HOUSE BILL No. 5494


     March 8, 2000, Introduced by Rep. Schermesser and referred to the Committee on Family and Civil Law.


        A bill to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled

   "Michigan vehicle code,"

   by amending section 236 (MCL 257.236), as amended by 1990 PA

   181.

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

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           Sec. 236.  (1)  When  IF ownership of a vehicle passes by

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      operation of law,  the person acquiring the vehicle,  upon fur-

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      nishing satisfactory proof OF THAT OWNERSHIP to the secretary of

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      state,  of ownership,  THE PERSON ACQUIRING THE VEHICLE may pro-

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      cure a title to the vehicle regardless of whether a certificate

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      of title has ever been issued.  Upon death of an owner of a reg-

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      istered vehicle, the license  plates  PLATE assigned to the vehi-

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      cle, unless the vehicle is destroyed,  shall be considered  IS a

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      valid registration until the end of the registration year or

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      until  the ownership of the vehicle is transferred by the


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      executor or administrator of the estate of the owner.  In event

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      of the death of an owner of 1 or more vehicles whose total value

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      does not exceed $60,000.00, who does not leave other property

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      necessitating procuring of letters of administration or letters

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      of authority as required in section 114 of the revised probate

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      code, Act No. 642 of the Public Acts of 1978, being section

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      700.114 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, the surviving husband or

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      wife, or heirs in the order named in section 115 of Act No.  642

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      of the Public Acts of 1978, being section 700.115 of the Michigan

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      Compiled Laws  THE PERSONAL ADMINISTRATOR OF THE OWNER'S ESTATE

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      TRANSFERS OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE.

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           (2) IF AN OWNER OF 1 OR MORE VEHICLES, WHICH VEHICLES DO NOT

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      HAVE A TOTAL VALUE OF MORE THAN $60,000.00, DIES AND THE OWNER

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      DOES NOT LEAVE OTHER PROPERTY THAT REQUIRES ISSUANCE OF LETTERS

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      AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 3103 OF THE ESTATES AND PROTECTED INDIVID-

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      UALS CODE, 1998 PA 386, MCL 700.3103, THE OWNER'S SURVIVING

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      SPOUSE, OR AN HEIR OF THE OWNER IN THE ORDER SPECIFIED IN SECTION

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      3203 OF THE ESTATES AND PROTECTED INDIVIDUALS CODE, 1998 PA 386,

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      MCL 700.3203, may apply for a title, after furnishing the secre-

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      tary of state with proper proof of the death of the registered

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      owner, attaching to the proof a certification setting forth the

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      fact that the applicant is the surviving  husband or wife, or

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      heirs, and upon  SPOUSE OR AN HEIR.  UPON proper petition, the

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      secretary of state shall furnish the applicant with a certificate

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      of title.

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           Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act takes effect April

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      1, 2000.



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