CHAPTER 102
SENATE BILL No. 458
An Act amending the vehicle dealers and manufacturers
licensing act; relating to fees;
disposition thereof; providing for a trade show license; amending
K.S.A. 8-2404, 8-2418
and 8-2435 and repealing the existing sections.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. K.S.A. 8-2404 is hereby
amended to read as follows: 8-
2404. (a) No vehicle dealer shall engage in business in this state
without
obtaining a license as required by this act. Any vehicle dealer
holding a
valid license and acting as a vehicle salesperson shall not be
required to
secure a salesperson's license.
(b) No first stage manufacturer, second
stage manufacturer, factory
branch, factory representative, distributor branch or distributor
represen-
tative shall engage in business in this state without a license as
required
by this act, regardless of whether or not an office or other place
of busi-
ness is maintained in this state for the purpose of conducting such
busi-
ness.
(c) An application for a license shall be
made to the director and shall
contain the information provided for by this section, together with
such
other information as may be deemed reasonable and pertinent, and
shall
be accompanied by the required fee. The director may require in
the
application, or otherwise, information relating to the applicant's
solvency,
financial standing, or other pertinent matter commensurate with the
safe-
guarding of the public interest in the locality in which the
applicant pro-
poses to engage in business, all of which may be considered by the
di-
rector in determining the fitness of the applicant to engage in
business
as set forth in this section. The director may require the
applicant for
licensing to appear at such time and place as may be designated by
the
director for examination to enable the director to determine the
accuracy
of the facts contained in the written application, either for
initial licensure
or renewal thereof. Every application under this section shall be
verified
by the applicant.
(d) All licenses shall be granted or
refused within 30 days after ap-
plication is received by the director. All licenses, except
licenses issued
to salespersons, shall expire, unless previously suspended or
revoked, on
December 31 of the calendar year for which they are granted, except
that
where a complaint respecting the cancellation, termination or
nonrenewal
of a sales agreement is in the process of being heard, no
replacement
application shall be considered until a final order is issued by
the director.
Applications for renewals, except for renewals of licenses issued
to sales-
persons, received by the director after February 15 shall be
considered
as new applications. All salespersons' licenses issued on or after
January
1, 1987, shall expire on June 30, 1988, and thereafter shall
expire, unless
previously suspended or revoked, on June 30 of the calendar year
for
which they are granted. Applications for renewals of salespersons'
licenses
received by the director after July 15 shall be considered as new
appli-
cations. All licenses for supplemental places of business existing
or issued
on or after January 1, 1994, shall expire on December 31, 1994,
unless
previously expired, suspended or revoked, and shall thereafter
expire on
December 31 of the calendar year for which they are granted,
unless
previously suspended or revoked.
(e) License fees for each calendar year,
or any part thereof shall be
as follows:
(1) For new vehicle dealers,
$50 $75;
(2) for distributors,
$50 $75;
(3) for wholesalers, $50
$75;
(4) for distributor branches,
$50 $75;
(5) for used vehicle dealers,
$50 $75;
(6) for first and second stage
manufacturers, $200 $225 plus
$50 $75
for each factory branch in this state;
(7) for factory representatives,
$25 $50;
(8) for distributor representatives,
$25 $50;
(9) for brokers, $50
$75;
(10) for lending agencies,
$25 $50;
(11) for first and second stage
converters, $25 $50;
(12) for salvage vehicle dealers,
$50 $75;
(13) for auction motor vehicle dealers,
$50 $75;
(14) for vehicle salesperson,
$15 $25; and
(15) for insurance companies,
$50 $75.
Any salvage vehicle dealer who is also
licensed as a used vehicle dealer
shall be required to pay only one $50 fee for both
licenses. Any new
vehicle dealer who is also licensed as a used vehicle dealer shall
be re-
quired to pay only one $50 $75 fee for both
licenses.
(f) Dealers may establish approved
supplemental places of business
within the same county of their licensure or, with respect to new
vehicle
dealers, within their area of responsibility as defined in their
franchise
agreement. Those doing so shall be required to pay a supplemental
license
fee of $10 $35. In addition to any other
requirements, new vehicle dealers
seeking to establish supplemental places of business shall also
comply with
the provisions of K.S.A. 8-2430 through 8-2432, and amendments
thereto.
A new vehicle dealer establishing a supplemental place of business
in a
county other than such dealer's county of licensure but within
such
dealer's area of responsibility as defined in such dealer's
franchise agree-
ment shall be licensed only to do business as a new motor vehicle
dealer
in new motor vehicles at such supplemental place of business.
Original
inspections by the division of a proposed established place of
business
shall be made at no charge except that a $5
$30 fee shall be charged by
the division for each additional inspection the division must make
of such
premises in order to approve the same.
(g) The license of all persons licensed
under the provisions of this act
shall state the address of the established place of business,
office, branch
or supplemental place of business and must be conspicuously
displayed
therein. The director shall endorse a change of address on a
license with-
out charge if: (1) The change of address of an established place of
busi-
ness, office, branch or supplemental place of business is within
the same
county; or (2) the change of address of a supplemental place of
business,
with respect to a new vehicle dealer, is within such dealer's area
of re-
sponsibility as defined in their franchise agreement. A change of
address
of the established place of business, office or branch to a
different county
shall require a new license and payment of the required fees but
such
new license and fees shall not be required for a change of address
of a
supplemental place of business, with respect to a new vehicle
dealer, to
a different county but within the dealer's area of responsibility
as defined
in their franchise agreement.
