Collector cars no longer gridlocked in red tape

By Debi Brazzale
(story and photo from ColoradoNewsAgency.com)


Rep Marsha Looper







Just about a year ago this week, Republican Rep. Marsha Looper, of Calhan, was approached by a group of her constituents who said they couldn’t make heads or tails of the laws governing collector cars—and neither could those responsible for administering the laws.

“Everybody complained,” says Harold Nabers, a regional representative for the Old Car Council of Colorado. “Even the legal authorities such as the Department of Revenue had difficulty getting answers for us because the laws were all over the place.”

Now, thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 31, sponsored by Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, and Looper, who suggested the bill to Cadman, the laws will be consolidated under a single section once the measure becomes official in August.

The new law modifies titling and registration procedures in connection with older vehicles. Under current law, owners of vintage collector’s vehicles must possess a certificate of emissions although the vehicles are exempted from emissions testing. The new law removes the requirement to possess the certificate for such vehicles.

The measure also removes a surety-and-bond process when registering an older vehicle and allows certain older vehicles to use license plates consistent with the era in which they were manufactured.

Looper said she began to understand the frustration of her constituents when she ran a bill several years ago pertaining to collector cars and it took the bill drafter, a veteran staffer in legislative services, months to sort out where to place the proposed change in the law books.

“When they came to me, I thought it was a fabulous idea, and I set out to make it happen,” said Looper. “These are just regular folks who are trying to comply with the law and you’d have to be an attorney to find all the statutes that need to be followed.”

Nabers said Colorado could become an example for other states where the same problem exists.

“With this consolidation of old car collector laws, Colorado is getting closer to being one of the better states to work with. Everyone involved on the process has been great about it,” said Nabers.

Looper says it’s all a part of the job of being a legislator.

“This is hometown representation. It was really good people that had a really good idea that needed the attention of the legislature,” said Looper. “Car collectors over the whole state will benefit from an idea that came from my district–this is politics at its best.”