The official site of the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

LEGISLATIVE BILL 972
Approved by the Governor April 14, 2026

Introduced by Fredrickson, 20.

A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to motor vehicles; to amend sections 18-1736,
37-1278.01, 60-362, 60-376, 60-378, 60-3,164, 60-3,167, 60-479, 60-4,112,
60-4,114, 60-4,114.01, 60-4,118.01, 60-4,121, 60-529, 60-6,340, 60-1402,
60-1411.01, 60-1430.02, 60-1437, 60-1901, and 60-1902, Reissue Revised
Statutes of Nebraska, sections 60-3,135.01, 60-3,221, 60-462, 60-4,122,
60-1401, 60-1438.01, and 71-4603, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement,
2024, and sections 28-306, 60-301, 60-302, 60-386, 60-3,100, 60-3,104,
60-3,122.03, 60-3,122.04, 60-3,163.02, 60-6,290, 60-6,356, and 60-1438,
Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025; to adopt the Recreational Vehicle
Industry Regulation Act; to change provisions relating to the use of
designated parking spaces for handicapped or disabled persons; to change
suspension of operator's licenses to revocation of operator's licenses
relating to certain judgments of conviction; to change provisions relating
to bonded certificates of title for motorboats; to define a term, provide
for the collection of certain taxes and fees, and change and provide
provisions relating to In Transits, transporter license plates,
applications for registration, the display of license plates, and Military
Honor Plates under the Motor Vehicle Registration Act; to end the issuance
of special interest motor vehicle license plates as prescribed; to provide
for additional types of alternate license plates; to recodify provisions
relating to military service applicable to certain persons as applicable
to any operator's license; to change and provide provisions under the
Motor Vehicle Operator's License Act relating to certain examinations and
to the renewal of certain licenses by qualified licensees; to change
provisions relating to proof of financial responsibility; to change
provisions relating to vehicle length limitations; to change provisions
relating to the operation of all-terrain vehicles and utility-type
vehicles; to change provisions of the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation
Act relating to fees, recreational vehicles, and the Nebraska Motor
Vehicle Industry Licensing Board; to create funds; to provide for grants
to members of the Military Department as prescribed and provide duties to
the Adjutant General; to authorize the Nebraska State Patrol to award
grants as prescribed; to authorize the Department of Health and Human
Services to award grants as prescribed; to eliminate provisions relating
to snowmobile safety certificates; to transfer provisions; to harmonize
provisions; to provide operative dates; to repeal the original sections;
and to outright repeal section 60-6,341, Reissue Revised Statutes of
Nebraska.
Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,
Section 1. Sections 1 to 33 of this act shall be known and may be cited
as the Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation Act.
Sec. 2. The Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation Act shall not apply
to any agreement between dealers and manufacturers that was entered into prior
to the operative date of this section.
Sec. 3. The Legislature declares that:
(1) The public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of this state
can be protected by regulating the relationship between dealers and
manufacturers, maintaining competition between dealers and manufacturers, and
providing consumer protection and fair trade for the purchase and consumer care
of recreational vehicles; and
(2) The recreational vehicle industry operates differently than the motor
vehicle industry in certain respects and these differences should be reflected
in franchise law to serve the needs of consumers, dealers, manufacturers,
distributors, and warrantors.
Sec. 4. For purposes of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation Act:
(1) Area of sales responsibility means the geographical area agreed to by
the dealer and the manufacturer in the manufacturer-dealer agreement, within
which the dealer has the exclusive right to display or sell the manufacturer's
new recreational vehicles of a particular line-make;
(2) Board has the same meaning as in section 60-1401.06;
(3)(a) Bona fide consumer means an owner of a recreational vehicle that
has:
(i) Acquired such recreational vehicle for use in business or for pleasure
purposes;
(ii) Been granted a certificate of title for such recreational vehicle;
and
(iii) Registered such recreational vehicle in accordance with the laws of
the residence of the owner; and
(b) Bona fide consumer does not include any owner that sells more than
eight registered recreational vehicles within a twelve-month period;
(4) Consumer care means the performance, for the public, of necessary
maintenance and repairs to recreational vehicles, including diagnostic work and
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warranty service;
(5) Dealer means any individual or business entity that is licensed under
the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act to sell new recreational vehicles;
(6) Distributor means any individual or business entity that is licensed
under the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act to purchase new recreational
vehicles for resale to dealers;
(7) Factory campaign means an effort on the part of a warrantor to contact
recreational vehicle owners or dealers in order to address a part or equipment
issue;
(8) Family member means a spouse or, whether by blood, marriage, or
adoption, a child, grandchild, parent, sibling, niece, or nephew, or the spouse
of any such person;
(9) Licensee means any dealer, distributor, or manufacturer;
(10) Line-make means a specific series of recreational vehicles that:
(a) Are targeted to a particular market segment, as determined by their
decor, features, equipment, size, weight, and price range;
(b) Have lengths and interior floor plans that distinguish the line-make
from other line-makes with substantially the same decor, equipment, features,
price, and weight; and
(c) Belong to a single, distinct classification of recreational vehicles
that have a substantial degree of commonality in the construction of the
chassis, frame, and body;
(11) Manufacturer means any individual or business entity that is licensed
under the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act to engage in the manufacturing
of recreational vehicles;
(12) Manufacturer-dealer agreement means a written agreement or contract
entered into between a manufacturer or distributor and a dealer that specifies
the rights and responsibilities of the parties to the agreement and authorizes
the dealer to sell line-makes of new recreational vehicles that are
manufactured by the manufacturer;
(13) Model means a series of recreational vehicles that are identified by
a trade name or trademark that is a subset of a line-make;
(14) Motor vehicle dealer has the same meaning as in section 60-1401.26;
(15) Motorcycle dealer has the same meaning as in section 60-1401.29;
(16) New recreational vehicle means any recreational vehicle that is not
included within the definition of a used recreational vehicle;
(17) Proprietary part means any part that is manufactured by or for and
sold exclusively by the manufacturer;
(18)(a) Recreational vehicle means a vehicle that is either self-propelled
or towed by a consumer-owned tow vehicle and that is designed to provide
temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel use; and
(b) Recreational vehicle includes motor homes, travel trailers, fifth-
wheel travel trailers, truck campers, and folding camping trailers;
(19) Termination action means the termination of, cancellation of, or
failure to renew an entire manufacturer-dealer agreement or any provision
relating to any model or line-make in a manufacturer-dealer agreement;
(20) Trailer dealer has the same meaning as in section 60-1401.37;
(21) Transient customer means a customer who is temporarily traveling
through a dealer's area of sales responsibility;
(22)(a) Used recreational vehicle means every recreational vehicle that
has been sold, bargained, exchanged, or given away or for which title has been
transferred from the person who first acquired it from the manufacturer,
distributor, or dealer; and
(b) A new recreational vehicle is not considered a used recreational
vehicle until it has been placed in use by a bona fide consumer or until it has
been registered under the Motor Vehicle Registration Act by a bona fide
consumer;
(23) Warrantor means any individual or business entity that provides a
warranty in connection with a new recreational vehicle or parts, accessories,
or components for a new recreational vehicle. Such warranty does not include
the following that are sold for separate consideration by a dealer or other
person not controlled by a manufacturer: Any service contract, mechanical or
other insurance, and extended warranty;
(24) Warranty part means any part, accessory, or component of a
recreational vehicle that is covered by a warranty that was issued by a
warrantor; and
(25) Warranty service means consumer care that is provided under the terms
of or to comply with a warranty.
Sec. 5. (1) The board may:
(a) Regulate the issuance and revocation of licenses in accordance with
and subject to the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act and the Recreational
Vehicle Industry Regulation Act;
(b) Perform all acts and duties provided for in the Recreational Vehicle
Industry Regulation Act that are necessary to the administration and
enforcement of the act;
(c) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations relating to the
administration of but not inconsistent with the Recreational Vehicle Industry
Regulation Act;
(d) Enforce rules and regulations that were adopted and promulgated by the
board; and
(e) Employ a hearing officer who shall conduct preliminary hearings on
behalf of the board and make recommendations to the board on any issue or
matter that the board deems proper.
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(2) The seal of the board shall be used to authenticate the acts of the
board. Copies of all records and papers in the office of the board under the
hand and seal of the office shall be received in evidence in all cases equally
and with like effect as the original.
(3) Investigators employed by the board may enter upon and inspect the
facilities, the required records, and any recreational vehicles found in any
licensee's established place or places of business.
(4) With respect to any action taken by the board, if a controlling number
of the members of the board are active participants in the recreational vehicle
market in which the action is taken, the chairperson of the board shall review
the action taken and, upon completion of such review, modify, alter, approve,
or reject the board's action.
Sec. 6. (1) A manufacturer or distributor shall not sell a new
recreational vehicle in this state to or through a dealer without having first
entered into a manufacturer-dealer agreement with such dealer. Any such
agreement shall be signed by both parties.
(2) This section applies beginning on January 1, 2028.
Sec. 7. (1) A manufacturer-dealer agreement shall include:
(a) A designation of the area of sales responsibility assigned to the
dealer;
(b) The timeframe for inspection and refusal to take delivery of a
recreational vehicle by the dealer pursuant to section 29 of this act. Such
timeframe shall not be less than two business days after the physical delivery
of the recreational vehicle;
(c) The terms of the manufacturer-dealer agreement; and
(d) The duration of the manufacturer-dealer agreement.
(2) A manufacturer-dealer agreement shall not:
(a) Include any provision that requires a party to violate the
Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation Act. Any such provision is null and
void;
(b) Provide for the sale of a model or line-make that is already
authorized to be sold by another dealer in the same area of sales
responsibility; or
(c) Be changed during the duration of the manufacturer-dealer agreement
without the written mutual consent of the parties, including the area of sales
responsibility.
(3) A manufacturer shall not issue a policy or procedure that violates or
substantially alters a provision of a manufacturer-dealer agreement during the
duration of such agreement without the written mutual consent of the parties.
Sec. 8. (1) When a manufacturer distributes new recreational vehicles to
any dealer under the terms of a manufacturer-dealer agreement, such
distribution shall be in a fair and equitable manner.
(2) Any such dealer may request information on the manner of distribution
from such manufacturer. Such request shall be made in writing and delivered to
the headquarters of the manufacturer. Upon receipt of such request, such
manufacturer shall provide such information to the headquarters of the dealer
in written form within thirty business days after receipt of such request.
Sec. 9. A manufacturer shall provide each dealer with which the
manufacturer has executed a current manufacturer-dealer agreement with adequate
technical data so that the dealer can perform consumer care and repairs on the
recreational vehicles that were manufactured by the manufacturer and sold by
the dealer.
Sec. 10. (1) A manufacturer or distributor shall not initiate a
termination action, including directly or through any officer, agent, or
employee of such manufacturer or distributor, unless at least one reason
showing that good cause exists for such termination action.
(2) A manufacturer or distributor that initiates a termination action has
the burden of showing good cause for such termination action. For purposes of
determining reasons showing that good cause exists for a manufacturer or
distributor to initiate a termination action, any of the following factors may
be considered:
(a) The extent of the affected dealer's penetration in the relevant market
area for the relevant model or line-make;
(b) The nature and extent of the dealer's investment in the dealer's
business;
(c) The adequacy of the dealer's service facilities, equipment, parts,
supplies, and personnel;
(d) The effect of the termination action on the community;
(e) The extent and quality of the dealer's service under recreational
vehicle warranties;
(f) The failure to follow agreed-upon, reasonable procedures or standards
related to the overall operation of the dealership consistent with the law and
the manufacturer-dealer agreement;
(g) The dealer's performance under the terms of the manufacturer-dealer
agreement;
(h) The dealer or one of its owners being convicted of, or entering a plea
of nolo contendere to, a felony;
(i) The abandonment or closing of the business operations of the dealer
for ten consecutive business days unless the closing is due to an act of God,
strike, labor difficulty, or other cause over which the dealer has no control;
(j) A significant misrepresentation by the dealer that materially affects
the business relationship between the manufacturer or distributor and the
dealer; and
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(k) A suspension, revocation, or nonrenewal of the dealer's license under
the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act to sell recreational vehicles.
Sec. 11. (1)(a) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, a
manufacturer or distributor shall provide the dealer with a written notice that
states the manufacturer's or distributor's intent to initiate a termination
action.
(b) Such written notice shall be delivered to the headquarters of the
dealer at least:
(i) One hundred twenty days prior to the intended termination action; or
(ii) Thirty days prior to the intended termination action if the reasons
showing that good cause exists for initiating a termination action include any
reason under subdivisions (2)(h) though (k) of section 10 of this act.
(c) Such written notice shall state:
(i) Each reason showing that good cause exists for the proposed
termination action;
(ii) The date of the proposed termination action; and
(iii) That, within thirty days after receiving the notice, the dealer may
provide to the manufacturer or distributor a written notice of intent to cure
each reason stated for the proposed termination action. Such notice of intent
to cure shall be delivered to the headquarters of the manufacturer or
distributor.
(2)(a) For a dealer that provides the notice described in subdivision (1)
(c)(iii) of this section, such dealer has ninety days after such notice was
received by the manufacturer or distributor to cure each reason stated for the
proposed termination action.
(b) If each reason for the proposed termination action is cured as
specified in subdivision (2)(a) of this section, the manufacturer or
distributor shall not initiate the proposed termination action.
(3) For a dealer that does not provide the notice described in subdivision
(1)(c)(iii) of this section, the manufacturer or distributor may initiate the
proposed termination action on the date stated in the written notice provided
by the manufacturer or distributor pursuant to subsection (1) of this section.
(4) A manufacturer or distributor does not need to provide written notice
to a dealer of a proposed termination action if the dealer is experiencing
insolvency, the occurrence of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or
bankruptcy.
Sec. 12. (1) A dealer may initiate a termination action with a
manufacturer or distributor with or without good cause at any time by providing
a written notice of the termination action to the manufacturer or distributor.
Such written notice shall be delivered to the headquarters of the manufacturer
or distributor at least thirty days prior to the date of the termination
action.
(2) A dealer that initiates a termination action for good cause has the
burden of showing good cause for such termination action. For purposes of
determining good cause under this section, any of the following factors may be
considered:
(a) The manufacturer or distributor being convicted of, or entering a plea
of nolo contendere to, a felony;
(b) The business operations of the manufacturer or distributor being
abandoned or closed for ten consecutive business days, unless the closing is
due to any act of God, strike, labor difficulty, or other cause over which the
manufacturer or distributor has no control;
(c) A significant misrepresentation by the manufacturer or distributor
that materially affects the business relationship between the dealer and the
manufacturer or distributor;
(d) A material violation of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation
Act by the manufacturer or distributor that is not cured within thirty days
after receipt of the written notice that is provided by the dealer to the
headquarters of the manufacturer or distributor;
(e) A declaration by the manufacturer or distributor of bankruptcy,
insolvency, or the occurrence of an assignment for the benefit of creditors;
(f) A material violation of the manufacturer-dealer agreement by the
manufacturer that is not cured within one hundred twenty days after written
notice that is provided by the dealer to the headquarters of the manufacturer;
(g) Coercion of the dealer by the manufacturer or distributor; and
(h) A violation by the manufacturer or distributor of the area of sales
responsibility specified in the manufacturer-dealer agreement or allowing other
dealers to violate such area of sales responsibility.
Sec. 13. (1) This section applies to any termination action that is
initiated when a manufacturer terminates without good cause or a dealer
terminates with good cause and the termination action is:
(a) Initiated by a manufacturer or distributor and is not in accordance
with section 11 of this act;
(b) Initiated pursuant to subsection (3) of section 11 of this act; or
(c) Initiated pursuant to section 12 of this act.
(2) At the election of the dealer and within forty-five days after the
date of the termination action, the manufacturer or distributor shall
repurchase:
(a) All new, untitled recreational vehicles that were acquired by the
dealer from the manufacturer or distributor within the eighteen-month period
prior to the date of the termination action. Any such recreational vehicles
shall not have not been used except for demonstration purposes and shall not
have not been altered. Such recreational vehicles shall be purchased at one
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hundred percent of the original net invoice cost, including transportation and
less applicable rebates and discounts provided to the dealer. If any such
recreational vehicle that is repurchased is damaged prior to purchase, the
repurchase amount due to the dealer shall be reduced by the cost to repair such
damaged recreational vehicle;
(b) All undamaged accessories and proprietary parts sold to the dealer by
the manufacturer or distributor for resale within the twelve-month period prior
to the date of the termination action. Any such accessories and proprietary
parts shall be accompanied by their original invoice. Such accessories and
parts shall be repurchased at one hundred five percent of the original net
invoice price; and
(c) Any properly functioning diagnostic equipment, special tools, current
signage, and other equipment and machinery, that (i) was originally purchased
by the dealer within five years before the date of the termination action, (ii)
was originally purchased upon the manufacturer's or distributor's request, and
(iii) can no longer be used in the normal course of the dealer's ongoing
business. The manufacturer or distributor shall pay to the dealer one hundred
percent of the net cost that the dealer paid to acquire such equipment, tools,
signage, and machinery. The manufacturer or distributor shall reimburse the
dealer for any freight, destination, delivery, and distribution charges and
sales taxes, if any, related to the original purchase and the repurchase of
such equipment, tools, signage, and machinery.
(3) Any repurchased recreational vehicle shall be paid for in full before
such recreational vehicle is removed from the dealer's premises. After payment
in full and upon the request of the manufacturer or distributor, such
recreational vehicle shall be immediately surrendered to the manufacturer or
distributor.
Sec. 14. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Recreational Vehicle
Industry Regulation Act, if any recreational vehicle of a model or line-make
that is the subject of a termination agreement is not repurchased or required
to be repurchased by the manufacturer or distributor, a dealer may sell the
remaining inventory of such model or line-make or any accessory or part for
such model or line-make that such dealer has in stock.
Sec. 15. (1) Prior to entering a new manufacturer-dealer agreement to
sell the same line-make, a dealer shall provide written notice to each
manufacturer and distributor with which the dealer has a manufacturer-dealer
agreement.
(2) Such written notice shall:
(a) Be provided to the headquarters of the manufacturer or distributor at
least thirty days prior to entering the new manufacturer-dealer agreement;
(b) Specify that the dealer will be entering a new manufacturer-dealer
agreement;
(c) Specify the line-make that is the subject of the new manufacturer-
dealer agreement; and
(d) Specify the length of time that the new manufacturer-dealer agreement
will be effective.
Sec. 16. A manufacturer-dealer agreement that has been renewed shall not
require additional inventory stocking requirements or increased retail sales
targets in excess of the market growth in the dealer's area of sales
responsibility.
Sec. 17. (1) A dealer shall provide written notice to each manufacturer
and distributor with which the manufacturer is currently under a manufacturer-
dealer agreement that such dealer intends to change ownership by any manner,
including the sale of assets of the dealer and a stock transfer. Such written
notice shall be provided at least ten business days before the change of
ownership to the headquarters of each such manufacturer and distributor.
(2)(a) Within three business days after receiving a written notice under
this section, a manufacturer or distributor may request the dealer to provide
any supporting documentation that is required by the manufacturer or
distributor to determine if such manufacturer or distributor will object to the
change in ownership.
(b) Any such requested supporting documentation shall be provided by the
dealer within three business days after receiving the request for such
supporting documentation.
Sec. 18. (1) A manufacturer or distributor shall not object to a change
in ownership of a dealer unless:
(a) The change in ownership would breach the manufacturer-dealer
agreement;
(b) The dealer failed to provide any requested supporting documentation
under section 17 of this act;
(c) The prospective transferee:
(i) Has been terminated for cause in a termination action initiated by the
manufacturer under a previous manufacturer-dealer agreement;
(ii) Has been convicted of a felony or any crime of fraud, deceit, or
moral turpitude;
(iii) Lacks any license necessary to own and operate the dealership under
the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act;
(iv) Does not have an active line of credit that is sufficient to purchase
the manufacturer's or distributor's products under the manufacturer-dealer
agreement; or
(v) Within the ten years prior to the date of receipt of the written
notice provided under section 17 of this act, has undergone bankruptcy,
insolvency, a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the
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appointment of a receiver, trustee, or conservator to take possession of the
transferee's business or property; or
(d) If the prospective transferee is a family member of the dealer, such
family member intends to do any of the following without the consent of the
manufacturer or distributor:
(i) Relocate the dealership to any location; or
(ii) Alter the terms or conditions of the manufacturer-dealer agreement.
