S 0201 General Bill, By Wilson, Bryan and H.S. Stilwell
 A Bill to amend the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding Section
 56-3-1275 so as to provide that at the option of the person to whom a vehicle
 is left by a deceased spouse, the license plate on that vehicle may be
 retained on the vehicle by the new owner and to provide for the reregistration
 of the vehicle in the new owner's name.

   01/13/93  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-10
   01/13/93  Senate Referred to Committee on Transportation SJ-10

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 56-3-1275 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT AT THE OPTION OF THE PERSON TO WHOM A VEHICLE IS LEFT BY A DECEASED SPOUSE, THE LICENSE PLATE ON THAT VEHICLE MAY BE RETAINED ON THE VEHICLE BY THE NEW OWNER AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE REREGISTRATION OF THE VEHICLE IN THE NEW OWNER'S NAME.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Article 9, Chapter 3, Title 56 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 56-3-1275. In lieu of the provisions of Sections 56-3-1260 and 56-3-1270, when the owner of a registered and licensed vehicle dies and his ownership in the vehicle, by will or operation of law, is bequeathed to the owner's spouse, the spouse has the option of retaining the license tag attached to that vehicle. To do so, the spouse shall notify the department in writing within thirty days of receipt of the vehicle, giving his name, address, and the date of death of the former owner. In that case, the license plate issued for the vehicle shall remain attached to the vehicle, except that the registration card must be returned concurrently to the department with an application for transfer to and reregistration in the new owner's name.

The department, upon being furnished with sufficient proof that the applicant is the spouse of the deceased owner and is the new owner of the vehicle, shall record the transfer and issue a new registration card to the new owner. A charge of three dollars may be made by the department for every such transfer and reregistration.

The property tax year for the vehicle remains the same as it was the year before the former owner's death in the event of the transfer of the license plate in the manner authorized by this section."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect on the first day of the second month following approval by the Governor.