A proposed bill in Minnesota that would have restricted driving your collector car in that state to Saturdays and Sundays — and only during daylight hours — has crashed, burned, and is dead on arrival. House bill 3865 stalled out like an old Hyundai after failing to reach a committee hearing.
Social media and the Internet was abuzz last week when news of this proposed bill reached enthusiasts. It pertained to cars wearing Minnesota collector license plates, which are available for a one-time fee and last as long as you own the car. There are currently a number of registrations for collector cars in Minnesota: pioneer, classic, collector, street rod, military and motorcycle. This wouldn’t have changed, but the main objection was the restrictions on time of use. No evenings or driving during the week, which is when a lot of the best cruise-ins take place. And let’s be honest: Sometimes those are the best times to just hop in your street muscle machine with the spouse and/or kids and just get an ice cream cone.
So, what was the idea behind the bill? Probably to get people to opt for regular license plates for their collector vehicles. Non collector cars pay 6.875 percent sales tax in Minnesota, while collector cars pay a one-time fee of $150. Collector plates in that state do not need to be renewed, either, so this basically looks like a money grab by the politicians.
Rep. Meg Luger-Nikolai authored the bill, and said, “It is important to note that if you buy a regular plate, you can take a classic car anywhere you want, any day you want, and at any time of day.”
Very few people take their specialty vehicles to work, though sometimes you want to on rare occasions, like Collector Car Appreciation Day (which happens to be July 10 this year), or, well, just because it is fun. Most classic car insurance policies do not cover such frivolity, but if you need to get work done on your ride, you are covered. This bill would have prohibited going anywhere except to a show on Monday to Friday.
Thankfully, this bill was stillborn. It does show that money grubbing politicians will never stop looking for ways to take taxpayer money.
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