(2) If the manufacturer or distributor objects to a change of ownership,
the manufacturer or distributor shall provide written notice of its reasons for
the objection to the dealer within seven business days after receipt of the
written notification provided by the dealer under section 17 of this act. The
manufacturer or distributor has the burden of proof with regard to its
objection.
(3) If a manufacturer or distributor does not object to the change in
ownership pursuant to this section, the change in ownership shall be deemed
approved by such manufacturer or distributor.
Sec. 19. A warrantor shall:
(1) Specify a dealer's obligations, if any, for preparation, delivery, and
consumer care on products that are under warranty by the warrantor. Any such
obligations shall be specified in writing;
(2) Compensate a dealer for consumer care that is (a) performed by such
dealer and (b) covered by a warranty issued by the warrantor;
(3) Create a schedule of compensation and provide such schedule to each
dealer that is authorized by the warrantor to perform warranty service; and
(4) Whenever the warrantor modifies a schedule of compensation, provide
such updated schedule of compensation to each dealer that is authorized by the
warrantor to perform warranty service.
Sec. 20. (1) A schedule of compensation that is created or modified by a
warrantor shall include the:
(a) Reasonable compensation that will be paid by the warrantor to the
dealer for performing consumer care. Such compensation shall not be less than
the lowest retail labor rate actually charged by the dealer in the ordinary
course of business for like nonwarranty consumer care; and
(b) Reasonable time allowances for the performance of consumer care.
(2)(a) Any particular consumer care that is performed by a dealer and that
is not included in a schedule of compensation shall be paid by the warrantor at
the actual time expended to complete the consumer care.
(b) A warrantor may dispute a payment required by subdivision (a) of this
subsection. A warrantor that disputes any such payment shall:
(i) Demonstrate that the actual time claimed by the dealer to perform the
consumer care was not reasonable; and
(ii) Pay the dealer a reasonable sum for the performance of the consumer
care.
(c) The burden of proof for any dispute under this subsection lies with
the warrantor.
Sec. 21. A dealer that replaces a warranty part shall be paid the
following by the warrantor that issued the warranty for such warranty part:
(1) The actual wholesale cost paid by the dealer for the warranty part;
(2) A handling charge equal to the lesser amount of:
(a) Thirty percent of the actual wholesale cost paid by the dealer for the
warranty part. If a part is sent to the dealer at no cost, the warrantor shall
pay to the dealer an amount equal to thirty percent of the wholesale cost of
the part; or
(b) Three hundred dollars; and
(3) The freight cost to ship to the warrantor the part that was replaced,
if the warrantor requests for such part to be shipped to the warrantor.
Sec. 22. A warrantor may ship parts to the dealer so that such dealer
will be able to carry out factory campaign work. If such parts are in excess of
a dealer's requirements, the dealer may return the unused parts to the
warrantor for credit after completion of the factory campaign.
Sec. 23. A dealer shall notify the warrantor as soon as reasonably
possible, verbally or in writing, if the dealer is unable or unwilling to
perform material or repetitive consumer care.
Sec. 24. (1) A warrantor may conduct a warranty audit of any dealer that
requests warranty compensation from the warrantor.
(2) A warrantor may conduct such warranty audits for any number of such
dealers, but not more often for each such dealer than three months since the
last warranty audit conducted by such warrantor.
Sec. 25. (1) A dealer shall submit a warranty compensation claim within
forty-five days after completing consumer care relating to the compensation
claim. Such claim shall be in the manner and form prescribed by the warrantor.
(2) A request by a dealer for payment of warranty compensation shall not
be denied except for cause, including performance of nonwarranty repairs,
material noncompliance with the warrantor's published policies and procedures,
lack of material documentation, fraud, and misrepresentation.
(3) A warrantor shall provide written notice to the dealer for any
warranty claim that the warrantor denies. Such written notice shall be provided
to the headquarters of the dealer within forty-five days after the date of
submission for payment of warranty compensation by the dealer.
(4) Any claim that is not denied pursuant to subsection (3) of this
section shall be deemed to be approved and shall be paid within sixty days
after the date of submission for payment of warranty compensation by the
dealer.
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Sec. 26. A warrantor shall not:
(1) Fail to perform any of its warranty obligations;
(2) Fail to include, in any written notice of a factory campaign that is
provided to any recreational vehicle owner or dealer, the expected date when
necessary parts and equipment, including tires, chassis, and chassis parts,
will be available to dealers to perform factory campaign work;
(3) Fail to compensate a dealer for authorized consumer care that was
completed by the dealer relating to merchandise that was damaged:
(a) During the manufacturing process; or
(b) During transit to the dealer, if the carrier that provided transit was
designated by the warrantor, factory branch, distributor, or distributor
branch;
(4) Fail to compensate a dealer for authorized warranty service in
accordance with the time allowances set forth in the schedule of compensation,
if such warranty service was performed in a timely and competent manner;
(5) Intentionally misrepresent in any way to any purchaser of a
recreational vehicle that any warranty with respect to the manufacture,
performance, or design of the recreational vehicle is made by the dealer as a
warrantor or co-warrantor; or
(6) Require the dealer to make any warranty to any customer in any manner
related to the manufacture of a recreational vehicle.
Sec. 27. A dealer shall not:
(1) Fail to perform predelivery inspection functions, as specified by the
warrantor, in a competent and timely manner;
(2) Fail to perform warranty service that is authorized by a warrantor in
a reasonably competent and timely manner on any transient customer's
recreational vehicle if such recreational vehicle is the same line-make sold by
the dealer. This subdivision does not apply if the dealer determines that the
transient customer is acting in a manner detrimental to the dealer's business;
(3) Fail to track actual time expended to perform warranty service that is
not governed by time allowances in the schedule of compensation;
(4) Claim an agency relationship with a warrantor or a manufacturer; or
(5) Misrepresent the terms of any warranty.
Sec. 28. (1)(a) Except as provided in subdivision (d) of this subsection,
a warrantor shall not fail to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless a dealer
that performed warranty service on behalf of such warrantor against any loss or
damage to the extent such loss or damage was caused by the negligence or
willful misconduct of such warrantor.
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (d) of this subsection, such dealer
shall not be denied indemnification by such warrantor or a defense against such
warrantor for failing to discover, disclose, or remedy a defect in the design
or manufacturing of a recreational vehicle.
(c) Such dealer shall provide to such warrantor a copy of the complaint in
any legal proceeding in which any allegation is made that relates to warranty
service described in this subsection. Such copy shall be provided to the
headquarters of such warrantor within ten calendar days after such dealer
receives such complaint.
(d) Subdivisions (a) and (b) of this subsection do not apply for a legal
proceeding if a dealer does not comply with subdivision (c) of this subsection.
(2)(a) Except as provided in subdivision (c) of this subsection, a dealer
shall not fail to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless a warrantor for which
the dealer performed warranty service against any loss or damage to the extent
such loss or damage was caused by the negligence or willful misconduct of such
dealer.
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (c) of this subsection, such
warrantor shall provide to such dealer a copy of the complaint in any legal
proceeding in which any allegation is made that relates to warranty service
described in this subsection. Such copy shall be provided to the headquarters
of such dealer within ten calendar days after such warrantor receives such
complaint.
(c) Subdivision (a) of this subsection does not apply for a legal
proceeding if a warrantor does not comply with subdivision (b) of this
subsection.
(3) Indemnification under this section includes court costs, reasonable
attorney's fees, and expert witness fees.
Sec. 29. (1) If a new recreational vehicle is damaged prior to transit to
a dealer or is damaged in transit to a dealer and the carrier or means of
transportation was selected by the manufacturer or distributor, the dealer
shall notify the manufacturer or distributor of the damage within the timeframe
specified in the manufacturer-dealer agreement and:
(a) Request authorization from the manufacturer or distributor to replace
or correct any component, part, or accessory that was damaged; or
(b) Not take delivery of the recreational vehicle.
(2) The ownership of a new recreational vehicle described in subsection
(1) of this section reverts to the manufacturer or distributor if:
(a) A dealer requests authorization under subdivision (1)(a) of this
section and the manufacturer or distributor refuses or fails to make such
authorization within ten business days after receiving the notification
described in subsection (1) of this section; or
(b) The dealer does not take delivery of the recreational vehicle.
(3) A dealer that takes custody of a recreational vehicle described in
subsection (1) of this section shall exercise due care with such recreational
vehicle, but such dealer shall have no other obligations, financial or
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otherwise, with respect to such recreational vehicle.
(4)(a) For purposes of this subsection, unreasonable amount of miles means
any amount determined by the dealer that is not less than the sum of:
(i) For recreational vehicles delivered from a manufacturer, one hundred
miles plus the shortest distance over paved roads beginning at the location
where the recreational vehicle was manufactured and ending at the dealership
location; or
(ii) For recreational vehicles delivered from a distributor, one hundred
miles plus the shortest distance over paved roads beginning from the location
where the recreational vehicle was manufactured, through the location of the
distributor, and ending at the dealership location.
(b) A dealer may choose to not take delivery of any new recreational
vehicle if the odometer for such recreational vehicle indicates an unreasonable
amount of miles. The ownership of such recreational vehicle shall revert to the
manufacturer or distributor.
Sec. 30. (1) For purposes of this section, coerce includes, but is not
limited to:
(a) Threatening to initiate a termination action or not renew a
manufacturer-dealer agreement without good cause;
(b) Threatening to withhold any product as an inducement to amending the
manufacturer-dealer agreement; and
(c) Delaying the delivery of any product as an inducement to amending the
manufacturer-dealer agreement.
(2) A manufacturer or distributor shall not coerce or attempt to coerce
any dealer to:
(a) Purchase any product that the dealer did not order;
(b) Enter into any agreement with the manufacturer or distributor;
(c) Take any action that is unfair or unreasonable to the dealer;
(d) Enter into any agreement that requires the dealer to submit to binding
arbitration or otherwise waive any right or responsibility provided under the
Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation Act; or
(e) Forego exercising a right authorized by a manufacturer-dealer
agreement or any law governing the manufacturer, distributor, or dealer.
(3) The dealer bears the burden of proof regarding any coercive action by
a manufacturer or distributor that is prohibited under this section.
Sec. 31. (1)(a) A dealer, manufacturer, distributor, or warrantor that is
injured by a violation of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation Act may
bring a civil action to recover actual damages.
(b) Venue for any civil action under this section shall be brought:
(i) If only one dealer is a party to the civil action, in the district
court of the county where the dealership is located;
(ii) If more than one dealer is a party to the civil action, in the
district court of any county where a dealer that is a party to the action is
located; or
(iii) If no party to the civil action is a dealer, in any district court
with relevant jurisdiction.
(c) The court shall award attorney's fees and costs to the prevailing
party in such action.
(2)(a) Before bringing a civil action under this section, the party that
is bringing the civil action for an alleged violation shall serve a written
demand for mediation upon the offending party.
(b) The demand for mediation shall be served upon the offending party via
certified mail at the address:
(i) Stated within the manufacturer-dealer agreement between the parties;
or
(ii) If there is no manufacturer-dealer agreement between the parties or
if the address described in subdivision (b)(i) of this subsection does not
exist or is no longer valid, the address specified by the offending party in
such party's license application under the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation
Act.
(c) The demand for mediation shall contain a brief statement of the
dispute and the relief sought by the party serving the demand.
(d) Within twenty days after the date a demand for mediation is served
upon the offending party, the parties shall mutually select an independent
mediator and meet with the mediator for the purpose of attempting to resolve
the dispute. The meeting place shall be in this state in a location selected by
the mediator. The mediator may extend the date of the mediation for good cause
shown by either party or upon stipulation of both parties.
(e) The service of a demand for mediation under this subsection stays any
statute of limitations or statute of repose for the filing of any complaint,
petition, protest, or action under the Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation
Act until representatives of all parties have met with a mutually selected
mediator for the purpose of attempting to mediate the dispute. If a complaint,
petition, protest, or action is filed before such mediation, the court shall
enter an order suspending the proceeding or action until the mediation has
occurred and may, upon written stipulation of all parties to the proceeding or
action that the parties wish to continue to mediate under this subsection,
enter an order suspending the proceeding or action until a date that the court
considers appropriate. A suspension order issued under this subdivision may be
revoked by the court.
(f) The parties to the mediation shall bear their own costs for attorney's
fees and divide equally the cost of the mediator.
Sec. 32. (1)(a) A dealer, manufacturer, distributor, or warrantor may
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bring a civil action in district court to seek injunctive relief relating to a
violation or a potential violation of the Recreational Vehicle Industry
Regulation Act or a manufacturer-dealer agreement.
(b) Venue for any civil action under this section shall be brought:
(i) If only one dealer is a party to the civil action, in the district
court of the county where the dealership is located;
(ii) If more than one dealer is a party to the civil action, in the
district court of any county where a dealer that is a party to the action is
located; or
(iii) If no party to the civil action is a dealer, in any district court
with relevant jurisdiction.
(2) After a hearing and if cause has been shown, the court may issue a
temporary or permanent injunction, or both, that restrains any person from
violating the Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation Act or a manufacturer-
dealer agreement.
(3) Such injunction shall be issued without bond.
(4) A single act in violation of the Recreational Vehicle Industry
Regulation Act is sufficient to authorize the issuance of an injunction under
this section.
Sec. 33. (1) The board may suspend or revoke the license of any licensee
under the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act upon a finding that any such
licensee has violated the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act.
(2) The board may impose and collect a civil penalty against any licensee
if the board finds that such licensee has violated the Recreational Vehicle
Industry Regulation Act. Such civil penalty shall not exceed five thousand
dollars for each violation of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Regulation Act.
All civil penalties collected by the board shall be remitted to the State
Treasurer for distribution in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the
Constitution of Nebraska.
(3) Any suspension, revocation, or imposition under this section may be
appealed by the licensee. The appeal shall be in accordance with the
Administrative Procedure Act.
Sec. 34. Section 18-1736, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
18-1736 (1) A city or village may designate parking spaces, including
access aisles, for the exclusive use of (a) handicapped or disabled persons
whose motor vehicles display the distinguishing license plates issued to
handicapped or disabled persons pursuant to the Motor Vehicle Registration Act
section 60-3,113, (b) handicapped or disabled persons whose motor vehicles
display a distinguishing license plate issued to a handicapped or disabled
person by another state, (c) such other handicapped or disabled persons or
temporarily handicapped or disabled persons whose motor vehicles display a
handicapped or disabled parking permit, and (d) such other motor vehicles which
display a handicapped or disabled parking permit.
(2) If a city or village so designates a parking space or access aisle, it
shall be indicated by posting aboveground and immediately adjacent to and
visible from each space or access aisle a sign as described in section 18-1737.
In addition to such sign, the space or access aisle may also be indicated by
blue paint on the curb or edge of the paved portion of the street adjacent to
the space or access aisle.
(3) For purposes of sections 18-1736 to 18-1741.07:
(a) Access aisle has the same meaning as in section 60-302.01;
(b) Handicapped or disabled parking permit has the same meaning as in
section 60-331.01;
(c) Handicapped or disabled person has the same meaning as in section
60-331.02; and
(d) Temporarily handicapped or disabled person has the same meaning as in
section 60-352.01.
Sec. 35. Section 28-306, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended to
read:
28-306 (1) A person who causes the death of another unintentionally while
engaged in the operation of a motor vehicle in violation of the law of the
State of Nebraska or in violation of any city or village ordinance commits
motor vehicle homicide.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, motor vehicle
homicide is a Class I misdemeanor.
(3)(a) If the proximate cause of the death of another is the operation of
a motor vehicle in violation of section 60-6,213 or 60-6,214, motor vehicle
homicide is a Class IIIA felony.
(b) If the proximate cause of the death of another is the operation of a
motor vehicle in violation of section 60-6,196 or 60-6,197.06, motor vehicle
homicide is a Class IIA felony.
(c) If the proximate cause of the death of another is the operation of a
motor vehicle in violation of section 60-6,196 or 60-6,197.06, motor vehicle
homicide is a Class II felony if the defendant has a prior conviction for a
violation of section 60-6,196 or 60-6,197.06, under a city or village ordinance
enacted in conformance with section 60-6,196, or under a law of another state
if, at the time of the conviction under the law of such other state, the
offense for which the defendant was convicted would have been a violation of
section 60-6,196.
(4)(a) For a conviction under subsection (2) or subdivision (3)(a) of this
section, the court may, as part of the judgment of conviction, order the person
not to drive any motor vehicle for any purpose for a period of up to two years
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and order that the operator's license of such person be revoked suspended for
the same period.
(b) For a conviction under subdivision (3)(b) or (c) of this section, the
court shall, as part of the judgment of conviction, order the person not to
drive any motor vehicle for any purpose for a period of fifteen years and shall
order that the operator's license of such person be revoked for the same
period.
(5) An order of the court described in this section shall be administered
upon sentencing, upon final judgment of any appeal or review, or upon the date
that any probation is revoked.
(6) The crime punishable under this section shall be treated as a separate
and distinct offense from any other offense arising out of acts alleged to have
been committed while the person was in violation of this section.
Sec. 36. Section 37-1278.01, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
37-1278.01 (1) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall issue a bonded
certificate of title to an applicant who:
(a) Presents evidence reasonably sufficient to satisfy the department of
the applicant's ownership of the motorboat or security interest in the
motorboat;
(b) Pays a fee of fifty dollars for motorboats manufactured on or after
January 1, 1990, and twenty dollars for motorboats manufactured prior to
January 1, 1990; and
(c) Files a bond in a form prescribed by the department and executed by
the applicant; and .
(d) Provides proof that written notice as prescribed in subsection (6) of
this section has been provided to each party with a secured interest in the
motorboat.
(2) The bond shall be issued by a surety company authorized to transact
business in this state, in an amount equal to one and one-half times the value
of the motorboat as determined by the department using reasonable appraisal
methods, and conditioned to indemnify any prior owner and secured party, any
subsequent purchaser and secured party, and any successor of the purchaser and
secured party for any expense, loss, or damage, including reasonable attorney's
fees, incurred by reason of the issuance of the certificate of title to the
motorboat or any defect in or undisclosed security interest upon the right,
title, and interest of the applicant in and to the motorboat. An interested
person may have a cause of action to recover on the bond for a breach of the
conditions of the bond. The aggregate liability of the surety to all persons
having a claim shall not exceed the amount of the bond.
(3) At the end of three years after the issuance of the bond, the holder
of the certificate of title may apply to the department on a form prescribed by
the department for the release of the bond and the removal of the notice
required by subsection (4) of this section if no claim has been made on the
bond. The department may release the bond at the end of three years after the
issuance of the bond if all questions as to the ownership of the motorboat have
been answered to the satisfaction of the department unless the department has
been notified of the pendency of an action to recover on the bond. If the
currently valid certificate of title is surrendered to the department, the
department may release the bond prior to the end of the three-year period.
(4) The department shall include the following statement on a bonded
certificate of title issued pursuant to this section and any subsequent title
issued as a result of a title transfer while the bond is in effect:
NOTICE: THIS MOTORBOAT MAY BE SUBJECT TO AN UNDISCLOSED INTEREST, BOND
NUMBER ............ .
(5) The department shall recall a bonded certificate of title if the
department finds that the application for the title contained a false statement
or if a check presented by the applicant for fees pursuant to this section is
returned uncollected by a financial institution.
(6)(a) Any applicant for a bonded certificate of title shall provide
written notice to any party with a secured interest in the motorboat that is
the subject of the application. Such written notice shall be provided to the
last-known address of each such party through certified mail with return
receipt requested and shall include a notice that the security interest will be
discharged if the party fails to respond within thirty days after receiving the
notice. If the lienholder responds, the response shall be presented to the
department along with the written notice and certified mail receipt.
(b) Issuance of a bonded certificate of title shall extinguish any lien or
security interest regarding a motorboat for which the notice in subdivision (a)
of this subsection was provided if the lienholder does not respond to such
notice within thirty days after receiving the notice.
(7) (6) The department shall remit fees collected pursuant to this section
to the State Treasurer for credit to the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash
Fund.
Sec. 37. Section 60-301, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended to
read:
60-301 Sections 60-301 to 60-3,236 and section 39 of this act shall be
known and may be cited as the Motor Vehicle Registration Act.