(h) Every salesperson, factory
representative or distributor represen-
tative shall carry on their person a certification that the person
holds a
valid state license. The certification shall name the person's
employer and
shall be displayed upon request. An original copy of the state
license for
a vehicle salesperson shall be mailed or otherwise delivered by the
divi-
sion to the employer of the salesperson for public display in the
em-
ployer's established place of business. When a salesperson ceases
to be
employed as such, the former employer shall mail or otherwise
return
the original copy of the employee's state license to the division.
A sales-
person, factory representative or distributor representative who
termi-
nates employment with one employer may file an application with
the
director to transfer the person's state license in the name of
another
employer. The application shall be accompanied by a
$2 $12 transfer fee.
A salesperson, factory representative or distributor representative
who
terminates employment, and does not transfer the state license,
shall mail
or otherwise return the certification that the person holds a valid
state
license to the division.
(i) If the director has reasonable cause
to doubt the financial respon-
sibility or the compliance by the applicant or licensee with the
provisions
of this act, the director may require the applicant or licensee to
furnish
and maintain a bond in such form, amount and with such sureties as
the
director approves, but such amount shall be not less than $5,000
nor more
than $20,000, conditioned upon the applicant or licensee complying
with
the provisions of the statutes applicable to the licensee and as
indemnity
for any loss sustained by a retail or wholesale buyer or seller of
a vehicle
by reason of any act by the licensee constituting grounds for
suspension
or revocation of the license. Every applicant or licensee who is or
applies
to be a used vehicle dealer or a new vehicle dealer shall furnish
and
maintain a bond in such form, amount and with such sureties as
the
director approves, conditioned upon the applicant or licensee
complying
with the provisions of the statutes applicable to the licensee and
as in-
demnity for any loss sustained by a retail or wholesale buyer or
seller of
a vehicle by reason of any act by the licensee in violation of any
act which
constitutes grounds for suspension or revocation of the license.
The
amount of such bond shall be as follows: (1) For any new
applicant
$30,000; or (2) for any current licensee, $15,000, until the
renewal date
of the existing bond, then $30,000, except that on and after
January 1,
2003, the amount of such bond shall be $30,000. To comply with
this
subsection, every bond shall be a corporate surety bond issued by a
com-
pany authorized to do business in the state of Kansas and shall be
executed
in the name of the state of Kansas for the benefit of any aggrieved
retail
or wholesale buyer or seller of a vehicle. The aggregate liability
of the
surety for all breaches of the conditions of the bond in no event
shall
exceed the amount of such bond. The surety on the bond shall have
the
right to cancel the bond by giving 30 days' notice to the director,
and
thereafter the surety shall be relieved of liability for any breach
of con-
dition occurring after the effective date of cancellation. Bonding
require-
ments shall not apply to first or second stage manufacturers,
factory
branches, factory representatives or salespersons. Upon
determination by
the director that a judgment from a Kansas court of competent
jurisdic-
tion is a final judgment and that the judgment resulted from an act
in
violation of this act or would constitute grounds for suspension,
revoca-
tion, refusal to renew a license or administrative fine pursuant to
K.S.A.
8-2411, and amendments thereto, the proceeds of the bond on
deposit
or in lieu of bond provided by subsection (j), shall be paid. The
deter-
mination by the director under this subsection is hereby
specifically ex-
empted from the Kansas administrative procedure act (K.S.A.
77-501
through 77-549, and amendments thereto,) and the act for judicial
review
and civil enforcement of agency actions (K.S.A. 77-601 through
77-627,
and amendments thereto). Any proceeding to enforce payment against
a
surety following a determination by the director shall be
prosecuted by
the judgment creditor named in the final judgment sought to be
enforced.
Upon a finding by the court in such enforcement proceeding that a
surety
has wrongfully failed or refused to pay, the court shall award
reasonable
attorney fees to the judgment creditor.
(j) An applicant or licensee may elect to
satisfy the bonding require-
ments of subsection (i) by depositing with the state treasurer
cash, ne-
gotiable bonds of the United States or of the state of Kansas or
negotiable
certificates of deposit of any bank organized under the laws of the
United
States or of the state of Kansas. On or after January 1, 2003, the
amount
of cash, negotiable bonds of the United States or of the state of
Kansas
or negotiable certificates of deposit of any bank organized under
the laws
of the United States or of the state of Kansas deposited with the
state
treasurer shall be in an amount of no less than $30,000. When
negotiable
bonds or negotiable certificates of deposit have been deposited
with the
state treasurer to satisfy the bonding requirements of subsection
(i), such
negotiable bonds or negotiable certificates of deposit shall remain
on
deposit with the state treasurer for a period of not less than two
years
after the date of delivery of the certificate of title to the motor
vehicle
which was the subject of the last motor vehicle sales transaction
in which
the licensee engaged prior to termination of the licensee's
license. In the
event a licensee elects to deposit a surety bond in lieu of the
negotiable
bonds or negotiable certificates of deposit previously deposited
with the
state treasurer, the state treasurer shall not release the
negotiable bonds
or negotiable certificates of deposits until at least two years
after the date
of delivery of the certificate of title to the motor vehicle which
was the
subject of the last motor vehicle sales transaction in which the
licensee
engaged prior to the date of the deposit of the surety bond. The
cash
deposit or market value of any such securities shall be equal to or
greater
than the amount of the bond required for the bonded area and any
in-
terest on those funds shall accrue to the benefit of the
depositor.
