Utah House OKs bill to bring back vehicle registration postcards

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House is moving to bring back Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) registration-postcard reminders.

Utah House learns about Wilson’s expired tags

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Scott Chew, R-Jensen. Speaking to the House on Thursday, he brought up a very personal example to help get his point across.

Chew jokingly shamed House Speaker Brad Wilson by distributing pictures of Wilson’s expired license plate to his fellow colleagues on the House floor, which drew sustained laughter from most.

“I dispatched my intern, and lo and behold, my truck registration had expired in November, and I didn’t even know about it,” Wilson, R-Kaysville, told reporters later in the day. “It’s something that is kind of hard to admit, but occasionally we make a mistake and we have to eat some crow.”

Bringing back postcards from the DMV

When elaborating on his bill, HB170, Chew explained that many Utahns, especially the elderly, have forgotten to renew their license plate registration without the postcard reminders.

Reinstating the mailers would cost the state around $103,400, one time in 2021. From then on, it would cost $340,600 ongoing in 2022 in postage costs.

The postcards were originally discontinued in September after the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles was directed to make budget cuts. That came after state leaders tightened the budget last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, the DMV allows vehicle owners to sign up for notifications via email at dmv.utah.gov/register. 

The House ultimately voted to approve HB170 on a vote of 72-1. Only Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-West Jordan, voted against the bill, which now moves to the Senate for consideration.

After the vote, Wilson said with a smile, “Representative Chew, I would like to thank you for showing everyone my license plate with expired registration.” Wilson was quick to note that his tags are since up to date.