Sec. 38. Section 60-302, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended to
read:
60-302 For purposes of the Motor Vehicle Registration Act, unless the
context otherwise requires, the definitions found in sections 60-302.01 to
60-360 and section 39 of this act shall be used.
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Sec. 39. In Transit means a placard or sticker that authorizes a motor
vehicle or trailer that is not registered under the Motor Vehicle Registration
Act to be legally operated on highways.
Sec. 40. Section 60-362, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-362 (1) Unless otherwise expressly provided, no motor vehicle shall be
operated or parked and no trailer shall be towed or parked on the highways of
this state unless the motor vehicle or trailer is registered in accordance with
the Motor Vehicle Registration Act. There shall be a rebuttable presumption
that any motor vehicle or trailer stored and kept more than thirty days in the
state is being operated, parked, or towed on the highways of this state, and
such motor vehicle or trailer shall be registered in accordance with the act,
from the date of title of the motor vehicle or trailer or, if no transfer in
ownership of the motor vehicle or trailer has occurred, from the expiration of
the last registration period for which the motor vehicle or trailer was
registered. No motor vehicle or trailer shall be eligible for initial
registration in this state, except a motor vehicle or trailer registered or
eligible to be registered as part of a fleet of apportionable vehicles under
section 60-3,198, unless the Motor Vehicle Certificate of Title Act has been
complied with insofar as the motor vehicle or trailer is concerned.
(2) The Department of Motor Vehicles or the Department of Revenue may make
a determination that a resident owner of a motor vehicle or trailer is avoiding
any motor vehicle tax, motor vehicle fee, registration fee, or sales or use
tax. Such determination may be made based on any of the following factors:
(a) The resident owner does not own property in another state where the
motor vehicle or trailer has been registered;
(b) The resident owner does not maintain a physical location in another
state where the motor vehicle or trailer has been registered; or
(c) The resident owner has not filed a state income tax return in another
state where the motor vehicle or trailer has been registered.
(3) The Department of Motor Vehicles or the Department of Revenue may make
a determination that a motor vehicle or trailer has been kept for more than
thirty days in this state and has situs in this state. Such determination may
be made based on any of the following factors:
(a) A Nebraska resident was the initial purchaser of the motor vehicle or
trailer;
(b) A Nebraska resident operated or stored the motor vehicle or trailer in
this state for any period of time;
(c) A Nebraska resident is a member, partner, or shareholder of or is
otherwise affiliated with a limited liability company, partnership,
corporation, or other business entity that is purported to own the motor
vehicle or trailer;
(d) A Nebraska resident is covered under an insurance policy for the motor
vehicle or trailer; or
(e) Any evidence that the motor vehicle or trailer has been kept for more
than thirty days in this state and has situs in this state.
(4) If the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Department of Revenue makes
the determinations described in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, there
is a rebuttable presumption that:
(a) The Nebraska resident is the actual owner of the motor vehicle or
trailer;
(b) The Nebraska resident is required to register the motor vehicle or
trailer in this state and is liable for all motor vehicle taxes, motor vehicle
fees, and registration fees that are required under the Motor Vehicle
Registration Act; and
(c) The purchase of the motor vehicle or trailer is subject to sales or
use tax under section 77-2703.
(5) If determinations are made under subsections (2) and (3) of this
section, the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Department of Revenue shall
notify the Nebraska resident who is presumed to be the owner of the motor
vehicle or trailer that such resident is required to register the motor vehicle
or trailer in this state, pay any applicable taxes and fees for proper
registration of the motor vehicle and trailer under the Motor Vehicle
Registration Act, and pay any applicable sales or use tax due on the purchase
under the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967 no later than thirty days after the
notice is delivered to such resident.
(6) If the Department of Motor Vehicles makes the determinations under
subsections (2) and (3) of this section, the Nebraska resident who is presumed
to be the owner of the motor vehicle or trailer may accept such determinations
and pay the taxes and fees provided in the notice, or he or she may dispute the
determinations and appeal the matter. Such appeal shall be filed with the
Director of Motor Vehicles within thirty days after the notice was delivered to
the resident or the determinations will be final. The director shall appoint a
hearing officer who shall hear the appeal and issue a written decision. Such
appeal shall be in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. Following
the final determination of the appeal in favor of the Department of Motor
Vehicles or if no further appeal is filed, the resident shall owe the taxes and
fees determined to be due, together with any reasonable costs for the appeal
assessed against the owner.
(7) If the Department of Revenue makes the determinations under
subsections (2) and (3) of this section, the Nebraska resident who is presumed
to be the owner of the motor vehicle or trailer may appeal the determination
made by the Department of Revenue, and such appeal shall be in accordance with
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section 77-2709.
(8) If the Nebraska resident who is presumed to be the owner of the motor
vehicle or trailer does not pay the motor vehicle taxes, motor vehicle fees,
registration fees, or sales or use tax required to be paid under this section,
such resident shall be assessed a late fee of fifty percent of the unpaid taxes
and fees. Such late fee shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to
the Highway Trust Fund.
(9) In addition to any penalty that is provided under this section, a
violation of this section is subject to the penalty provided under sections
60-3,164 and 60-3,170.
Sec. 41. Section 60-376, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-376 (1) Subject to all the provisions of law relating to motor vehicles
and trailers not inconsistent with this section, any motor vehicle dealer or
trailer dealer who is regularly engaged within this state in the business of
buying and selling motor vehicles and trailers, who regularly maintains within
this state an established place of business, and who desires to effect delivery
of any motor vehicle or trailer bought or sold by such dealer him or her from
the point where purchased or sold to points within or outside this state may,
solely for the purpose of such delivery by such dealer himself or herself, such
dealer's his or her agent, or a bona fide purchaser, operate such motor vehicle
or tow such trailer on the highways of this state without charge or
registration of such motor vehicle or trailer. A sticker shall be displayed on
the front and rear windows or the rear side windows of such motor vehicle,
except an autocycle or a motorcycle, and displayed on the front and rear of
each such trailer.
(2) Prior to January 1, 2029, an In Transit shall be displayed as follows
on a motor vehicle described in subsection (1) of this section, other than an
autocycle or a motorcycle:
(a)(i) On the front of the motor vehicle or on the front window of the
motor vehicle; and
(ii) On the rear of the motor vehicle or on the rear window of the motor
vehicle; or
(b) On the rear side windows of the motor vehicle.
(3) Beginning on January 1, 2029, an In Transit shall be displayed on the
rear window, a rear side window, or the rear of a motor vehicle described in
subsection (1) of this section.
(4) For a trailer described in subsection (1) of this section, an In
Transit shall be displayed on the rear of the trailer.
(5)(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this subsection, on On the
In Transit sticker shall be plainly printed in black letters the words "In
Transit" In Transit.
(b) For One In Transit sticker shall be displayed on an autocycle or a
motorcycle, the In Transit which sticker may be one-half the size required for
other motor vehicles.
(c) An In Transit Such stickers shall include a registration number that
is , which registration number shall be different for each motor vehicle or
trailer for which an In Transit is sticker or pair of stickers issued. The ,
and the contents of such sticker and the numbering system of the In Transit
shall be as prescribed by the department.
(6) Each dealer issuing an In Transit such stickers shall keep a record of
the registration number of the In Transit each sticker or pair of stickers on
the invoice for the of such sale.
(7)(a) An In Transit Such sticker shall allow the operation of such owner
to operate the motor vehicle or the towing of the tow such trailer for a period
of thirty days in order to effect proper registration of the new or used motor
vehicle or trailer.
(b) When any person, firm, or corporation has had a motor vehicle or
trailer previously registered and license plates assigned to such person, firm,
or corporation, such owner may operate the motor vehicle may be operated or tow
such trailer may be towed for a period of thirty days in order to effect the
transfer of license plates to the new or used motor vehicle or trailer.
(c) Upon demand of proper authorities, there shall be presented by the
person in charge of such motor vehicle or trailer, for examination, a duly
executed bill of sale therefor or other satisfactory evidence of the right of
possession by such person of such motor vehicle or trailer.
Sec. 42. Section 60-378, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-378 (1) Any transporter that is registered with the Secretary of State
and authorized to transact business doing business in this state may, in lieu
of registering each motor vehicle or trailer which such transporter is
transporting, upon payment of a fee of ten dollars, apply to the department for
a transporter's certificate and one transporter license plate. Additional pairs
of transporter certificates and transporter license plates may be procured for
a fee of ten dollars each.
(2) Transporter license plates shall be displayed upon:
(a) The upon the motor vehicle or trailer being transported; or
(b) A upon a properly registered truck or truck-tractor that which is a
work or service vehicle in the process of towing a trailer that which is itself
being delivered by the transporter , and such registered truck or truck-tractor
shall also display a transporter plate upon the front thereof.
(3) The applicant for a transporter license plate shall keep for three
years a record of each motor vehicle or trailer transported by the applicant
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him or her under this section. Such , and such record shall be available to the
department for inspection.
(4) Each applicant shall file with the department proof of his or her
status as a bona fide transporter.
(5) (2) Transporter license plates:
(a) May may be the same size as license plates issued for motorcycles
other than autocycles;
(b) Shall , shall bear thereon a mark to distinguish them as transporter
license plates; , and
(c) Shall shall be serially numbered so as to distinguish them from each
other.
(6) Transporter Such license plates shall may only be displayed upon the:
(a) Front front of a driven motor vehicle of a lawful combination;
(b) Front or upon the front of a motor vehicle driven singly; or
(c) Rear upon the rear of a trailer being towed; or .
(d) Front of a registered truck or truck-tractor that is described in
subdivision (2)(b) of this section.
Sec. 43. Section 60-386, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended to
read:
60-386 (1) Each new application shall contain, in addition to other
information as may be required by the department:
(a) The , the name and residential and mailing address of the applicant;
(b)(i) The full legal name as defined in section 60-468.01 of each owner;
or
(ii) The name of each owner as such name appears on the owner's motor
vehicle operator's license or state identification card;
(c)(i) The motor vehicle operator's license number or state identification
card number of each owner, if applicable, and one or more of the identification
elements as listed in section 60-484 of each owner, if applicable; and
(ii) If any owner is a business entity, a nonprofit organization, an
estate, a trust, or a church-controlled organization, its tax identification
number;
(d) A and a description of the motor vehicle or trailer, including the
color, the manufacturer, the identification number, the United States
Department of Transportation number if required by 49 C.F.R. 390.5 through
390.21, as such regulations existed on the date specified in section 60-201,
and the weight of the motor vehicle or trailer required by the Motor Vehicle
Registration Act; and .
(e) For trailers that are not required to have a certificate of title
under section 60-137, one of the following documents:
(i) If a properly assigned certificate of title indicating a transfer of
ownership exists for such trailer, such certificate of title;
(ii) If subdivision (1)(e)(i) of this section does not apply to such
trailer and such trailer was purchased by the applicant within the thirty-day
period that precedes the date of the application, the most recently issued
certificate of registration and bill of sale for such trailer. A copy of the
most recently issued certificate of registration may be accepted in lieu of the
original certificate of registration. If the most recently issued certificate
of registration is not available, a county treasurer's office may verify via
the Vehicle Title and Registration System that the seller of the trailer that
was specified on such bill of sale was the last owner of record;
(iii) If subdivisions (1)(e)(i) and (ii) of this section do not apply to
such trailer and such trailer was not previously registered under the Motor
Vehicle Registration Act, the bill of sale for such trailer; or
(iv) If subdivisions (1)(e)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this section do not
apply to such trailer:
(A) A manufacturer's statement of origin that includes a description of
such trailer and all required ownership details that are adopted and
promulgated in rules and regulations by the department. Such manufacturer's
statement of origin may be issued directly to the applicant;
(B) A valid military registration document for such trailer that was
issued by the United States Government;
(C) An SF 97-1 Form, Certificate to Obtain Title, for such trailer that
was issued by the United States Government; or
(D) A completed and notarized untitled trailer affidavit that affirms
ownership.
(2) For trailers that which are not required to have a certificate of
title under section 60-137 and that which have no identification number, the
assignment of an identification number shall be required and the identification
number shall be issued by the county treasurer or department.
(3) With the application the applicant shall:
(a) Pay pay the proper registration fee; and
(b) State shall state whether the motor vehicle is propelled by
alternative fuel and, if alternative fuel, the type of fuel.
(4) The application shall also contain a notification that bulk fuel
purchasers may be subject to federal excise tax liability. The department shall
include such notification in the notices required by section 60-3,186.
(2) In addition to the information required under subsection (1) of this
section, the application for registration shall contain
(a)(i) the full legal name as defined in section 60-468.01 of each owner
or
(ii) the name of each owner as such name appears on the owner's motor
vehicle operator's license or state identification card and
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(b)(i) the motor vehicle operator's license number or state identification
card number of each owner, if applicable, and one or more of the identification
elements as listed in section 60-484 of each owner, if applicable, and
(ii) if any owner is a business entity, a nonprofit organization, an
estate, a trust, or a church-controlled organization, its tax identification
number.
Sec. 44. Section 60-3,100, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended
to read:
60-3,100 (1) The department shall issue to every person whose motor
vehicle or trailer is registered one or two fully reflectorized license plates
upon which shall be displayed (a) the registration number consisting of letters
and numerals assigned to such motor vehicle or trailer in figures not less than
two and one-half inches nor more than three inches in height and (b) also the
word Nebraska suitably lettered so as to be attractive. The license plates
shall be of a color designated by the director. The color of the plates shall
be changed each time the license plates are changed. Each time the license
plates are changed, the director shall secure competitive bids for materials
pursuant to the State Procurement Act. Autocycle, motorcycle, minitruck, low-
speed vehicle, and trailer license plate letters and numerals may be one-half
the size of those required in this section.
(2)(a) This subsection applies on and before December 31, 2028.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, two license plates
shall be issued for every motor vehicle.
(c) One license plate shall be issued for (i) apportionable vehicles, (ii)
buses, (iii) dealers, (iv) minitrucks, (v) motorcycles, other than autocycles,
(vi) special interest motor vehicles that use the special interest motor
vehicle license plate authorized by and issued under section 60-3,135.01, (vii)
trailers, and (viii) truck-tractors.
(d)(i) One license plate shall be issued, upon request and compliance with
this subdivision, for any passenger car which is not manufactured to be
equipped with a bracket on the front of the vehicle to display a license plate.
A license decal shall be issued with the license plate as provided in
subdivision (ii) of this subdivision and shall be displayed on the driver's
side of the windshield. In order to request a single license plate and license
decal, there shall be an additional annual nonrefundable registration fee of
fifty dollars plus the cost of the decal paid to the county treasurer at the
time of registration. All fees collected under this subdivision shall be
remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the Highway Trust Fund.
(ii) The department shall design, procure, and furnish to the county
treasurers a license decal which shall be displayed as evidence that a license
plate has been obtained under this subdivision. Each county treasurer shall
furnish a license decal to the person obtaining the plate.
(e)(i) (e) When two license plates are issued, one shall be prominently
displayed at all times on the front and one on the rear of the registered motor
vehicle or trailer.
(ii) When only one plate is issued, it shall be prominently displayed on
the rear of the registered motor vehicle or trailer.
(iii) When only one plate is issued for motor vehicles registered pursuant
to section 60-3,198 and truck-tractors, it shall be prominently displayed on
the front of the motor apportionable vehicle.
(3)(a) This subsection applies on and after January 1, 2029.
(b) One license plate shall be issued for every registered motor vehicle
or trailer.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the license plate for
a registered motor vehicle or trailer shall be prominently displayed on the
rear of the registered motor vehicle or trailer.
(d) When a license plate is issued for motor vehicles registered pursuant
to section 60-3,198 and truck-tractors, such license plate shall be prominently
displayed on the front of the apportionable vehicle or truck-tractor.
(4)(a) The director shall designate an implementation date for this
subsection that is on or before January 1, 2029. Beginning on such
implementation date, the department may deliver any license plate or
registration certificate to the applicant or to the county treasurer of the
county in which the motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer is registered by
United States mail or through an alternative shipping service. The delivery of
such license plate or registration certificate shall be made through a secure
process.
(b) If delivery of any license plate or registration certificate is made
by the department to the applicant, the department may charge a postage and
handling fee in an amount not more than necessary to recover the cost of
postage and handling for the specific items mailed to the applicant. The
department shall remit the fee to the State Treasurer for credit to the
Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund.
(5) Any person who presents proof of registration shall be permitted to
operate the registered motor vehicle or tow the registered trailer for a period
of thirty days without a mailed license plate displayed.
Sec. 45. Section 60-3,104, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended
to read:
60-3,104 The department shall issue the following types of license plates:
(1) Alternate license plates issued pursuant to sections 60-3,163,
60-3,163.01, and 60-3,163.02;
(2) Amateur radio station license plates issued pursuant to section
60-3,126;
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(3) Apportionable vehicle license plates issued pursuant to section
60-3,203;
(4) Autocycle license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,100;
(5) Boat dealer license plates issued pursuant to section 60-379;
(6) Bus license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,144;
(7) Commercial motor vehicle license plates issued pursuant to section
60-3,147;
(8) Dealer or manufacturer license plates issued pursuant to sections
60-3,114 and 60-3,115;
(9) Disabled veteran license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,124;
(10) Farm truck license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,146;
(11) Farm trucks with a gross weight of over sixteen tons license plates
issued pursuant to section 60-3,146;
(12) Former military vehicle license plates issued pursuant to section
60-3,236;
(13) Gold Star Family license plates issued pursuant to sections
60-3,122.01 and 60-3,122.02;
(14) Handicapped or disabled person license plates issued pursuant to
section 60-3,113;
(15) Historical vehicle license plates issued pursuant to sections
60-3,130 to 60-3,134;
(16) Local truck license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,145;
(17) Metropolitan utilities district license plates issued pursuant to
section 60-3,228;
(18) Military Honor Plates issued pursuant to sections 60-3,122.03 and
60-3,122.04;
(19) Minitruck license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,100;
(20) Motor vehicle license plates for motor vehicles owned or operated by
the state, counties, municipalities, or school districts issued pursuant to
section 60-3,105;
(21) Motor vehicles exempt pursuant to section 60-3,107;
(22) Motorcycle license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,100;
(23) Nonresident owner thirty-day license plates issued pursuant to
section 60-382;
(24) Organizational license plates issued pursuant to sections 60-3,104.01
and 60-3,104.02;
(25) Passenger car having a seating capacity of ten persons or less and
not used for hire issued pursuant to section 60-3,143 other than autocycles;
(26) Passenger car having a seating capacity of ten persons or less and
used for hire issued pursuant to section 60-3,143 other than autocycles;
(27) Pearl Harbor license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,122;
(28) Personal-use dealer license plates issued pursuant to section
60-3,116;
(29) Personalized message license plates for motor vehicles, trailers, and
semitrailers, except motor vehicles, trailers, and semitrailers registered
under section 60-3,198, issued pursuant to sections 60-3,118 to 60-3,121;
(30) Prisoner-of-war license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,123;
(31) Public power district license plates issued pursuant to section
60-3,228;
(32) Purple Heart license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,125;
(33) Recreational vehicle license plates issued pursuant to section
60-3,151;
(34) Repossession license plates issued pursuant to section 60-375;
(35) Special interest motor vehicle license plates issued pursuant to
section 60-3,135.01 for applications for such license plates that were received
by the department on or before December 31, 2028;
(36) Trailer license plates issued for trailers owned or operated by the
state, counties, municipalities, or school districts issued pursuant to section
60-3,106;
(37) Trailer license plates issued for trailers owned or operated by a
metropolitan utilities district or public power district pursuant to section
60-3,228;
(38) Trailer license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,100;
(39) Trailer license plates issued pursuant to section 60-3,151;
(40) Trailers exempt pursuant to section 60-3,108;
(41) Transporter license plates issued pursuant to section 60-378;
(42) Trucks or combinations of trucks, truck-tractors, or trailers that
are not for hire and engaged in soil and water conservation work and used for
the purpose of transporting pipe and equipment exclusively used by such
contractors for soil and water conservation construction license plates issued
pursuant to section 60-3,149; and
(43) Well-boring apparatus and well-servicing equipment license plates
issued pursuant to section 60-3,109.
Sec. 46. Section 60-3,122.03, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is
amended to read:
60-3,122.03 (1) The department shall design license plates to be known as
Military Honor Plates.
