March 10, 2021 Senate Staff Blog, Transportation Committee, Votes 0
SF 419 – Front license plates
SF 419 (formerly SSB 1156) prohibits a peace officer from stopping or detaining a vehicle for not displaying two registration plates—one in front and one in the rear of the vehicle. A violation is only enforceable when the driver has been stopped for a violation of another law. Previously, vehicles before 1948 were considered antique vehicles and exempt from the front plate requirement. This bill would allow a vehicle 25 years old or older to register as an antique vehicle. [3/10: 29-17 (No: Bisignano, Bolkcom, Boulton, Celsi, Dotzler, Driscoll, Giddens, Jochum, Kinney, Mathis, Petersen, Quirmbach, Ragan, J. Smith, T. Taylor, Trone Garriott, Wahls; Absent: Hogg, Koelker, Nunn, Whiting)]
SF 548 – Regulation of highway advertising devices
SF 548 amends Iowa’s billboard control laws to avoid any content-based discrimination. A recent Supreme Court case determined that government’s application of different standards for different types of signs based on the content of the sign is an infringement on the First Amendment right to free speech. Failure to comply could result in a loss of $53 million in federal funding. Signs will either be regulated or not regulated, depending upon whether they fit the definition of “advertising devices.” This definition captures all signs that exist in exchange for any type of compensation, monetary or otherwise (defined as “remuneration”). [3/8: 48-0 (Absent: Hogg, Nunn)]