Editorial: New license policy would benefit state

Monday, Feb. 17, 2003 | 9:18 a.m.

A discussion last week in the Legislature about out-of-state arrivals who delay getting their Nevada license plates provoked Assemblyman Mark Manendo to propose citizen patrols. They could be trained to ticket people who keep their old plates beyond the 30-day grace period rather than pay the fee for a Nevada plate, Manendo said. The assemblyman brought needed attention to a significant problem that costs the state millions in lost revenue. Patrols by citizens who have attended a training class or two, however, are not the answer. A bill by Assemblywoman Kathy McClain to require car owners to get plates at the same time they get their Nevada licenses makes more sense. Equally sensible is tighter enforcement of the registration law by police.

McClain's bill is meritorious on another license plate issue as well. She would institute the equivalent of an "all sales final" policy for people who move out of state before their licenses expire. Currently the state is incurring millions of dollars in administrative costs each year so that people who have moved can pocket a small refund check. Last year, for example, 101,000 refunds were mailed, with 9,100 of them in amounts under $1. Arizona is the only other state in the country that goes to this expense. We say, forty-eight other states can't be wrong.