(2)(a) The department shall create a design for each of the following
armed forces that honors designs honoring persons who have served or are
serving in the:
(i) United States Army; ,
(ii) United States Army Reserve; ,
(iii) United States Navy; ,
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(iv) United States Navy Reserve; ,
(v) United States Marine Corps; ,
(vi) United States Marine Corps Reserve; ,
(vii) United States Coast Guard; ,
(viii) United States Coast Guard Reserve; ,
(ix) United States Air Force; ,
(x) United States Air Force Reserve; or ,
(xi) United States Space Force. ,
(b) The department shall create a design for each of the following armed
forces that honors persons who have served or are serving in the:
(i) Air National Guard; , or
(ii) Army National Guard.
(b) The department may begin issuing the license plates with the design
honoring persons who have served or are serving in the United States Space
Force on January 1, 2026.
(3) The design for each of the armed forces specified in subsection (2) of
this section shall reflect the There shall be thirteen such designs, one for
each of such armed forces reflecting its official emblem, official seal, or
other official image of such armed forces. The issuance of plates for each of
such armed forces shall be conditioned on the approval of the armed forces
owning the copyright to the official emblem, official seal, or other official
image.
(4) (4)(a) The department shall create six additional designs honoring
persons who are serving or have served in the armed forces of the United States
and who have been awarded the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal,
Vietnam Service Medal, or Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal.
(b) A person may apply for license plates with the Inherent Resolve
Campaign Medal beginning on January 1, 2026.
(5) The department shall create the following additional designs honoring
persons who are serving or have served in the armed forces of the United States
and may begin issuing such license plates on January 1, 2026:
(a) One design that includes the word "veteran"; and
(b) One design that includes the word "veteran" and the internationally
accepted wheelchair symbol specified in section 60-3,113.
(6)(a) A person may qualify for a Military Honor Plate by registering with
the Department of Veterans' Affairs pursuant to section 80-414. The Department
of Motor Vehicles shall verify the applicant's eligibility for a plate created
pursuant to this section by consulting the registry established by the
Department of Veterans' Affairs.
(b) To be eligible for the license plates described in subdivision (5)(b)
of this section, in addition to any other eligibility requirements for such
license plates under this section:
(i) An application and proof of disability in the form and with the
information required by section 60-3,113.02 shall be submitted before issuance
or reissuance of such license plates; and
(ii) The handicap or disability of the handicapped or disabled person
shall be certified as permanent.
(7) The design shall be selected on the basis of limiting the
manufacturing cost of each plate to an amount less than or equal to the amount
charged for license plates pursuant to section 60-3,102. The Department of
Motor Vehicles shall make applications available for each type of plate when it
is designed. The department may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to
carry out this section and section 60-3,122.04.
(8) One type of Military Honor Plates shall be alphanumeric plates. The
department shall:
(a) Assign a designation up to five characters; and
(b) Not use a county designation.
(9) One type of Military Honor Plates shall be personalized message
plates. Such plates shall be issued subject to the same conditions specified
for personalized message license plates in section 60-3,118, except that a
maximum of five characters may be used.
(10) The department shall cease to issue Military Honor Plates beginning
with the next license plate issuance cycle after the license plate issuance
cycle that begins in 2023 pursuant to section 60-3,101 if the total number of
registered vehicles that obtained such plates is less than one hundred per year
within any prior consecutive two-year period.
Sec. 47. Section 60-3,122.04, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is
amended to read:
60-3,122.04 (1)(a) An eligible person may apply to the department for
Military Honor Plates in lieu of regular license plates on an application
prescribed and provided by the department for any motor vehicle, trailer, or
semitrailer, except for a motor vehicle or trailer registered under section
60-3,198. An applicant receiving a Military Honor Plate for a farm truck with a
gross weight of over sixteen tons shall affix the appropriate tonnage decal to
the plate.
(b) The department shall make forms available for such applications
through the county treasurers.
(c) The license plates shall be issued upon payment of the license fee
described in subsection (2) of this section and verification by the department
of an applicant's eligibility using the registry established by the Department
of Veterans' Affairs pursuant to section 80-414. To be eligible an applicant
shall be:
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(i) Active duty or reserve duty armed forces personnel serving in any of
the armed forces listed in subsection (2) of section 60-3,122.03 or a veteran
of any of such armed forces who was discharged or otherwise separated with a
characterization of honorable or general (under honorable conditions);
(ii) A current or former commissioned officer of the United States Public
Health Service or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who has been
detailed directly to any branch of such armed forces for service on active or
reserve duty and who was discharged or otherwise separated with a
characterization of honorable or general (under honorable conditions) as proven
with valid orders from the United States Department of Defense, a statement of
service provided by the United States Public Health Service, or a report of
transfer or discharge provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;
(iii) A person who is serving or has served in the armed forces of the
United States and who has been awarded the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq
Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia
Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, or Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal;
(iv) For the license plate described in subdivision (5)(a) of section
60-3,122.03, a person who is serving or has served in the armed forces of the
United States;
(v) For the license plate described in subdivision (5)(b) of section
60-3,122.03, a person who is serving or has served in the armed forces of the
United States and is permanently handicapped or disabled; or
(vi) A Beginning January 1, 2026, a trust that owns the motor vehicle,
trailer, or semitrailer if a designated beneficiary of the trust qualifies
under this subdivision (1)(c).
(d) Any person using Military Honor Plates shall surrender the plates to
the county treasurer if such person is no longer eligible for the plates.
Regular plates shall be issued to any such person upon surrender of the
Military Honor Plates for a three-dollar transfer fee and forfeiture of any of
the remaining annual fee. The three-dollar transfer fee shall be remitted to
the State Treasurer for credit to the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund.
(2)(a) In addition to all other fees required for registration under the
Motor Vehicle Registration Act, each application for initial issuance or
renewal of alphanumeric Military Honor Plates shall be accompanied by a fee of
five dollars. County treasurers collecting such fee fees pursuant to this
subdivision shall remit such fee them to the State Treasurer. The State
Treasurer shall credit such fee to the designated recipient specified in
subdivision (c) of this subsection. five dollars of the fee to the Nebraska
Veteran Cemetery System Operation Fund.
(b) In addition to all other fees required for registration under the
Motor Vehicle Registration Act, each application for initial issuance or
renewal of personalized message Military Honor Plates shall be accompanied by a
fee of forty dollars. County treasurers collecting such fee fees pursuant to
this subdivision shall remit such fee them to the State Treasurer. The State
Treasurer shall credit twenty-five percent of such the fee for initial issuance
and renewal of such plates to the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund and
seventy-five percent of such the fee to the designated recipient specified in
subdivision (c) of this subsection. Nebraska Veteran Cemetery System Operation
Fund.
(c) The designated recipient for the fee paid for any license plate
described in:
(i) Subdivision (2)(a) or subsection (4) or (5) of section 60-3,122.03 is
the Nebraska Veteran Cemetery System Operation Fund; or
(ii) Subdivision (2)(b) of section 60-3,122.03 is (A) prior to January 1,
2027, the Nebraska Veteran Cemetery System Operation Fund and (B) beginning on
January 1, 2027, the Military Department Aid Fund.
(3)(a) When the department receives an application for Military Honor
Plates, the department may deliver the plates and registration certificate to
the applicant by United States mail or to the county treasurer of the county in
which the motor vehicle or trailer is registered and the delivery of the plates
and registration certificate shall be made through a secure process and system.
If delivery of the plates and registration certificate is made by the
department to the applicant, the department may charge a postage and handling
fee in an amount not more than necessary to recover the cost of postage and
handling for the specific items mailed to the registrant. The department shall
remit the fee to the State Treasurer for credit to the Department of Motor
Vehicles Cash Fund. The county treasurer or the department shall issue Military
Honor Plates in lieu of regular license plates when the applicant complies with
the other provisions of the Motor Vehicle Registration Act for registration of
the motor vehicle or trailer. If Military Honor Plates are lost, stolen, or
mutilated, the licensee shall be issued replacement license plates upon request
pursuant to section 60-3,157.
(b) The county treasurer or the department may issue temporary license
stickers to the applicant under this section for the applicant to lawfully
operate the vehicle pending receipt of the license plates. No charge in
addition to the registration fee shall be made for the issuance of a temporary
license sticker under this subdivision. The department shall furnish temporary
license stickers for issuance by the county treasurer at no cost to the
counties. The department may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations
regarding the design and issuance of temporary license stickers.
(4) The owner of a motor vehicle or trailer bearing Military Honor Plates
may apply to the county treasurer to have such plates transferred to a motor
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vehicle or trailer other than the motor vehicle or trailer for which such
plates were originally purchased if such motor vehicle or trailer is owned by
the owner of the plates. The owner may have the unused portion of the fee for
the plates credited to the other motor vehicle or trailer which will bear the
plates at the rate of eight and one-third percent per month for each full month
left in the registration period. Application for such transfer shall be
accompanied by a fee of three dollars. Fees collected pursuant to this
subsection shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the
Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund.
(5) If the cost of manufacturing Military Honor Plates at any time exceeds
the amount charged for license plates pursuant to section 60-3,102, any money
to be credited to the designated recipient specified in subdivision (2)(c) of
this section Nebraska Veteran Cemetery System Operation Fund shall instead be
credited first to the Highway Trust Fund in an amount equal to the difference
between the manufacturing costs of Military Honor Plates and the amount charged
pursuant to section 60-3,102 with respect to such plates and the remainder
shall be credited to the designated recipient specified in subdivision (2)(c)
of this section Nebraska Veteran Cemetery System Operation Fund.
(6) If the director discovers evidence of fraud in an application for
Military Honor Plates or that the holder is no longer eligible to have Military
Honor Plates, the director may summarily cancel the plates and registration and
send notice of the cancellation to the holder of the license plates.
Sec. 48. Section 60-3,135.01, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement,
2024, is amended to read:
60-3,135.01 (1)(a) (1) The department shall either modify an existing
plate design or design license plates to identify special interest motor
vehicles, to be known as special interest motor vehicle license plates. The
department, in designing such special interest motor vehicle license plates,
shall include the words special interest and limit the manufacturing cost of
each plate to an amount less than or equal to the amount charged for license
plates pursuant to section 60-3,102. The department shall choose the design of
the plate.
(b) The department shall make applications available for this type of
plate until December 31, 2028 when it is designed.
(c) The department shall not accept applications for special interest
motor vehicle license plates on or after January 1, 2029.
(d) Special interest motor vehicle license plates shall not be renewed
after December 31, 2028.
(2) One type of special interest motor vehicle license plate shall be
alphanumeric plates. The department shall:
(a) Assign a designation up to seven characters; and
(b) Not use a county designation.
(3) One type of special interest motor vehicle license plate shall be
personalized message plates. Such plates shall be issued subject to the same
conditions specified for personalized message license plates in section
60-3,118.
(4) A person may apply to the department for a special interest motor
vehicle license plate in lieu of regular license plates on an application
prescribed and provided by the department for any special interest motor
vehicle, except that no motor vehicle registered under section 60-3,198,
autocycle, motorcycle, or trailer shall be eligible for special interest motor
vehicle license plates. The department shall make forms available for such
applications through the county treasurers.
(5) The form shall contain a description of the special interest motor
vehicle owned and sought to be registered, including the make, body type,
model, serial number, and year of manufacture.
(6)(a) In addition to all other fees required to register a motor vehicle,
each application for initial issuance or renewal of a special interest motor
vehicle license plate shall be accompanied by a special interest motor vehicle
license plate fee of fifty dollars. Twenty-five dollars of the special interest
motor vehicle license plate fee shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for
credit to the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund, and twenty-five dollars
of the special interest motor vehicle license plate fee shall be remitted to
the State Treasurer for credit to the Highway Trust Fund.
(b) Prior to January 1, 2029, if If a special interest motor vehicle
license plate is lost, stolen, or mutilated, the owner shall be issued a
replacement license plate pursuant to section 60-3,157.
(7) When the department receives an application for a special interest
motor vehicle license plate, the department may deliver the plate and
registration certificate to the applicant by United States mail or to the
county treasurer of the county in which the special interest motor vehicle is
registered and the delivery of the plate and registration certificate shall be
made through a secure process and system. If delivery of the plates and
registration certificate is made by the department to the applicant, the
department may charge a postage and handling fee in an amount not more than
necessary to recover the cost of postage and handling for the specific items
mailed to the registrant. The department shall remit the fee to the State
Treasurer for credit to the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund. The county
treasurer or the department shall issue the special interest motor vehicle
license plate in lieu of regular license plates when the applicant complies
with the other provisions of the Motor Vehicle Registration Act for
registration of the special interest motor vehicle.
(8) If the cost of manufacturing special interest motor vehicle license
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plates at any time exceeds the amount charged for license plates pursuant to
section 60-3,102, any money to be credited to the Department of Motor Vehicles
Cash Fund under this section shall instead be credited first to the Highway
Trust Fund in an amount equal to the difference between the manufacturing costs
of special interest motor vehicle license plates and the amount charged
pursuant to section 60-3,102 with respect to such license plates and the
remainder shall be credited to the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund.
(9) The special interest motor vehicle license plate shall be affixed to
the rear of the special interest motor vehicle.
(10) A special interest motor vehicle shall not be used for the same
purposes and under the same conditions as other motor vehicles of the same type
and shall not be used for business or occupation or regularly for
transportation to and from work. A special interest motor vehicle may be driven
on the public streets and roads only for occasional transportation, public
displays, parades, and related pleasure or hobby activities.
(11) It shall be unlawful to own or operate a motor vehicle with special
interest motor vehicle license plates in violation of this section. Upon
conviction of a violation of any provision of this section, a person shall be
guilty of a Class V misdemeanor.
(12) For purposes of this section, special interest motor vehicle means a
motor vehicle of any age which is being collected, preserved, restored, or
maintained by the owner as a leisure pursuit and not used for general
transportation of persons or cargo.
Sec. 49. Section 60-3,163.02, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is
amended to read:
60-3,163.02 The department shall issue the following types of alternate
license plates pursuant to this section and sections 60-3,104, 60-3,163, and
60-3,163.01:
(1) Arbor Day Plates. The department shall design such license plates in
consultation with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and a nonprofit organization
holding a certificate of exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate
trees. The design of such plates shall represent the history and importance of
Arbor Day in Nebraska. The designated recipient for alternate license plate
fees for Arbor Day Plates is the Home of Arbor Day Plate Cash Fund . A person
may apply for Arbor Day Plates beginning on January 1, 2026;
(2) Back the Blue License Plates. The department shall design such license
plates in consultation with associations that represent personnel of any law
enforcement agency in Nebraska. The design of such license plates shall
represent support for law enforcement personnel. The designated recipient for
alternate license plate fees for Back the Blue License Plates is the Back the
Blue Cash Fund. A person may apply for Back the Blue License Plates beginning
on January 1, 2027;
(3) Blackout License Plates. The department shall design such license
plates so that (a) a solid black background covers the entire front of the
license plates and (b) the license plate designations use white characters.
Each application for initial issuance or renewal or alphanumeric or
personalized message Blackout License Plates shall be accompanied by a fee of
one hundred dollars. The designated recipient for alternate license plate fees
for Blackout License Plates is the Developmental Disabilities Provider Capital
and Equipment Maintenance Cash Fund. Fees collected pursuant to this
subdivision shall be remitted to the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall
credit thirty percent of such fees to the designated recipient for alternate
license plate fees and seventy percent of such fees to the Department of Motor
Vehicles Cash Fund. A person may apply for Blackout License Plates beginning on
January 1, 2027;
(4) (2) Breast Cancer Awareness Plates. The department shall design such
license plates to include a pink ribbon and the words "early detection saves
lives" along the bottom of the license plate. The designated recipient for
alternate license plate fees for Breast Cancer Awareness Plates is the
University of Nebraska Medical Center for the breast cancer navigator program;
(5) Choice Color Plates. The department shall design two of such license
plates so that (a) a single solid-color background covers the entire front of
the license plates and (b) the license plate designations use white characters.
The options for single solid-color backgrounds shall be green and blue. Each
application for initial issuance or renewal of alphanumeric Choice Color Plates
shall be accompanied by a fee of seventy dollars. Each application for initial
issuance or renewal of personalized message Choice Color Plates shall be
accompanied by a fee of one hundred dollars. The designated recipient for
alternate license plate fees for Choice Color Plates is the Department of Motor
Vehicles Cash Fund. Fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be
remitted to the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall credit one hundred
percent of such fees to the designated recipient for alternate license plate
fees. A person may apply for Choice Color Plates beginning on January 1, 2027;
(6) (3) Choose Life License Plates. The department shall design such
license plates to reflect support for the protection of Nebraska's children.
The designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for Choose Life
License Plates is the Health and Human Services Cash Fund to supplement federal
funds available to the Department of Health and Human Services for the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, 42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.;
(7) (4) Czech Heritage Plates. The department, in consultation with the
Czech Honorary Consul of Nebraska, shall design such license plates to reflect
Czech heritage in Nebraska. The designated recipient for alternate license
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plate fees for Czech Heritage Plates is the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash
Fund;
(8) (5) Donate Life Plates. The department shall design such license
plates to reflect support for organ and tissue donation, registration as a
donor on the Donor Registry of Nebraska, and the federally designated organ
procurement organization for Nebraska. The designated recipient for alternate
license plate fees for Donate Life Plates is the Organ and Tissue Donor
Awareness and Education Fund;
(9) (6) Down Syndrome Awareness Plates. The department shall design such
license plates to include the words "Down syndrome awareness" inside a heart-
shaped yellow and blue ribbon. The designated recipient for alternate license
plate fees for Down Syndrome Awareness Plates is the University of Nebraska
Medical Center for the Down Syndrome Clinic;
(10) Honoring Women Veterans. The department shall design such license
plates, in consultation with a nongovernment organization that provides support
to veterans, to depict a woman soldier and to include the words "women
veterans" along the top of the license plates and "honoring her service" along
the bottom of the license plates. The designated recipient for Honoring Women
Veterans license plates is the Women Veterans Cash Fund. A person may apply for
Honoring Women Veterans license plates beginning on January 1, 2027;
(11) (7) Josh the Otter-Be Safe Around Water Plates. The department shall
design such license plates to include a blue background with the head of an
otter surfacing above water surrounded by the words "Josh the Otter-Be Safe
Around Water". The designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for
Josh the Otter-Be Safe Around Water Plates is the Josh the Otter-Be Safe Around
Water Cash Fund;
(12) (8) Mountain Lion Conservation Plates. The department shall design
such license plates to reflect support for the conservation of the mountain
lion population. The designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for
Mountain Lion Conservation Plates is the Game and Parks Commission Educational
Fund;
(13) (9) Native American Cultural Awareness and History Plates. The
department, in consultation with the Commission on Indian Affairs, shall design
license plates that reflect the unique culture and history of Native American
tribes historically and currently located in Nebraska. The designated recipient
for alternate license plate fees for Native American Cultural Awareness and
History Plates is the Native American Scholarship and Leadership Fund;
(14)(a) (10)(a) Nebraska Cornhusker Spirit Plates. The department shall
design such license plates to (i) include the word "Cornhuskers" or "Huskers"
prominently in the design, (ii) use scarlet and cream colors in the design or
such other similar colors as the department determines to best represent the
official team colors of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic
programs and to provide suitable reflection and contrast, (iii) use cream or a
similar color for the background of the design and scarlet or a similar color
for the printing, and (iv) create a design reflecting support for the
University of Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic programs in consultation with the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletic Department.
(b) Alphanumeric Nebraska Cornhusker Spirit Plates shall (i) be
consecutively numbered beginning with the number one and use numbers that are a
size that maximizes legibility, and (ii) not use a county designation or any
characters other than numbers on the spirit plates.
(c) Personalized message Nebraska Cornhusker Spirit Plates shall be issued
subject to the same conditions specified for personalized message license
plates in subsection (2) of section 60-3,118. The characters used shall consist
only of letters, numerals, or a combination of letters and numerals of the same
size and design specified in section 60-3,100. A maximum of seven characters
may be used.
(d) Each application for initial issuance or renewal of Nebraska
Cornhusker Spirit Plates shall be accompanied by a fee of seventy dollars. Fees
collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be remitted to the State
Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall credit sixty percent of the fee to the
Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund and forty percent of the fee to the
designated recipient for alternate license plate fees.
