If Maryland lawmakers have their way, Maryland’s motorcycle license plates may soon be on par with the rest of the country. Several Maryland lawmakers have proposed reducing the size of Motorcycle registration (license) plates.

House Bill 844 proposes changing the motorcycle registration (license) plate size to 7 by 4 ½ inches. If enacted, the act will take effect on October 1, 2008

While we’re sure Maryland bikers will appreciate the new smaller plates, the real bonus could be; instead of having to purchase high priced specialty frames, they may soon be able to adorn their bikes with any one of the hundreds of standard sized custom license plate frames widely available.

Read contents of MD House Bill 844 (PDF File)

The bill packed some tough penalties against motorcyclists committing certain offenses and as stated in the Staff Analysis, “The bill would increase law enforcement authority to arrest persons, seize property for forfeiture, and restrict drivers’ licenses under certain conditions”.

The bill states in part: “When a law enforcement officer charges a person with exceeding the speed limit by 30 miles per hour or more while operating or in actual physical control of a motorcycle, the officer shall arrest the person, take him or her into custody, and seize the motorcycle, which shall be subject to forfeiture under the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act”.

The bill also provided for a 10-year license suspension upon conviction.

This deferred bill also has a related bill: SB 802, filed December 14, 2007 and titled “Motorcycles or Mopeds/Reckless Driving”. SB-802 requires the operator of a motorcycle or moped to maintain both wheels on the ground at all times and requires that the license tag of a motorcycle or moped be affixed horizontally.

Similar to its sister bill, SB 802 also allows for the arrest of the offender, seizure of the motorcycle, and license suspension.

Click below to read full text of the bills.

Note: The PDF Files (below) show the verbiage and content of the bills as they were on January 12, 2008. Visit the Florida House of Representatives link below to view updates or changes to these bills.

HB-137 (PDF File)
SB-802 (PDF File)

Related Links:
Florida House of Representatives