Senate panel hears bill to let Georgians buy optional five‑year vehicle tags

The Rules Committee heard SB384, which would let vehicle owners in Georgia purchase an optional five‑year registration tag. Senator Hatchett, the sponsor, said the change is intended for convenience and would not alter emissions or verification requirements in areas where annual checks are required.

Hatchett said the five‑year purchase would ‘‘opt in’’ drivers to an electronic notification system that will alert owners if they miss required annual emissions testing. ‘‘When you buy a 5 year tag, it's completely optional ... and you still will have to fulfill the requirement to get your emissions tested,’’ Hatchett said. She added that the Department of Revenue would manage technical details and that law enforcement already uses electronic tag‑reader systems to verify a tag’s status.

Committee members raised logistics: whether a five‑year tag transfers to a replacement vehicle after an accident and whether purchasers would be eligible for refunds if the vehicle is totaled. Hatchett replied that existing transfer rules remain in place and that the bill does not provide refunds under the five‑year option. Senators also asked how officers would know whether an owner had met yearly emissions requirements; supporters said tag readers and the electronic suspension system would indicate invalid tags, and color rotations remain secondary to electronic verification.

The committee placed SB384 on the slate for consideration later in the Rules Calendar; a final committee voice vote on the slate carried unanimously.