(e) The designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for Nebraska
Cornhusker Spirit Plates is the Highway Trust Fund;
(15) (11) Nebraska History Plates. The department shall design such
license plates in consultation with the Nebraska State Historical Society to
reflect the importance of historical preservation in Nebraska and the value of
our shared Nebraska history. The designated recipient for alternate license
plate fees for Nebraska History Plates is the Support Nebraska History Cash
Fund;
(16) (12) Pets for Vets Plates. The department shall design such license
plates to support veterans and companion or therapy pet animals. The designated
recipient for alternate license plate fees for Pets for Vets Plates is the Pets
for Vets Cash Fund;
(17) (13) Prostate Cancer Awareness Plates. The department shall design
such license plates to include a light blue ribbon and the words "early
detection saves lives" along the bottom of the license plate. The designated
recipient for alternate license plate fees for Prostate Cancer Awareness Plates
is the University of Nebraska Medical Center for the Nebraska Prostate Cancer
Research Program;
(18) (14) Sammy's Superheroes license plates for childhood cancer
awareness. The department shall design such license plates to include a blue
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handprint over a yellow ribbon and the words "childhood cancer awareness". The
designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for Sammy's Superheroes
license plates for childhood cancer awareness is the University of Nebraska
Medical Center for pediatric cancer research;
(19) Scarlet and Cream License Plates. The department shall design such
license plates so that (a) a scarlet-colored background covers the entire front
of the license plates and (b) the license plate designations use cream-colored
characters. Each application for initial issuance or renewal of alphanumeric
Scarlet and Cream License Plates shall be accompanied by a fee of seventy
dollars. Each application for initial issuance or renewal of personalized
message Scarlet and Cream License Plates shall be accompanied by a fee of one
hundred dollars. The designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for
Scarlet and Cream License Plates is the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund.
All fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be remitted to the State
Treasurer for credit to the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund. A person
may apply for Scarlet and Cream License Plates beginning on January 1, 2027;
(20) (15) Support the Arts Plates. The department shall design such
license plates in consultation with the Nebraska Arts Council to reflect
support for the arts in Nebraska. The designated recipient for alternate
license plate fees for Support the Arts Plates is the Support the Arts Cash
Fund;
(21)(a) (16)(a) Support Our Troops Plates. The department shall design
such license plates to reflect support for troops from all branches of the
armed forces. The designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for
Support Our Troops Plates is the Veterans Employment Program Fund.
(b)(i) Each application for initial issuance or renewal of alphanumeric
Support Our Troops Plates shall be accompanied by a fee of five dollars. The
State Treasurer shall credit five dollars of the fee to the designated
recipient for alternate license plate fees for Support Our Troops Plates.
(ii) Each application for initial issuance or renewal of personalized
message Support Our Troops Plates shall be accompanied by a fee of seventy
dollars. Twenty-five percent of such fee shall be credited to the Department of
Motor Vehicles Cash Fund and seventy-five percent of such fee shall be credited
to the designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for Support Our
Troops Plates;
(22) (17) The Good Life Is Outside Plates. The department shall design
such license plates to reflect the importance of safe walking and biking in
Nebraska and the value of our recreational trails. The designated recipient for
alternate license plate fees for The Good Life Is Outside Plates is the Game
and Parks State Park Improvement and Maintenance Fund for the purpose of trail
improvement and maintenance; and
(23) University of Nebraska State Museum License Plates. The department
shall create no more than three designs for such license plates in consultation
with the University of Nebraska and a nonprofit organization holding a
certificate of exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
with a mission to support the University of Nebraska in education and research.
Such designs shall reflect support for museums managed by the University of
Nebraska, including Ashfall Fossil Beds, Morrill Hall, and Trailside Museum.
The designated recipient for alternate license plate fees for University of
Nebraska State Museum License Plates is the University of Nebraska State Museum
License Plate Cash Fund. A person may apply for University of Nebraska State
Museum License Plates beginning on January 1, 2027; and
(24) (18) Wildlife Conservation Plates. The department shall create no
more than three designs for such license plates to reflect support for the
conservation of Nebraska wildlife, including sandhill cranes, bighorn sheep,
and ornate box turtles. The designated recipient for alternate license plate
fees for Wildlife Conservation Plates is the Wildlife Conservation Fund.
Sec. 50. Section 60-3,164, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-3,164 (1) Any person who operates or parks a motor vehicle or who tows
or parks a trailer on any highway, which motor vehicle or trailer has not been
registered as required by section 60-362, shall be subject to the penalty
provided in sections 60-362 and section 60-3,170.
(2) A person who parks a motor vehicle or tows a trailer on any highway,
which motor vehicle or trailer has been properly registered in this state but
such registration has expired, shall not be in violation of this section or
section 60-362 or subject to the penalty provided in sections 60-362 and
section 60-3,170, unless thirty days have passed from the expiration of the
prior registration.
Sec. 51. Section 60-3,167, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-3,167 (1) It shall be unlawful for any owner of a motor vehicle or
trailer that which is being operated or towed with an In Transit stickers
pursuant to section 60-376, which is being operated or towed pursuant to
section 60-365 or 60-369, or which is required to be registered in this state
and that which is operated or towed on a public highway of this state to allow
the operation or towing of the motor vehicle or trailer on a public highway of
this state without having a current and effective automobile liability policy,
evidence of insurance, or proof of financial responsibility. The owner shall be
presumed to know of the operation or towing of his or her motor vehicle or
trailer on a highway of this state in violation of this section when the motor
vehicle or trailer is being operated or towed by a person other than the owner.
An owner of a motor vehicle or trailer who operates or tows the motor vehicle
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or trailer or allows the operation or towing of the motor vehicle or trailer in
violation of this section shall be guilty of a Class II misdemeanor and shall
be advised by the court that his or her motor vehicle operator's license, motor
vehicle certificate of registration, and license plates will be suspended by
the department until he or she complies with sections 60-505.02 and 60-528.
Upon conviction the owner shall have his or her motor vehicle operator's
license, motor vehicle certificate of registration, and license plates
suspended by the department until he or she complies with sections 60-505.02
and 60-528. The owner shall also be required to comply with section 60-528 for
a continuous period of three years after the violation. This subsection shall
not apply to motor vehicles or trailers registered in another state.
(2) An owner who is unable to produce a current and effective automobile
liability policy, evidence of insurance, or proof of financial responsibility
upon the request of a law enforcement officer shall be allowed ten days after
the date of the request to produce proof to the appropriate prosecutor or
county attorney that a current and effective automobile liability policy or
proof of financial responsibility was in existence for the motor vehicle or
trailer at the time of such request. Upon presentation of such proof, the
citation shall be dismissed by the prosecutor or county attorney without cost
to the owner and no prosecution for the offense cited shall occur.
(3) The department shall, for any person convicted for a violation of this
section, reinstate such person's operator's license, motor vehicle certificate
of registration, and license plates and rescind any order requiring such person
to comply with section 60-528 without cost to such person upon presentation to
the director that, at the time such person was cited for a violation of this
section, a current and effective automobile liability policy or proof of
financial responsibility was in existence for the motor vehicle or trailer at
the time the citation was issued.
Sec. 52. Section 60-3,221, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024,
is amended to read:
60-3,221 (1) Except as otherwise provided in the Motor Vehicle
Registration Act:
(a) A cabin trailer shall only be towed by a properly registered:
(i) Passenger car;
(ii) Commercial motor vehicle or apportionable vehicle;
(iii) Farm truck;
(iv) Local truck;
(v) Minitruck;
(vi) Recreational vehicle;
(vii) Bus; or
(viii) Former military vehicle;
(b) A utility trailer shall only be towed by:
(i) A properly registered passenger car;
(ii) A properly registered commercial motor vehicle or apportionable
vehicle;
(iii) A properly registered farm truck;
(iv) A properly registered local truck;
(v) A properly registered minitruck;
(vi) A properly registered recreational vehicle;
(vii) A properly registered motor vehicle which is engaged in soil and
water conservation pursuant to section 60-3,149;
(viii) A properly registered well-boring apparatus;
(ix) A dealer-plated vehicle;
(x) A personal-use dealer-plated vehicle;
(xi) A properly registered bus;
(xii) A properly registered public power district motor vehicle or,
beginning January 1, 2023, a properly registered metropolitan utilities
district motor vehicle; or
(xiii) A properly registered former military vehicle;
(c) A farm trailer shall only be towed by a properly registered:
(i) Passenger car;
(ii) Commercial motor vehicle;
(iii) Farm truck;
(iv) Minitruck; or
(v) Former military vehicle;
(d) A commercial trailer shall only be towed by:
(i) A properly registered motor vehicle which is engaged in soil and water
conservation pursuant to section 60-3,149;
(ii) A properly registered local truck;
(iii) A properly registered well-boring apparatus;
(iv) A properly registered commercial motor vehicle or apportionable
vehicle;
(v) A dealer-plated vehicle;
(vi) A personal-use dealer-plated vehicle;
(vii) A properly registered bus;
(viii) A properly registered farm truck; or
(ix) A properly registered public power district motor vehicle or,
beginning January 1, 2023, a properly registered metropolitan utilities
district motor vehicle;
(e) A fertilizer trailer shall only be towed by a properly registered:
(i) Passenger car;
(ii) Commercial motor vehicle or apportionable vehicle;
(iii) Farm truck; or
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(iv) Local truck;
(f) A pole and cable reel trailer shall only be towed by a properly
registered:
(i) Commercial motor vehicle or apportionable vehicle;
(ii) Local truck; or
(iii) Public power district motor vehicle or, beginning January 1, 2023,
metropolitan utilities district motor vehicle;
(g) A dealer-plated trailer shall only be towed by:
(i) A dealer-plated vehicle;
(ii) A properly registered passenger car;
(iii) A properly registered commercial motor vehicle or apportionable
vehicle;
(iv) A properly registered farm truck;
(v) A properly registered minitruck;
(vi) A personal-use dealer-plated vehicle; or
(vii) A properly registered former military vehicle;
(h) Trailers registered pursuant to section 60-3,198 as part of an
apportioned fleet shall only be towed by:
(i) A properly registered motor vehicle which is engaged in soil and water
conservation pursuant to section 60-3,149;
(ii) A properly registered local truck;
(iii) A properly registered well-boring apparatus;
(iv) A properly registered commercial motor vehicle or apportionable
vehicle;
(v) A dealer-plated vehicle;
(vi) A personal-use dealer-plated vehicle;
(vii) A properly registered bus; or
(viii) A properly registered farm truck; and
(i) A trailer registered as a historical vehicle pursuant to sections
60-3,130 to 60-3,134 shall only be towed by:
(i) A motor vehicle properly registered as a historical vehicle pursuant
to sections 60-3,130 to 60-3,134;
(ii) A properly registered passenger car;
(iii) A properly registered commercial motor vehicle or apportionable
vehicle; or
(iv) A properly registered local truck.
(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to waive compliance with
the Nebraska Rules of the Road or Chapter 75.
(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any motor
vehicle or trailer from displaying dealer license plates or an In Transit
stickers authorized by section 60-376.
Sec. 53. Section 60-462, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, is
amended to read:
60-462 Sections 60-462 to 60-4,189 and sections 55 and 57 to 59 of this
act shall be known and may be cited as the Motor Vehicle Operator's License
Act.
Sec. 54. Section 60-479, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-479 Sections 60-479.01 to 60-4,111.01, 60-4,113, 60-4,114, 60-4,115 to
60-4,118 , and 60-4,182 to 60-4,189 and section 55 of this act shall apply to
any operator's license subject to the Motor Vehicle Operator's License Act.
Sec. 55. Section 60-4,121, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-4,121 (1) The operator's license of any person serving on active duty,
other than members of the National Guard or reserves activated for training
purposes only, outside the State of Nebraska as a member of the United States
Armed Forces, or the spouse of any such person or a dependent of such member of
the armed forces, shall be valid during such person's period of active duty and
for not more than sixty days immediately following such person's date of
separation from service.
(2) Each individual who is applying for renewal of his or her operator's
license shall submit his or her previous license to the department personnel
or, when the previous license is unavailable, furnish proof of identification
in accordance with section 60-484.
Sec. 56. Section 60-4,114, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-4,114 (1) The county treasurer may employ such additional clerical help
as may be necessary to assist him or her in the performance of the ministerial
duties required of him or her under the Motor Vehicle Operator's License Act
and, for such additional expense, shall be reimbursed as set out in section
60-4,115.
(2) The director may:
(a) Appoint , in his or her discretion, appoint department personnel to
examine any applicant who applies for an initial license or whose license has
been revoked or canceled to ascertain such person's ability to operate a motor
vehicle properly and safely; and
(b) In . Beginning on an implementation date designated by the director on
or before January 1, 2022, the director may, in addition to appointing
department personnel, appoint driver safety course instructors to examine any
applicant who applies for an initial Class O operator's license or whose Class
O operator's license has been revoked or canceled to ascertain such person's
ability to operate a motor vehicle properly and safely.
(3) Except as otherwise provided in section 60-4,122, the application
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process, in addition to the other requisites of the act, shall include the
following:
(a) An inquiry into the medical condition and visual ability of the
applicant to operate a motor vehicle;
(b) An inquiry into the applicant's ability to drive and maneuver a motor
vehicle, except that no driving skills test shall be conducted using an
autocycle. The department may waive this requirement for a qualified ignition
interlock permit holder; and
(c) An inquiry touching upon the applicant's knowledge of the motor
vehicle laws of this state, which shall include sufficient questions to
indicate familiarity with the provisions thereof. The department may waive this
requirement for a qualified ignition interlock permit holder. Such knowledge
inquiry may be performed remotely if proctored by an agent approved by the
director.
(4) If an applicant is denied or refused a certificate for license or a
license is canceled, such applicant or licensee shall have the right to an
immediate appeal to the director from the decision. It shall be the duty of the
director to review the appeal and issue a final order, to be made not later
than ten days after the receipt of the appeal by the director. The director
shall issue a final order not later than ten days following receipt of the
medical opinion if the applicant or licensee submits reports from a physician
of his or her choice for the director's consideration as provided in section
60-4,118.03. The applicant or licensee who files an appeal pursuant to this
section shall notify the director in writing if he or she intends to submit
records or reports for consideration. Such notice must be received by the
director not later than ten days after an appeal is filed pursuant to this
section to stay the director's decision until after the consideration of such
records or reports as provided in section 60-4,118.03. After consideration of
evidence in the records of the applicant or licensee, including any records
submitted by the applicant or licensee, the director shall make a determination
of the physical or mental ability of the applicant or licensee to operate a
motor vehicle and shall issue a final order. The order shall be in writing,
shall be accompanied by findings of fact and conclusions of law, and shall be
sent by regular United States mail to the last-known address of the applicant
or licensee. The order may be appealed as provided in section 60-4,105.
(5) For purposes of this section, qualified ignition interlock permit
holder means a person who holds an ignition interlock permit and:
(a) When applying for such ignition interlock permit, passed a driving
skills test and a test on the knowledge of the motor vehicle laws of this
state; and
(b) Completed an operator's license revocation period of one year or less
relating to such ignition interlock permit.
Sec. 57. Section 60-4,112, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-4,112 Sections 60-4,118.03 60-4,114.01 and 60-4,118.01 to 60-4,130.05
and sections 57 to 59 of this act shall apply to the operation of any motor
vehicle except a commercial motor vehicle.
Sec. 58. Section 60-4,114.01, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-4,114.01 An applicant for a Class O or Class M license that fails three
successive tests of his or her ability to drive and maneuver a motor vehicle
safely as provided in subdivision (3)(b) of section 60-4,114 may be issued an
LPD-learner's permit. The applicant shall not be eligible to reapply for the
Class O or Class M license and retake such test until he or she presents proof
of successful completion of a department-approved driver training school or
until he or she has held an LPD-learner's permit for at least ninety days.
Sec. 59. Section 60-4,118.01, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-4,118.01 The Legislature finds and declares that:
(1) The operation of a motor vehicle on the highways of the state is a
privilege and that no person should operate a motor vehicle on the highways of
this state if not physically or mentally capable of safely doing so;
(2) The approval or denial of an application for an operator's license or
the revocation of an operator's license may provide or prevent an opportunity
for the applicant or licensee to obtain or maintain gainful employment; and
(3) Under certain circumstances, careful medical review and evaluation of
an applicant for an operator's license or of a licensee is necessary to protect
the interest of the applicant or licensee and the health, safety, and welfare
of the public.
Sec. 60. Section 60-4,122, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024,
is amended to read:
60-4,122 (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (2), (3), and (8)
of this section, no original or renewal operator's license shall be issued to
any person until such person has demonstrated his or her ability to operate a
motor vehicle safely as provided in section 60-4,114.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 60-4,127, any
person who renews his or her Class O or Class M license shall demonstrate his
or her ability to drive and maneuver a motor vehicle safely as provided in
subdivision (3)(b) of section 60-4,114 only at the discretion of department
personnel, except that a person required to use bioptic or telescopic lenses
shall be required to demonstrate his or her ability to drive and maneuver a
motor vehicle safely each time he or she renews his or her license.
(3) Any person who renews his or her Class O or Class M license prior to
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or within one year after its expiration may not be required to demonstrate his
or her knowledge of the motor vehicle laws of this state as provided in
subdivision (3)(c) of section 60-4,114 if his or her driving record abstract
maintained in the computerized records of the department shows that such
person's license is not impounded, suspended, revoked, or canceled.
(4) Except for operators' licenses issued to persons required to use
bioptic or telescopic lenses, any person who renews his or her operator's
license which has been valid for fifteen months or less shall not be required
to take any examination required under section 60-4,114.
(5) Any person who renews a state identification card shall appear before
department personnel and present his or her current state identification card
or shall follow the procedure for electronic renewal in subsection (9) of this
section. Proof of identification shall be required as prescribed in sections
60-484 and 60-4,181 and the information and documentation required by sections
60-484.04 and 60-484.07.
(6)(a) If a nonresident who applies for an initial operator's license in
this state presents a physical or mobile valid operator's license from the
individual's state of residence, the department may choose not to require such
individual to demonstrate knowledge of the motor vehicle laws of this state.
(b) A physical operator's license described in subdivision (a) of this
subsection shall be surrendered to the department.
(c) Upon issuing an initial operator's license described in subdivision
(a) of this subsection, the department shall notify the state that issued the
valid operator's license described in subdivision (a) of this subsection to
invalidate such license.
(7) An applicant for an original operator's license may not be required to
demonstrate his or her knowledge of the motor vehicle laws of this state if he
or she has been issued a Nebraska LPD-learner's permit that is valid or has
been expired for no more than one year. The written examination shall not be
waived if the original operator's license being applied for contains a class or
endorsement which is different from the class or endorsement of the Nebraska
LPD-learner's permit.
(8)(a)(i) (8)(a) A qualified licensee as determined by the department may
renew his or her Class O or Class M license under this subdivision (a) if such
person:
(A) Is who is twenty-one years of age or older;
(B) Holds a , whose license that expires prior to his or her seventy-
second birthday; , and
(C) Has who has a digital image and digital signature preserved in the
digital system.
(ii) A renewal under this subdivision (a) may occur may renew his or her
Class O or Class M license twice by electronic means in a manner prescribed by
the department using the preserved digital image and digital signature without
taking any examination required under section 60-4,114 if:
(A) Such such renewal is prior to or within one year after the expiration
of the license;
(B) Such person's , if his or her driving record abstract maintained in
the records of the department shows that such person's license is not
impounded, suspended, revoked, or canceled; , and
(C) Such person's if his or her driving record indicates that he or she is
otherwise eligible.
(iii) A renewal under this subdivision (a) may occur:
(A) By electronic means; or
(B) In-person at any location approved by the department.
(iv) Every licensee, including a licensee who is out of the state at the
time of renewal, shall must apply for renewal in person at least once every
sixteen years and have a new digital image and digital signature captured.
(b) In order to allow for an orderly progression through the various types
of operators' licenses issued to persons under twenty-one years of age, a
qualified holder of an operator's license who is under twenty-one years of age
and who has a digital image and digital signature preserved in the digital
system may apply for an operator's license by electronic means in a manner
prescribed by the department using the preserved digital image and digital
signature if the applicant has passed any required examinations prior to
application, if his or her driving record abstract maintained in the records of
the department shows that such person's operator's license is not impounded,
suspended, revoked, or canceled, and if his or her driving record indicates
that he or she is otherwise eligible.
