do Pass (H)

3. January 27, 2026

   Executive Session Completed (H)

4. January 27, 2026

   Public Hearing Completed (H)

5. January 22, 2026

   Referred: Transportation(H)

6. January 15, 2026

   Read Second Time (H)

7. January 14, 2026

   Introduced and Read First Time (H)

Sponsors

• Kemp Strickler · Cosponsor
• Carolyn Caton · Primary

Votes

Subjects