(9) Any person who is twenty-one years of age or older and who has been
issued a state identification card with a digital image and digital signature
may electronically renew his or her state identification card by electronic
means in a manner prescribed by the department using the preserved digital
image and digital signature. Every person renewing a state identification card
under this subsection, including a person who is out of the state at the time
of renewal, shall must apply for renewal in person at least once every sixteen
years and have a new digital image and digital signature captured.
(10) In addition to services available at driver license offices, the
department may develop requirements for using electronic means for online
issuance of operators' licenses and state identification cards to qualified
holders as determined by the department.
Sec. 61. Section 60-529, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-529 (1)(a) Prior to July 1, 2027, proof Proof of financial
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responsibility may be furnished by (i) (1) filing with the department the
written certificate of any insurance carrier, duly authorized to do business in
this state, or (ii) (2) electronic transmission of a certificate by an
insurance carrier, duly authorized to do business in this state, certifying
that there is in effect a motor vehicle liability policy for the benefit of the
person required to furnish proof of financial responsibility, also known as an
SR-22 certificate.
(b) Beginning July 1, 2027, proof of financial responsibility shall be
furnished by electronic transmission of a certificate by an insurance carrier,
duly authorized to do business in this state, certifying that there is in
effect a motor vehicle liability policy for the benefit of the person required
to furnish proof of financial responsibility, also known as an SR-22
certificate.
(2) Such certificate shall give the effective date of the certificate and
designate, by explicit description or by appropriate reference, all motor
vehicles covered thereby unless the policy is issued to a person who is not the
owner of a motor vehicle.
(3) A certificate of insurance for fleet vehicles may include, as an
appropriate reference, a designation that the insurance coverage is applicable
to all vehicles owned by the named insured, or wording of similar effect, in
lieu of an explicit description.
Sec. 62. Section 60-6,290, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended
to read:
60-6,290 (1)(a) No vehicle shall exceed a length of forty feet, extreme
overall dimensions, inclusive of front and rear bumpers including load, except
that:
(i) A bus , a fifth-wheel trailer as defined in section 71-4603, a travel
trailer as defined in section 71-4603, or a motor home , as defined in section
71-4603 , may exceed the forty-foot limitation but shall not exceed a length of
forty-six forty-five feet;
(ii) A truck-tractor may exceed the forty-foot limitation;
(iii) A semitrailer operating in a truck-tractor single semitrailer
combination, which semitrailer was actually and lawfully operating in the State
of Nebraska on December 1, 1982, may exceed the forty-foot limitation;
(iv) A semitrailer operating in a truck-tractor single semitrailer
combination, which semitrailer was not actually and lawfully operating in the
State of Nebraska on December 1, 1982, may exceed the forty-foot limitation but
shall not exceed a length of fifty-three feet including load;
(v) A semitrailer operating in a truck-tractor single semitrailer
combination, while transporting baled livestock forage, may exceed the forty-
foot limitation but shall not exceed a length of fifty-nine feet six inches
including load;
(vi) An articulated bus vehicle operated by a transit authority
established under the Transit Authority Law or regional metropolitan transit
authority established pursuant to section 18-804 may exceed the forty-foot
limitation. For purposes of this subdivision (vi), an articulated bus vehicle
shall not exceed sixty-five feet in length; and
(vii) A truck may exceed the forty-foot limitation but shall not exceed a
length of forty-five feet.
(b) No combination of vehicles shall exceed a length of sixty-five feet,
extreme overall dimensions, inclusive of front and rear bumpers and including
load, except:
(i) One truck and one trailer, loaded or unloaded, used in transporting
implements of husbandry to be engaged in harvesting, while being transported
into or through the state during daylight hours if the total length does not
exceed seventy-five feet including load;
(ii) A truck-tractor single semitrailer combination;
(iii) A truck-tractor semitrailer trailer combination, but the semitrailer
trailer portion of such combination shall not exceed sixty-five feet inclusive
of connective devices;
(iv) A driveaway saddlemount vehicle transporter combination and driveaway
saddlemount with fullmount vehicle transporter combination, but the total
overall length shall not exceed ninety-seven feet;
(v) A stinger-steered automobile transporter, but the total overall length
shall not exceed eighty feet, inclusive of a front overhang of less than four
feet and a rear overhang of less than six feet. For purposes of this
subdivision, automobile transporter means any vehicle combination designed and
used for the transport of assembled highway vehicles, including truck camper
units. An automobile transporter shall not be prohibited from the transport of
cargo or general freight on a backhaul, so long as it is in compliance with
weight limitations for a truck-tractor and semitrailer combination; and
(vi) A towaway trailer transporter combination, but the total overall
length shall not exceed eighty-two feet. For purposes of this subdivision,
towaway trailer transporter combination means a combination of vehicles
consisting of a trailer transporter towing unit and two trailers or
semitrailers with a total weight that does not exceed twenty-six thousand
pounds, and in which the trailers or semitrailers carry no property and
constitute inventory property of a manufacturer, distributor, or dealer of such
trailers or semitrailers.
(c) A truck shall be construed to be one vehicle for the purpose of
determining length.
(d) A trailer shall be construed to be one vehicle for the purpose of
determining length.
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(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to:
(a) Extra-long vehicles which have been issued a permit pursuant to
section 60-6,292;
(b) Vehicles which have been issued a permit pursuant to section 60-6,299;
(c) The temporary moving of farm machinery during daylight hours in the
normal course of farm operations;
(d) The movement of unbaled livestock forage vehicles, loaded or unloaded;
(e) The movement of public utility or other construction and maintenance
material and equipment at any time;
(f) Farm equipment dealers or their representatives as authorized under
section 60-6,382 driving, delivering, or picking up farm equipment or
implements of husbandry within the county in which the dealer maintains his or
her place of business, or in any adjoining county or counties, and return;
(g) The overhang of any motor vehicle being hauled upon any lawful
combination of vehicles, but such overhang shall not exceed the distance from
the rear axle of the hauled motor vehicle to the closest bumper thereof;
(h) The overhang of a combine to be engaged in harvesting, while being
transported into or through the state driven during daylight hours by a truck-
tractor semitrailer combination, but the length of the semitrailer, including
overhang, shall not exceed sixty-three feet and the maximum semitrailer length
shall not exceed fifty-three feet;
(i) Any self-propelled specialized mobile equipment with a fixed load when
the requirements of subdivision (2)(i) of section 60-6,288 are met;
(j) One truck-tractor two trailer combination or one truck-tractor
semitrailer trailer combination used in transporting equipment utilized by
custom harvesters under contract to agricultural producers to harvest wheat,
soybeans, or milo during the months of April through November but the length of
the property-carrying units, excluding load, shall not exceed eighty-one feet
six inches; or
(k) An overweight raw-milk vehicle for which a length exception has been
granted under section 60-6,294.02.
(3) The length limitations of this section shall be exclusive of safety
and energy conservation devices such as rearview mirrors, turnsignal lights,
marker lights, steps and handholds for entry and egress, flexible fender
extensions, mudflaps and splash and spray suppressant devices, load-induced
tire bulge, refrigeration units or air compressors, and other devices necessary
for safe and efficient operation of commercial motor vehicles, except that no
device excluded from the limitations of this section shall have by its design
or use the capability to carry cargo.
Sec. 63. Section 60-6,340, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-6,340 (1) No person under the age of sixteen twelve years shall operate
a snowmobile in this state unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other
person over eighteen years of age.
(2) No person over the age of twelve years and under the age of sixteen
years shall operate a snowmobile in this state unless such person (a) holds a
valid snowmobile safety certificate, (b) is accompanied by a person fourteen
years of age or over who holds a valid snowmobile safety certificate, or (c) is
accompanied by a person over the age of eighteen years.
(2) (3) The operator of a snowmobile shall not be required to hold an
operator's license.
Sec. 64. Section 60-6,356, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended
to read:
60-6,356 (1) An all-terrain vehicle or a utility-type vehicle shall not be
operated on any controlled-access highway with more than two marked traffic
lanes. The crossing of any controlled-access highway with more than two marked
traffic lanes shall not be permitted except as provided in subsections (9) and
(10) of this section. Subsections (2), (3), and (5) through (8) of this section
authorize and apply to operation of an all-terrain vehicle or a utility-type
vehicle only on a highway other than a controlled-access highway with more than
two marked traffic lanes.
(2) An all-terrain vehicle or a utility-type vehicle may be operated in
accordance with the operating requirements of subsection (3) of this section:
(a) Outside the corporate limits of a city, village, or unincorporated
village if incidental to the vehicle's use for agricultural purposes;
(b) Within the corporate limits of a city or village if authorized by the
city or village by ordinance adopted in accordance with this section; or
(c) Within an unincorporated village if authorized by the county board of
the county in which the unincorporated village is located by resolution in
accordance with this section.
(3)(a) An all-terrain vehicle or a utility-type vehicle may be operated as
authorized in subsection (2) of this section when such operation occurs:
(i) Between the hours of sunrise and sunset; or
(ii) Between the hours of sunset and sunrise for purposes of snow removal
within the corporate limits of a city or village or within an unincorporated
village; or .
(iii) Between the hours of sunset and sunrise within the corporate limits
of a city or village or within an unincorporated village if:
(A) The headlight for the all-terrain vehicle or utility-type vehicle
displays a white light and:
(I) For multiple beam headlights, the upper beam sufficiently illuminates
any person, vehicle, or substantial object at a distance of at least one
hundred feet in front of the all-terrain vehicle or utility-type vehicle, and
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the lowermost beam sufficiently illuminates any person, vehicle, or substantial
object at a distance of at least fifty feet in front of the all-terrain vehicle
or utility-type vehicle; and
(II) For single beam headlights, the headlight sufficiently illuminates
any person, vehicle, or substantial object at a distance of at least one
hundred feet in front of the all-terrain vehicle or utility-type vehicle, and
the high intensity portion of the light does not project higher than the level
of the center of the headlight; and
(B) The taillight for the all-terrain vehicle or utility-type vehicle
displays a red light that is plainly visible from a distance of five hundred
feet behind the all-terrain vehicle or utility-type vehicle.
(b) Any person operating an all-terrain vehicle or a utility-type vehicle
as authorized in subsection (2) of this section shall:
(i) Have a valid Class O operator's license or a farm permit as provided
in section 60-4,126;
(ii) Have liability insurance coverage for the all-terrain vehicle or a
utility-type vehicle while operating such all-terrain vehicle or utility-type
vehicle on a highway; and
(iii) Not operate the all-terrain or utility-type vehicle at a speed in
excess of thirty miles per hour.
(c) The person operating an all-terrain vehicle or a utility-type vehicle
shall provide proof of such insurance coverage to any peace officer requesting
such proof within five days of such a request.
(d) When operating an all-terrain vehicle or a utility-type vehicle as
authorized in subsection (2) of this section, the headlight and taillight of
the vehicle shall be on and the vehicle shall be equipped with a bicycle safety
flag which extends not less than five feet above ground attached to the rear of
such vehicle. The bicycle safety flag shall be triangular in shape with an area
of not less than thirty square inches and shall be day-glow in color.
(4) All-terrain vehicles and utility-type vehicles may be operated without
complying with subsection (3) of this section on highways in parades which have
been authorized by the State of Nebraska or any department, board, commission,
or political subdivision of the state.
(5) The crossing of a highway other than a controlled-access highway with
more than two marked traffic lanes shall be permitted by an all-terrain vehicle
or a utility-type vehicle without complying with subsection (3) of this section
only if:
(a) The crossing is made at an angle of approximately ninety degrees to
the direction of the highway and at a place where no obstruction prevents a
quick and safe crossing;
(b) The vehicle is brought to a complete stop before crossing the shoulder
or roadway of the highway;
(c) The operator yields the right-of-way to all oncoming traffic that
constitutes an immediate potential hazard;
(d) In crossing a divided highway, the crossing is made only at an
intersection of such highway with another highway; and
(e) Both the headlight and taillight of the vehicle are on when the
crossing is made.
(6) All-terrain vehicles and utility-type vehicles may be operated outside
the corporate limits of any municipality by electric utility personnel within
the course of their employment in accordance with the operation requirements of
subsection (3) of this section, except that the operation of the vehicle
pursuant to this subsection need not be limited to the hours between sunrise
and sunset.
(7) A city or village may adopt an ordinance authorizing the operation of
all-terrain vehicles and utility-type vehicles within the corporate limits of
the city or village if the operation is in accordance with subsection (3) of
this section. The city or village may place other restrictions on the operation
of all-terrain vehicles and utility-type vehicles within its corporate limits.
(8) A county board may adopt a resolution authorizing the operation of
all-terrain vehicles and utility-type vehicles within any unincorporated
village within the county if the operation is in accordance with subsection (3)
of this section. The county may place other restrictions on the operation of
all-terrain vehicles and utility-type vehicles within the unincorporated
village.
(9) Except as provided in subsection (10) of this section, the crossing of
a controlled-access highway with more than two marked traffic lanes shall be
permitted by a utility-type vehicle if the operation is in accordance with the
operation requirements of subsection (3) of this section and if the following
requirements are met:
(a) The crossing is made at an intersection that:
(i) Is controlled by a traffic control signal; or
(ii) For any intersection located outside the corporate limits of a city
or village, is controlled by stop signs;
(b) The crossing at such intersection is made in compliance with the
traffic control signal or stop signs; and
(c) The crossing at such intersection is specifically authorized as
follows:
(i) If such intersection is located within the corporate limits of a city
or village, by ordinance of such city or village;
(ii) If such intersection is located within an unincorporated village, by
resolution of the county board of the county in which such unincorporated
village is located; or
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(iii) If such intersection is located outside the corporate limits of a
city or village and outside any unincorporated village, by resolution of the
county board of the county in which such intersection is located.
(10) When the use of the all-terrain vehicle or utility-type vehicle is
for an agricultural purpose, the crossing of a controlled-access highway with
more than two marked traffic lanes shall be permitted if such vehicle is
operated in accordance with subsection (3) of this section.
Sec. 65. Section 60-1401, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, is
amended to read:
60-1401 Sections 60-1401 to 60-1441 and section 72 of this act shall be
known and may be cited as the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act.
Any amendments to the act shall apply to franchises subject to the act
which are entered into, amended, altered, modified, renewed, or extended after
the date of the amendments to the act except as otherwise specifically provided
in the act.
All amendments to the act shall apply upon the issuance or renewal of a
dealer's or manufacturer's license.
Sec. 66. Section 60-1402, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-1402 (1) The There is hereby established the Nebraska Motor Vehicle
Industry Licensing Board is created.
(2) The board which shall consist of the Director of Motor Vehicles, who
shall be the chairperson of the board, and the following eleven nine members
appointed by the Governor as follows:
(a) One factory representative; ,
(b) One one member of the general public; ,
(c) One and one motorcycle dealer ; , all of whom shall be appointed from
the state at large,
(d) One one new motor vehicle dealer from each of the three congressional
districts of the state as the districts existed are constituted on October 19,
1963; ,
(e) Two and two used motor vehicle dealers . Not and one trailer dealer or
combination motor vehicle or trailer dealer, not more than one used motor
vehicle dealer shall be being appointed from the same congressional district as
such districts existed they are constituted on October 19, 1963; ,
(f) One and the trailer dealer or combination motor vehicle or trailer
dealer; being appointed from the state at large.
(g) One recreational vehicle dealer that is licensed under the Motor
Vehicle Industry Regulation Act; and
(h) One recreational vehicle manufacturer that is licensed under the Motor
Vehicle Industry Regulation Act.
(3) No member of the board shall participate in any manner in a proceeding
before the board involving his or her licensed business.
(4)(a) (2) On October 19, 1963, the Governor shall appoint a new motor
vehicle dealer and a trailer dealer or combination motor vehicle or trailer
dealer to the board. In making the appointments, the Governor shall appoint one
of the new members for one year and one for two years as designated by the
Governor in making the appointments.
(b) On January 1, 1972, the Governor shall appoint one factory
representative and one member of the general public to the board, designating
one to serve for a term of one year and one for a term of two years.
(c) On January 1, 1974, the Governor shall appoint one motorcycle dealer
to serve for a term of three years.
(d) No later than January 1, 2027, the Governor shall appoint the members
described in subdivisions (2)(g) and (h) of this section. Such members shall be
appointed for terms of three years. Such three-year terms shall begin on
January 1, 2027.
(5)(a) At the expiration of the term of any appointed member of the board,
the Governor shall appoint a successor for a term of three years.
(b) In the event of a vacancy on the board, the Governor shall fill such
vacancy by appointing a member to serve during the unexpired term of the member
whose office has become vacant.
(c) No member appointed shall serve more than two consecutive terms.
(6) The action of the majority of the members of the board shall be deemed
the action of the board.
(7) All appointments made to the board, except the Director of Motor
Vehicles, shall be confirmed by the Legislature if in session. In the event the
Legislature is not in session all appointments including appointments to fill a
vacancy shall be temporary appointments until the next meeting of the
Legislature when the Governor shall nominate some person to fill the office.
Any person so nominated who is confirmed by the Legislature shall hold office
during the remainder of the term.
(8) No appointed person may act as a member of the board while holding any
other elective or appointive state or federal office except the Director of
Motor Vehicles.
(9) All appointed members of the board shall be paid fifty dollars for
each day actually engaged in the performance of their duties and be entitled to
their reasonable traveling expenses in the performance of their duties.
Sec. 67. Section 60-1411.01, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-1411.01 (1) To pay the expenses of the administration, operation,
maintenance, and enforcement of the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act, the
board shall collect with each application for each class of license fees not
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exceeding the following amounts:
(a) Motor vehicle dealer's license, one thousand four hundred dollars;
(b) Supplemental motor vehicle dealer's license, five hundred twenty
dollars;
(c) Dealer's agent license, five one hundred dollars;
(d) Motor vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer manufacturer's license, one
thousand five six hundred dollars;
(e) Distributor's license, one thousand five six hundred dollars;
(f) Factory representative's license, one hundred twenty dollars;
(g) Distributor representative's license, one hundred twenty dollars;
(h) Finance company's license, one thousand four hundred dollars;
(i) Wrecker or salvage dealer's license, five two hundred dollars;
(j) Factory branch license, five two hundred dollars;
(k) Motorcycle dealer's license, one thousand four hundred dollars;
(l) Motor vehicle auction dealer's license, one thousand four hundred
dollars; and
(m) Trailer dealer's license, one thousand four hundred dollars.
(2) The fees shall be fixed by the board and shall not exceed the amount
actually necessary to sustain the administration, operation, maintenance, and
enforcement of the act.
(3) Such licenses, if issued, shall expire on December 31 next following
the date of the issuance thereof. Any motor vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer
dealer changing its location shall not be required to obtain a new license if
the new location is within the same city limits or county, all requirements of
law are complied with, and a fee of one hundred twenty-five dollars is paid,
but any change of ownership of any licensee shall require a new application for
a license and a new license. Change of name of licensee without change of
ownership shall require the licensee to obtain a new license and pay a fee of
fifty five dollars. Applications shall be made each year for a new or renewal
license. If the applicant is an individual, the application shall include the
applicant's social security number.
Sec. 68. Section 60-1430.02, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
60-1430.02 (1) Upon the termination, cancellation, or noncontinuation of a
franchise by the franchisor or franchisee pursuant to the Motor Vehicle
Industry Regulation Act, the franchisor shall pay the franchisee:
(a) The dealer cost, plus any charges made by the franchisor for
distribution, delivery, and taxes, less all allowances paid or credited to the
franchisee by the franchisor, of unused, undamaged, and unsold motor vehicles
in the franchisee's inventory acquired from the franchisor or another
franchisee of the same line and make within the previous twelve months;
(b) The dealer cost, less all allowances paid or credited to the
franchisee by the franchisor, for all unused, undamaged, and unsold supplies,
parts, and accessories in original packaging, except that (i) in the case of
sheet metal, a comparable substitute for original packaging may be used if such
supply, part, or accessory is offered for sale by the franchisor and was
acquired from the franchisor or the predecessor franchisee as a part of the
franchisee's initial inventory and (ii) in the case of a motorcycle franchise,
the payment for such supplies, parts, and accessories shall be based upon the
currently published dealer cost for all unused, undamaged, and unsold supplies,
parts, and accessories currently offered for sale by the franchisor and
originally acquired from the franchisor or the predecessor franchisee as a part
of the franchisee's initial inventory, and all such supplies, parts, and
accessories shall be currently identifiable and labeled and in the original
packaging or a comparable substitute for the original packaging;
(c) The fair market value of each undamaged sign owned by the franchisee
which bears a common name, trade name, or trademark of the franchisor if
acquisition of such sign was recommended or required by the franchisor;
(d) The fair market value of all special tools, equipment, and furnishings
acquired from the franchisor or sources approved by the franchisor which were
recommended and required by the franchisor and are in good and usable condition
except for reasonable wear and tear; and
(e) The cost of transporting, handling, packing, and loading motor
vehicles, supplies, parts, accessories, signs, special tools, equipment, and
furnishings.
(2) The franchisor shall pay the franchisee the amounts specified in
subsection (1) of this section within ninety days after the tender of the
property if the franchisee has clear title to the property and is in a position
to convey that title to the franchisor. This section shall not apply to a
termination or noncontinuation of a franchise that is implemented as a result
of the sale of the assets or stock of the franchisee.
(3)(a) If the termination, cancellation, or nonrenewal of a franchise is
the result of the termination, elimination, or cessation of a line-make by the
manufacturer, distributor, or factory branch, then, in addition to the payments
to the franchisee pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the manufacturer,
distributor, or factory branch shall be liable to the franchisee for an amount
at least equivalent to the fair market value of the franchise for the line-
make, which shall be the greater of that value determined as of (i) the date
the franchisor announces the action that results in termination, cancellation,
or nonrenewal of the line-make or (ii) the date the action that resulted in
termination, cancellation, or nonrenewal of the line-make first became general
knowledge. In determining the fair market value of a franchise for a line-make,
if the line-make is not the only line-make for which the franchisee holds a
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franchise in the dealership facilities, the franchisee shall also be entitled
to compensation for the contribution of the line-make to payment of the rent or
to covering obligations for the fair rental value of the franchise facilities
for the period set forth in subdivision (b) of this subsection. Fair market
value of the franchise for the line-make shall only include the goodwill value
of the franchise for that line-make in the franchisee's community.
(b) If the line-make is the only line-make for which the franchisee holds
a franchise, the manufacturer, distributor, or factory branch shall also pay
assistance with respect to the franchise facilities leased or owned by the
franchisee as follows:
(i) The manufacturer, distributor, or factory branch shall pay the
franchisee a sum equivalent to the rent for the unexpired term of the lease or
two years' rent, whichever is less; or
(ii) If the franchisee owns the franchise facilities, the manufacturer,
distributor, or factory branch shall pay the franchisee a sum equivalent to the
reasonable rental value of the franchise facilities for two years.
(c) To be entitled to franchise facilities assistance from the
manufacturer, distributor, or factory branch, the franchisee shall have the
obligation to mitigate damages by listing the franchise facilities for lease or
sublease with a licensed real estate agent within thirty days after the
effective date of the termination of the franchise and by reasonably
cooperating with the real estate agent in the performance of the agent's duties
and responsibilities. If the franchisee is able to lease or sublease the
franchise facilities on terms that are consistent with local zoning
requirements to preserve the right to sell motor vehicles from the franchise
facilities and the terms of the franchisee's lease, the franchisee shall be
obligated to pay the manufacturer the net revenue received from such
mitigation, but only following receipt of franchise facilities assistance
payments pursuant to subdivision (3)(b) of this section and only up to the
total amount of franchise facilities assistance payments that the franchisee
has received.
(d) This subsection does not apply to the termination of a line-make by a
franchisor of recreational vehicles.
(4) This section shall not relieve a franchisee from any other obligation
to mitigate damages upon termination, cancellation, or noncontinuation of the
franchise.
Sec. 69. Section 60-1437, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-1437 In addition to the restrictions imposed by section 60-1436, a
manufacturer or distributor shall not:
(1) Fail to deliver new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle parts or
accessories within a reasonable time and in reasonable quantities relative to
the new motor vehicle dealer's market area and facilities, unless the failure
is caused by acts or occurrences beyond the control of the manufacturer or
distributor or unless the failure results from an order by the new motor
vehicle dealer in excess of quantities reasonably and fairly allocated by the
manufacturer or distributor;
(2) Refuse to disclose to a new motor vehicle dealer the method and manner
of distribution of new motor vehicles by the manufacturer or distributor or, if
a line-make is allocated among new motor vehicle dealers, refuse to disclose to
any new motor vehicle dealer that handles the same line-make the system of
allocation, including, but not limited to, a complete breakdown by model, and a
concise listing of dealerships with an explanation of the derivation of the
allocation system, including its mathematical formula in a clear and
comprehensible form;
(3) Refuse to disclose to a new motor vehicle dealer the total number of
new motor vehicles of a given model which the manufacturer or distributor has
sold during the current model year within the dealer's marketing district,
zone, or region, whichever geographical area is the smallest;
(4) Increase the price of any new motor vehicle which the new motor
vehicle dealer had ordered and delivered to the same retail consumer for whom
the vehicle was ordered, if the order was made prior to the dealer's receipt of
the written official price increase notification. A sales contract signed by a
private retail consumer and binding on the dealer shall constitute evidence of
such order. In the event of manufacturer or distributor price reduction or cash
rebate, the amount of any reduction or rebate received by a dealer shall be
passed on to the private retail consumer by the dealer. Any price reduction in
excess of five dollars shall apply to all vehicles in the dealer's inventory
which were subject to the price reduction. A price difference applicable to a
new model or series of motor vehicles at the time of the introduction of the
new model or series shall not be considered a price increase or price decrease.
This subdivision shall not apply to price changes caused by the following:
(a) The addition to a motor vehicle of required or optional equipment
pursuant to state or federal law;
(b) In the case of foreign-made vehicles or components, revaluation of the
United States dollar; or
(c) Any increase in transportation charges due to an increase in rates
charged by a common carrier or other transporter;
(5) Fail or refuse to sell or offer to sell to all franchised new motor
vehicle dealers in a line-make every new motor vehicle sold or offered for sale
to any franchised new motor vehicle dealer of the same line-make. However, the
failure to deliver any such new motor vehicle shall not be considered a
violation of this section if the failure is due to a lack of manufacturing
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capacity or to a strike or labor difficulty, a shortage of materials, a freight
embargo, or any other cause over which the franchisor has no control. A
manufacturer or distributor shall not require that any of its new motor vehicle
dealers located in this state pay any extra fee, purchase unreasonable or
unnecessary quantities of advertising displays or other materials, or remodel,
renovate, or recondition the new motor vehicle dealer's existing facilities in
order to receive any particular model or series of vehicles manufactured or
distributed by the manufacturer for which the dealers have a valid franchise.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, nothing contained in this
section shall be deemed to prohibit or prevent a manufacturer from requiring
that its franchised dealers located in this state purchase special tools or
equipment, stock reasonable quantities of certain parts, or participate in
training programs which are reasonably necessary for those dealers to sell or
service any model or series of new motor vehicles . This subdivision shall not
apply to manufacturers of recreational vehicles;
(6) Fail to offer dealers of a specific line-make a new franchise
agreement containing substantially similar terms and conditions for sales of
the line-make if the ownership of the manufacturer or distributor changes or
there is a change in the plan or system of distribution;
(7) Take an adverse action against a dealer because the dealer sells or
leases a motor vehicle that is later exported to a location outside the United
States. A franchise provision that allows a manufacturer or distributor to take
adverse action against a dealer because the dealer sells or leases a motor
vehicle that is later exported to a location outside the United States is
enforceable only if, at the time of the original sale or lease, the dealer knew
or reasonably should have known that the motor vehicle would be exported to a
location outside the United States. A dealer is presumed to have no knowledge
that a motor vehicle the dealer sells or leases will be exported to a location
outside the United States if, under the laws of a state of the United States
(a) the motor vehicle is titled, (b) the motor vehicle is registered, and (c)
applicable state and local taxes are paid for the motor vehicle. Such
presumption may be rebutted by direct, clear, and convincing evidence that the
dealer knew or reasonably should have known at the time of the original sale or
lease that the motor vehicle would be exported to a location outside the United
States. Except as otherwise permitted by subdivision (7) of this section, a
franchise provision that allows a manufacturer or distributor to take adverse
action against a dealer because the dealer sells or leases a motor vehicle that
is later exported to a location outside the United States is void and
unenforceable;
(8) Discriminate against a dealer holding a franchise for a line-make of
the manufacturer or distributor in favor of other dealers of the same line-make
in this state by:
(a) Selling or offering to sell a new motor vehicle to a dealer at a lower
actual price, including the price for vehicle transportation, than the actual
price at which the same model similarly equipped is offered to or is available
to another dealer in this state during a similar time period; or
(b) Using a promotional program or device or an incentive, payment, or
other benefit, whether paid at the time of the sale of the new motor vehicle to
the dealer or later, that results in the sale or offer to sell a new motor
vehicle to a dealer at a lower price, including the price for vehicle
transportation, than the price at which the same model similarly equipped is
offered or is available to another dealer in this state during a similar time
period. This subdivision shall not prohibit a promotional or incentive program
that is functionally available to competing dealers of the same line-make in
this state on substantially comparable terms;
(9) Refuse to pay a new motor vehicle dealer for sales incentives, service
incentives, rebates, or other forms of incentive compensation within thirty
days after their approval by the manufacturer or distributor. The manufacturer
or distributor shall either approve or disapprove each claim by the dealer
within thirty days after receipt of the claim in a proper form generally used
by the manufacturer or distributor. Any claims not specifically disapproved in
writing within thirty days after receipt shall be considered to be approved;
(10) Perform an audit to confirm payment of a sales incentive, service
incentive, rebate, or other form of incentive compensation more than twelve
months after the date of payment of the claim or twelve months after the end of
the incentive program by the new motor vehicle dealer unless the claim is
fraudulent;
(11) Reduce the amount to be paid to a new motor vehicle dealer for a
sales incentive, service incentive, rebate, or other form of incentive
compensation or charge back a new motor vehicle dealer subsequent to the
payment of the claim for a sales incentive, service incentive, rebate, or other
form of incentive compensation unless the manufacturer or distributor shows
that the claim lacks required documentation or is alleged to be false,
fraudulent, or based on a misrepresentation.
A manufacturer or distributor may not deny a claim based solely on a new
motor vehicle dealer's incidental failure to comply with a specific claim
processing requirement, such as a clerical error, that does not put into
question the legitimacy of the claim. No reduction in the amount to be paid to
the new motor vehicle dealer and no charge back subsequent to the payment of a
claim may be made until the new motor vehicle dealer has had notice and an
opportunity to correct any deficiency and resubmit the claim and to participate
in all franchisor internal appeal processes as well as all available legal
processes. If a charge back is the subject of adjudication, internal appeal,
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mediation, or arbitration, no charge back shall be made until, in the case of
an adjudication or legal action, a final order has been issued.
A claim for reimbursement by the manufacturer or distributor of sums due
following an audit must be presented to the dealer within ninety days after
completion of the audit of the item subject to the claim. A manufacturer or
distributor may not setoff or otherwise take control over funds owned or under
the control of the new motor vehicle dealer or which are in an account
designated for the new motor vehicle dealer when such action is based upon the
findings of an audit or other claim with respect thereto until a final decision
is issued with respect to any challenge or appeal by either party of any such
audit or claim.
Any ambiguity or inconsistency in submission guidelines shall be construed
against the manufacturer or distributor;
(12) Make any express or implied statement or representation directly or
indirectly that the dealer is under any obligation whatsoever to offer to sell
or sell any extended service contract, extended maintenance plan, gap policy,
gap waiver, or other aftermarket product or service offered, sold, backed by,
or sponsored by the manufacturer or distributor or to sell, assign, or transfer
any of the dealer's retail sales contracts or leases in this state on motor
vehicles manufactured or sold by the manufacturer or distributor to a finance
company or class of finance companies, leasing company or class of leasing
companies, or other specified person, because of any relationship or
affiliation between the manufacturer or distributor and the finance company or
companies, leasing company or leasing companies, or the specified person or
persons; or
(13) Prohibit a franchisee from acquiring a line-make of new motor
vehicles solely because the franchisee owns or operates a franchise of the same
line-make in a contiguous market.
Any such statements, threats, promises, acts, contracts, or offers of
contracts, when their effect may be to lessen or eliminate competition or tend
to create a monopoly, are declared unfair trade practices and unfair methods of
competition and are prohibited.
Sec. 70. Section 60-1438, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended to
read:
60-1438 (1) Each new motor vehicle manufacturer or distributor shall
specify in writing to each of its new motor vehicle dealers licensed in this
state the dealer's obligations for preparation, delivery, and warranty service
on its products. The manufacturer or distributor shall compensate the new motor
vehicle dealer for warranty service which such manufacturer or distributor
requires the dealer to provide, including warranty and recall obligations
related to repairing and servicing motor vehicles and all parts and components
included in or manufactured for installation in the motor vehicles of the
manufacturer or distributor. The manufacturer or distributor shall provide the
new motor vehicle dealer with the schedule of compensation to be paid to the
dealer for parts, work, and service and the time allowance for the performance
of the work and service.
(2)(a) The schedule of compensation shall include compensation for
diagnostic work, as well as repair service, parts, and labor. Time allowances
for the diagnosis and performance of warranty work and service shall be
adequate for a qualified technician to perform the work or service. A
franchisor shall not unreasonably deny a written request submitted by a
franchisee for modification of a franchisor's uniform time allowance for a
specific warranty repair or unreasonably deny a request submitted by a
franchisee for an additional time allowance for diagnostic or repair work on a
specific vehicle covered under warranty. Any such request shall include
information and documentation reasonably necessary for the franchisor to assess
the merits of the franchisee's request. In the determination of compensation
under this section, the principal factors to be given consideration shall be
the prevailing wage rates being paid by dealers in the community in which the
dealer is doing business, and in no event shall the compensation of the dealer
for warranty parts and labor be less than the rates charged by the dealer for
like parts and service to retail or fleet customers. In determining prevailing
wage rates, the rate of compensation for labor for that portion of repair
orders for all recommended maintenance services shall not be used, including
maintenance services relating to the following: Oil, filters, any fluids, brake
pads, brake discs, brake drums, spark plugs, wiper blades, tire repair, or tire
replacement.
(b)(i) For purposes of this section, compensation for parts may be
determined by calculating the price paid by the dealer for parts, including all
shipping and other charges, multiplied by the sum of one and the dealer's
average percentage markup over the price paid by the dealer for parts purchased
by the dealer from the manufacturer and sold at retail. The dealer may
establish average percentage markup by submitting to the manufacturer one
hundred sequential customer-paid service repair orders or ninety days of
customer-paid service repair orders, whichever is less, covering repairs made
no more than one hundred eighty days before the submission and declaring what
the average percentage markup is. Within thirty days after receipt of the
repair orders, the manufacturer may audit the submitted repair orders and
approve or deny approval of the average percentage markup based on the audit.
The average percentage markup shall go into effect forty-five days after the
approval based on that audit. If the manufacturer denies approval of the
average percentage markup declared by the dealer, the dealer may file a
complaint with the board. The manufacturer shall have the burden to prove that
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the denial was made pursuant to the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act. If
the board determines that the denial was not reasonable, the denial shall be
deemed a violation of the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act subject to the
enforcement procedures of the act. When determining compensation for parts,
only retail sales that do not involve warranty repairs shall be used and the
rate of markup for all parts supplied on repair orders for recommended
maintenance services shall not be used, including maintenance services relating
to the following: Oil, filters, any fluids, brake pads, brake discs, brake
drums, spark plugs, wiper blades, tire repair, or tire replacement. No
manufacturer shall require a dealer to establish average percentage markup by a
methodology, or by requiring information, that is unduly burdensome or time
consuming to provide, including, but not limited to, part-by-part or
transaction-by-transaction calculations. A dealer shall not request a change in
the average percentage markup more than twice in one calendar year.
(ii)(A) If a franchisor furnishes, or causes to be furnished, a part to a
dealer at no cost or at a reduced cost for use in performing warranty work, the
franchisor shall compensate the dealer for the dealer's cost of the part, if
any, plus an amount equal to the markup on the dealer's part. Such amount shall
be multiplied by the fair wholesale value of the part.
(B) For purposes of subdivision (b)(ii) of this subsection, fair wholesale
value of the part means the greatest of the following:
(I) The amount the dealer paid for the part;
(II) The cost of the part, at the time the part was furnished, in a price
schedule of the franchisor; and
(III) The cost of a substantially identical part, at the time the part was
furnished, in a price schedule of the franchisor.
(c)(i) A manufacturer or distributor may request up to one hundred
additional repair orders different from those provided under subdivision (2)(b)
of this section from a dealer of the manufacturer or distributor to determine
if such dealer's average percentage markup rate, retail labor rate, or both are
materially different than the rates such dealer has declared with the
manufacturer or distributor.
(ii) The manufacturer or distributor may adjust the subsequent rates paid
by the manufacturer or distributor to such dealer if the manufacturer or
distributor determines that such dealer's rates charged to customers for
nonwarranty work are less than the rates currently being paid by the
manufacturer or distributor to such dealer for warranty work. The manufacturer
or distributor shall have thirty days from receiving all requested additional
repair orders to rebut the new vehicle dealer's labor rate, average percentage
markup rate, or both.
(iii) The additional repair orders specified in subdivision (2)(c)(i) of
this section shall be:
(A) From a ninety-day period selected by the manufacturer or distributor
within the most recent previous twelve-month period; and
(B) Repair orders selected by the dealer.
(iv) A request for repair orders under this subdivision (c) shall not be
made within twelve months after any prior request under this subdivision (c).
(d) Nothing in this section prohibits a dealer and manufacturer or
distributor from reaching an agreement on a mutually acceptable retail labor
rate or average percentage markup rate.
(3) A manufacturer or distributor shall not do any of the following:
(a) Fail to perform any warranty obligation;
(b) Fail to include in written notices of factory recalls to new motor
vehicle owners and dealers the expected date by which necessary parts and
equipment will be available to dealers for the correction of the defects; or
(c) Fail to compensate any of the new motor vehicle dealers licensed in
this state for repairs effected by the recall.
(4) A dealer's claim for warranty compensation may be denied only if:
(a) The dealer's claim is based on a nonwarranty repair;
(b) The dealer lacks documentation for the claim;
(c) The dealer fails to comply with specific substantive terms and
conditions of the franchisor's warranty compensation program; or
(d) The manufacturer has a bona fide belief based on competent evidence
that the dealer's claim is intentionally false, fraudulent, or misrepresented.
(5) All claims made by a new motor vehicle dealer pursuant to this section
for labor and parts shall be made within six months after completing the work
and shall be paid within thirty days after their approval. All claims shall be
either approved or disapproved by the manufacturer or distributor within thirty
days after their receipt on a proper form generally used by the manufacturer or
distributor and containing the usually required information therein. Any claim
not specifically disapproved in writing within thirty days after the receipt of
the form shall be considered to be approved and payment shall be made within
thirty days. The manufacturer has the right to audit the claims for one year
after payment, except that if the manufacturer has reasonable cause to believe
that a claim submitted by a dealer is intentionally false or fraudulent, the
manufacturer has the right to audit the claims for four years after payment.
For purposes of this subsection, reasonable cause means a bona fide belief
based upon evidence that the issues of fact are such that a person of ordinary
caution, prudence, and judgment could believe that a claim was intentionally
false or fraudulent. As a result of an audit authorized under this subsection,
the manufacturer has the right to charge back to the new motor vehicle dealer
the amount of any previously paid claim after the new motor vehicle dealer has
had notice and an opportunity to participate in all franchisor internal appeal
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processes as well as all available legal processes. The requirement to approve
and pay the claim within thirty days after receipt of the claim does not
preclude chargebacks for any fraudulent claim previously paid. A manufacturer
may not deny a claim based solely on a dealer's incidental failure to comply
with a specific claim processing requirement, such as a clerical error that
does not put into question the legitimacy of the claim. If a claim is rejected
for a clerical error, the dealer may resubmit a corrected claim in a timely
manner.
(6) The warranty obligations set forth in this section shall also apply to
any manufacturer of a new motor vehicle transmission, engine, or rear axle that
separately warrants its components to customers.
(7) This section does not apply to recreational vehicles.
Sec. 71. Section 60-1438.01, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024,
is amended to read:
60-1438.01 (1) For purposes of this section, manufacturer or distributor
includes (a) a factory representative or a distributor representative or (b) a
person who is affiliated with a manufacturer or distributor or who, directly or
indirectly through an intermediary, is controlled by, or is under common
control with, the manufacturer or distributor. A person is controlled by a
manufacturer or distributor if the manufacturer or distributor has the
authority directly or indirectly, by law or by agreement of the parties, to
direct or influence the management and policies of the person. A franchise
agreement with a Nebraska-licensed dealer which conforms to and is subject to
the Motor Vehicle Industry Regulation Act is not control for purposes of this
section.
(2) Except as provided in this section, a manufacturer or distributor
shall not directly or indirectly:
(a) Own an interest in a franchise, franchisee, or consumer care or
service facility, except that a manufacturer or distributor may hold stock in a
publicly held franchise, franchisee, or consumer care or service facility so
long as the manufacturer or distributor does not by virtue of holding such
stock operate or control the franchise, franchisee, or consumer care or service
facility;
(b) Operate or control a franchise, franchisee, or consumer care or
service facility;
(c) Act in the capacity of a franchisee or motor vehicle dealer; or
(d) Own, operate, or control any consumer care or service facility or
perform warranty or nonwarranty work on any vehicle manufactured by such
manufacturer or distributor, unless such manufacturer or distributor:
(i) Manufactures and distributes electric vehicles; and
(ii) Is not nor has ever been a franchisor in this state.
(3) A manufacturer or distributor may own an interest in a franchisee or
otherwise control a franchise for a period not to exceed twelve months after
the date the manufacturer or distributor acquires the franchise if:
(a) The person from whom the manufacturer or distributor acquired the
franchise was a franchisee; and
(b) The franchise is for sale by the manufacturer or distributor.
(4) For purposes of broadening the diversity of its franchisees and
enhancing opportunities for qualified persons who lack the resources to
purchase a franchise outright, but for no other purpose, a manufacturer or
distributor may temporarily own an interest in a franchise if the
manufacturer's or distributor's participation in the franchise is in a bona
fide relationship with a franchisee and the franchisee:
(a) Has made a significant investment in the franchise, which investment
is subject to loss;
(b) Has an ownership interest in the franchise; and
(c) Operates the franchise under a plan to acquire full ownership of the
franchise within a reasonable time and under reasonable terms and conditions.
(5) On a showing of good cause by a manufacturer or distributor, the board
may extend the time limit set forth in subsection (3) of this section. An
extension may not exceed twelve months. An application for an extension after
the first extension is granted is subject to protest by a franchisee of the
same line-make whose franchise is located in the same community as the
franchise owned or controlled by the manufacturer or distributor.
(6) The prohibition in subdivision (2)(b) of this section shall not apply
to any manufacturer of manufactured housing , recreational vehicles, or
trailers.
(7) The prohibitions set forth in subsection (2) of this section shall not
apply to a manufacturer that:
(a) Does not own or operate more than two such dealers or dealership
locations in this state;
(b) Owned, operated, or controlled a warranty repair or service facility
in this state as of January 1, 2016;
(c) Manufactures engines for installation in a motor-driven vehicle with a
gross vehicle weight rating of more than sixteen thousand pounds for which
motor-driven vehicle evidence of title is required as a condition precedent to
registration under the laws of this state, if the manufacturer is not otherwise
a manufacturer of motor vehicles; and
(d) Provides to dealers on substantially equal terms access to all support
for completing repairs, including, but not limited to, parts and assemblies,
training and technical service bulletins, and other information concerning
repairs that the manufacturer provides to facilities owned, operated, or
controlled by the manufacturer.
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Sec. 72. Sections 60-1420 to 60-1440 shall not apply to any person, or
business entity, that is engaging in manufacturing, distributing, or selling
new recreational vehicles as defined in section 4 of this act.
Sec. 73. Section 60-1901, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-1901 (1) A motor vehicle is an abandoned vehicle:
(a) If left unattended, with no license plates or a valid In Transit
stickers issued pursuant to the Motor Vehicle Registration Act affixed thereto,
for more than six hours on any public property;
(b) If left unattended for more than twenty-four hours on any public
property, except a portion thereof on which parking is legally permitted;
(c) If left unattended for more than forty-eight hours, after the parking
of such vehicle has become illegal, if left on a portion of any public property
on which parking is legally permitted;
(d) If left unattended for more than seven days on private property if
left initially without permission of the owner, or after permission of the
owner is terminated;
(e) If left for more than thirty days in the custody of a law enforcement
agency after the agency has sent a letter to the last-registered owner and
lienholder under section 60-1903.01; or
(f) If removed from private property by a municipality pursuant to a
municipal ordinance.
(2) An all-terrain vehicle, a utility-type vehicle, or a minibike is an
abandoned vehicle:
(a) If left unattended for more than twenty-four hours on any public
property, except a portion thereof on which parking is legally permitted;
(b) If left unattended for more than forty-eight hours, after the parking
of such vehicle has become illegal, if left on a portion of any public property
on which parking is legally permitted;
(c) If left unattended for more than seven days on private property if
left initially without permission of the owner, or after permission of the
owner is terminated;
(d) If left for more than thirty days in the custody of a law enforcement
agency after the agency has sent a letter to the last-registered owner and
lienholder under section 60-1903.01; or
(e) If removed from private property by a municipality pursuant to a
municipal ordinance.
(3) A mobile home is an abandoned vehicle if left in place on private
property for more than thirty days after a local governmental unit, pursuant to
an ordinance or resolution, has sent a certified letter to each of the last-
registered owners and posted a notice on the mobile home, stating that the
mobile home is subject to sale or auction or vesting of title as set forth in
section 60-1903.
(4) For purposes of this section:
(a) Mobile home means a movable or portable dwelling constructed to be
towed on its own chassis, connected to utilities, and designed with or without
a permanent foundation for year-round living. It may consist of one or more
units that can be telescoped when towed and expanded later for additional
capacity, or of two or more units, separately towable but designed to be joined
into one integral unit, and shall include a manufactured home as defined in
section 71-4603. Mobile home does not include a mobile home or manufactured
home for which an affidavit of affixture has been recorded pursuant to section
60-169;
(b) Public property means any public right-of-way, street, highway, alley,
or park or other state, county, or municipally owned property; and
(c) Private property means any privately owned property which is not
included within the definition of public property.
(5) No motor vehicle subject to forfeiture under section 28-431 shall be
an abandoned vehicle under this section.
Sec. 74. Section 60-1902, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
60-1902 If an abandoned vehicle, at the time of abandonment, has no
license plates of the current year or a valid In Transit stickers issued
pursuant to section 60-376 affixed and is of a wholesale value, taking into
consideration the condition of the vehicle, of five hundred dollars or less,
title shall immediately vest in the local authority or state agency having
jurisdiction thereof as provided in section 60-1904. Any certificate of title
issued under this section to the local authority or state agency shall be
issued at no cost to such authority or agency.
Sec. 75. Section 71-4603, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, is
amended to read:
71-4603 For purposes of the Uniform Standard Code for Manufactured Homes
and Recreational Vehicles, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) Camping trailer means a vehicular portable unit mounted on wheels and
constructed with collapsible partial side walls which fold for towing by
another vehicle and unfold at the campsite to provide temporary living quarters
for recreational, camping, or travel use;
(2) Commission means the Public Service Commission;
(3) Dealer means a person licensed by the state pursuant to the Motor
Vehicle Industry Regulation Act as a dealer in manufactured homes or
recreational vehicles or any other person, other than a manufacturer, who
sells, offers to sell, distributes, or leases manufactured homes or new
recreational vehicles primarily to persons who in good faith purchase or lease
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a manufactured home or new recreational vehicle for purposes other than resale;
(4) Defect means a failure to conform to an applicable construction
standard that renders the manufactured home or recreational vehicle or any
component of the manufactured home or recreational vehicle not fit for the
ordinary use for which it was intended but does not result in an unreasonable
risk of injury or death to occupants;
(5) Distributor means any person engaged in the sale and distribution of
manufactured homes or recreational vehicles for resale;
(6) Failure to conform means a defect, a serious defect, noncompliance, or
an imminent safety hazard related to the code;
(7) Fifth-wheel trailer means a unit mounted on wheels, designed to
provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel use, of
such size or weight as not to require a special highway movement permit, and
designed to be towed by a motorized vehicle that contains a towing mechanism
that is mounted above or forward of the tow vehicle's rear axle;
(8) Gross trailer area means the total plan area measured on the exterior
to the maximum horizontal projections of exterior wall in the setup mode and
includes all siding, corner trims, moldings, storage spaces, expandable room
sections regardless of height, and areas enclosed by windows but does not
include roof overhangs. Storage lofts contained within the basic unit shall
have ceiling heights less than five feet and shall not constitute additional
square footage. Appurtenances, as defined in subdivision (2)(k) of section
60-6,288, shall not be considered in calculating the gross trailer area as
provided in such subdivision;
(9) Imminent safety hazard means a hazard that presents an imminent and
unreasonable risk of death or severe personal injury;
(10) Manufactured home means a structure, transportable in one or more
sections, which in the traveling mode is eight body feet or more in width or
forty body feet or more in length or when erected on site is three hundred
twenty or more square feet and which is built on a permanent chassis and
designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when
connected to the required utilities and includes the plumbing, heating, air
conditioning, and electrical systems contained in the structure, except that
manufactured home includes any structure that meets all of the requirements of
this subdivision other than the size requirements and with respect to which the
manufacturer voluntarily files a certification required by the United States
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and complies with the standards
established under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety
Standards Act of 1974, as such act existed on September 1, 2001, 42 U.S.C. 5401
et seq.;
(11) Manufactured-home construction means all activities relating to the
assembly and manufacture of a manufactured home, including, but not limited to,
activities relating to durability, quality, and safety;
(12) Manufactured-home safety means the performance of a manufactured home
in such a manner that the public is protected against any unreasonable risk of
the occurrence of accidents due to the design or construction of such
manufactured home or any unreasonable risk of death or injury to the user or to
the public if such accidents do occur;
(13) Manufacturer means any person engaged in manufacturing, assembling,
or completing manufactured homes or recreational vehicles;
(14) Motor home means a vehicular unit primarily designed to provide
temporary living quarters which are built into an integral part of, or
permanently attached to, a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis or van,
containing permanently installed independent life-support systems that meet the
state standard for recreational vehicles and providing at least four of the
following facilities: Cooking; refrigeration or ice box; self-contained toilet;
heating, air conditioning, or both; a potable water supply system including a
faucet and sink; separate one-hundred-twenty-nominal-volt electrical power
supply; or LP gas supply;
(15) Noncompliance means a failure to comply with an applicable
construction standard that does not constitute a defect, a serious defect, or
an imminent safety hazard;
(16) Park model recreational vehicle means a vehicular unit which meets
the following criteria:
(a) Is designed and marketed as temporary living quarters for
recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use;
(b) Is not permanently affixed to real property for use as a permanent
dwelling;
(c) Is built on a single chassis mounted on wheels with a gross trailer
area not exceeding four hundred square feet in the set up mode; and
(d) Is certified by the manufacturer as complying with the ANSI A119.5
Park Model Recreational Vehicle Standard of the American National Standards
Institute, 2025 2020 edition;
(17) Person means any individual, partnership, limited liability company,
company, corporation, or association engaged in manufacturing, selling,
offering to sell, or leasing manufactured homes or recreational vehicles;
(18) Purchaser means the first person purchasing a manufactured home or
recreational vehicle in good faith for purposes other than resale;
(19) Recreational vehicle means a vehicular type unit primarily designed
as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel use, which
unit either has its own motive power or is mounted on or towed by another
vehicle. Recreational vehicle includes, but is not limited to, any travel
trailer, park model recreational vehicle, camping trailer, truck camper, and
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motor home , and van conversion;
(20) Seal means a device or insignia issued by the Department of Health
and Human Services Regulation and Licensure prior to May 1, 1998, or by the
Public Service Commission on or after May 1, 1998, to be displayed on the
exterior of a manufactured home or recreational vehicle to evidence compliance
with state standards. The federal manufactured-home label shall be recognized
as a seal;
(21) Serious defect means a failure to conform to an applicable
construction standard that renders the manufactured home or recreational
vehicle or any component of the manufactured home or recreational vehicle not
fit for the ordinary use for which it was intended and which results in an
unreasonable risk of injury or death to the occupants;
(22) Travel trailer means a vehicular unit mounted on wheels, designed to
provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel use of
such size or weight as not to require special highway movement permits when
towed by a motorized vehicle;
(23) Truck camper means a portable unit constructed to provide temporary
living quarters for recreational, travel, or camping use, consisting of a roof,
floor, and sides and designed to be loaded onto and unloaded from the bed of a
pickup truck; and
(24) Van conversion means a completed vehicle permanently altered
cosmetically, structurally, or both which has been recertified by the state as
a multipurpose passenger vehicle but which does not conform to or otherwise
meet the definition of a motor home in this section and which contains at least
one plumbing, heating, or one-hundred-twenty-nominal-volt electrical component
subject to the provisions of the state standard for recreational vehicles. Van
conversion does not include any such vehicle that lacks any plumbing, heating,
or one-hundred-twenty-nominal-volt electrical system but contains an extension
of the low-voltage automotive circuitry.
Sec. 76. The Women Veterans Cash Fund is created. The fund shall be
administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The fund shall consist of
money credited pursuant to section 60-3,163.02. The fund may be used by the
department for events that focus on women veterans. Any money in the fund
available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer
pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds
Investment Act.
Sec. 77. (1) The University of Nebraska State Museum License Plate Cash
Fund is created and shall be administered by the Board of Regents of the
University of Nebraska. The fund shall include money credited pursuant to
section 60-3,163.02, gifts, grants, bequests, private contributions, and money
from any public or private source. Any money in the fund available for
investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the
Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.
(2) Money in the fund shall be used for promoting understanding,
appreciation, and stewardship of science and natural history through research,
public education, and outreach at museums managed by the University of
Nebraska.
Sec. 78. (1) The Military Department Aid Fund is created. The Adjutant
General shall administer the fund. The fund shall consist of gifts, grants,
bequests, money received from any public or private source, money credited
pursuant to section 60-3,122.04, and money transferred to the fund by the
Legislature.
(2) Any money in the fund available for investment shall be invested by
the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and
the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act. Any interest or realized capital gains
from any such investment shall be credited to the Military Department Aid Fund.
(3) The Military Department Aid Fund shall only be used pursuant to this
section.
(4) The Adjutant General may award grants from the Military Department Aid
Fund pursuant to section 79 of this act.
Sec. 79. (1) Beginning on January 1, 2027, a member of the Military
Department may apply to the Adjutant General for a grant under this section.
The Adjutant General shall prescribe the form for the application.
(2) The Adjutant General may award a grant to any member of the Military
Department who applies under this section and meets the qualifications of an
eligible grant recipient that are adopted and promulgated in rules and
regulations by the Adjutant General.
(3) The State of Nebraska shall not require or request any recipient of a
grant awarded under this section to reimburse any money received from such
grant.
(4) No later than January 1, 2027, the Adjutant General shall adopt and
promulgate rules and regulations for the qualifications of an eligible grant
recipient. Any such rules and regulations shall limit the eligible recipients
of any grant awarded under this section to needy uniformed service members of
the Military Department.
(5) The Adjutant General may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to
carry out this section.
Sec. 80. (1) The Back the Blue Cash Fund is created and shall be
administered by the Nebraska State Patrol. The fund shall consist of gifts,
grants, bequests, money received from any public or private source, money
credited pursuant to section 60-3,163.02, and money transferred to the fund by
the Legislature.
(2) Any money in the fund available for investment shall be invested by
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the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and
the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act. Any interest or realized capital gains
from any such investment shall be credited to the Back the Blue Cash Fund.
(3)(a) The fund shall only be used pursuant to this section.
(b) The Nebraska State Patrol may award grants from the fund pursuant to
section 81 of this act.
(c) The fund shall not be used for buying any equipment for or paying any
salary or cost for the Nebraska State Patrol.
Sec. 81. (1) For purposes of this section:
(a) Eligible purpose means:
(i) Providing support to any:
(A) Injured law enforcement personnel;
(B) Spouse of any injured or deceased law enforcement personnel; or
(C) Child of any injured or deceased law enforcement personnel if such
child is under the age of nineteen years old; or
(ii) Conducting any charitable activity that supports the residents of
this state; and
(b) Qualified applicant means any association that represents personnel of
any law enforcement agency in this state.
(2) A qualified applicant may apply to the Nebraska State Patrol for a
grant under this section. The Nebraska State Patrol shall prescribe the form
for the application.
(3) The Nebraska State Patrol may award a grant to any qualified applicant
who applies under this section for an eligible purpose.
(4) The State of Nebraska shall not require or request any recipient of a
grant awarded under this section to reimburse any money received from such
grant.
(5) No later than January 1, 2027, the Nebraska State Patrol shall
prescribe the form for grant applications under this section.
(6) The Nebraska State Patrol may adopt and promulgate rules and
regulations to carry out this section.
Sec. 82. (1) The Developmental Disabilities Provider Capital and
Equipment Maintenance Cash Fund is created and shall be administered by the
Department of Health and Human Services. The fund shall consist of gifts,
grants, bequests, money received from any public or private source, money
credited pursuant to section 60-3,163.02, and money transferred to the fund by
the Legislature.
(2) Any money in the fund available for investment shall be invested by
the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and
the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.
(3)(a) The fund shall only be used pursuant to this section.
(b) The Department of Health and Human Services may award grants from the
fund pursuant to section 83 of this act.
(c) The fund shall not be used for the general operation or administration
of the state's developmental disabilities program.
Sec. 83. (1) For purposes of this section:
(a) Department means the Department of Health and Human Services;
(b) Eligible purpose means any upgrade, modernization, renovation,
maintenance, or new purchase of the following that are used by a provider to
provide any developmental disability service:
(i) The transportation fleet that is used to provide support to or to
transport any individual with a developmental disability;
(ii) Any physical infrastructure or safety feature, including any feature
that is used to reinforce any space that is used to provide any developmental
disability service, safety glass, any perimeter security feature, and any other
physical improvement that is meant to protect any client or staff member of a
provider;
(iii) Any technology or remote-support infrastructure that is used to
support or monitor any client, staff member, or facility infrastructure of a
provider. Such technology or remote-support infrastructure includes any sensor,
smart-home automation feature, and broadband infrastructure; and
(iv) Any facility to increase capacity for clients or optimize space that
is available for clients or the provision of any developmental disability
service, including any facility floorplan efficiency improvement and
installation of any amenity or restroom; and
(c) Provider means any entity that is under contract with the department
to provide any specialized or assisted service under section 83-1217.
(2) A provider may apply to the department for a grant under this section.
The department shall prescribe the form for the application.
(3) The department may award a grant to any qualified applicant who
applies under this section for an eligible purpose.
(4) No later than January 1, 2027, the department shall prescribe the form
for grant applications under this section.
(5) The department may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry
out this section.
Sec. 84. Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 62, 65, 66,
68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 75, and 85 of this act become operative on October 1, 2026.
The other sections of this act become operative on their effective date.
Sec. 85. Original sections 60-1402, 60-1430.02, and 60-1437, Reissue
Revised Statutes of Nebraska, sections 60-1401, 60-1438.01, and 71-4603,
Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, and sections 60-6,290 and
60-1438, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, are repealed.
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Sec. 86. Original sections 18-1736, 37-1278.01, 60-362, 60-376, 60-378,
60-3,164, 60-3,167, 60-479, 60-4,112, 60-4,114, 60-4,114.01, 60-4,118.01,
60-4,121, 60-529, 60-6,340, 60-1411.01, 60-1901, and 60-1902, Reissue Revised
Statutes of Nebraska, sections 60-3,135.01, 60-3,221, 60-462, and 60-4,122,
Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, and sections 28-306, 60-301,
60-302, 60-386, 60-3,100, 60-3,104, 60-3,122.03, 60-3,122.04, 60-3,163.02, and
60-6,356, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, are repealed.
Sec. 87. The following section is outright repealed: Section 60-6,341,
Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska.
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