(k) No license shall be issued by the
director to any person to act as
a new or used dealer, wholesaler, broker, salvage vehicle dealer,
auction
motor vehicle dealer, second stage manufacturer, first stage
converter,
second stage converter or distributor unless the applicant for the
vehicle
dealer's license maintains an established place of business which
has been
inspected and approved by the division. First stage manufacturers,
factory
branches, factory representatives, distributor branches,
distributor rep-
resentatives and lending agencies are not required to maintain an
estab-
lished place of business to be issued a license.
(l) Dealers required under the provisions
of this act to maintain an
established place of business shall own or have leased and use
sufficient
lot space to display vehicles at least equal in number to the
number of
dealer license plates the dealer has had assigned.
(m) A sign with durable lettering at
least 10 inches in height and easily
visible from the street identifying the established place of
business shall
be displayed by every vehicle dealer. Notwithstanding the other
provi-
sions of this subsection, the height of lettering of the required
sign may
be less than 10 inches as necessary to comply with local zoning
regula-
tions.
(n) If the established or supplemental
place of business or lot is
zoned, approval must be secured from the proper zoning authority
and
proof that the use complies with the applicable zoning law,
ordinance or
resolution must be furnished to the director by the applicant for
licensing.
(o) An established or supplemental place
of business, otherwise
meeting the requirements of this act may be used by a dealer to
conduct
more than one business, provided that suitable space and facilities
exist
therein to properly conduct the business of a vehicle dealer.
(p) If a supplemental place of business
is not operated on a contin-
uous, year-round basis, the dealer shall give the department 15
days' no-
tice as to the dates on which the dealer will be engaged in
business at the
supplemental place of business.
(q) Any vehicle dealer selling,
exchanging or transferring or causing
to be sold, exchanged or transferred new vehicles in this state
must sat-
isfactorily demonstrate to the director that such vehicle dealer
has a bona
fide franchise agreement with the first or second stage
manufacturer or
distributor of the vehicle, to sell, exchange or transfer the same
or to
cause to be sold, exchanged or transferred.
No person may engage in the business of
buying, selling or exchanging
new motor vehicles, either directly or indirectly, unless such
person holds
a license issued by the director for the make or makes of new
motor
vehicles being bought, sold or exchanged, or unless a person
engaged in
such activities is not required to be licensed or acts as an
employee of a
licensee and such acts are only incidentally performed. For the
purposes
of this section, engaged in the business of buying, selling or
exchanging
new motor vehicles, either directly or indirectly, includes: (1)
Displaying
new motor vehicles on a lot or showroom; (2) advertising new
motor
vehicles, unless the person's business primarily includes the
business of
broadcasting, printing, publishing or advertising for others in
their own
names; or (3) regularly or actively soliciting or referring buyers
for new
motor vehicles.
(r) No person may engage in the business
of buying, selling or ex-
changing used motor vehicles, either directly or indirectly, unless
such
person holds a license issued by the director for used motor
vehicles being
bought, sold or exchanged, or unless a person engaged in such
activities
is not required to be licensed or acts as an employee of a licensee
and
such acts are only incidentally performed. For the purposes of this
sec-
tion, engaged in the business of buying, selling or exchanging used
motor
vehicles, either directly or indirectly, includes: (1) Displaying
used motor
vehicles on a lot or showroom; (2) advertising used motor vehicles,
unless
the person's business primarily includes the business of
broadcasting,
printing, publishing or advertising for others in their own names;
or (3)
regularly or actively soliciting buyers for used motor
vehicles.
(s) The director of vehicles shall
publish a suitable Kansas vehicle
salesperson's manual. Before a vehicle salesperson's license is
issued, the
applicant for an original license or renewal thereof shall be
required to
pass a written examination based upon information in the
manual.
(t) No new license shall be issued nor
any license renewed to any
person to act as a salvage vehicle dealer until the division has
received
evidence of compliance with the junkyard and salvage control act as
set
forth in K.S.A. 68-2201 et seq., and amendments thereto.
(u) On and after the effective date of
this act, no person shall act as
a broker in the advertising, buying or selling of any new or used
motor
vehicle. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit a person
duly li-
censed under the requirements of this act from acting as a broker
in
buying or selling a recreational vehicle as defined by subsection
(f) of
K.S.A. 75-1212, and amendments thereto, when the recreational
vehicle
subject to sale or purchase is a used recreational vehicle which
has been
previously titled and independently owned by another person for a
period
of 45 days or more, or is a new or used recreational vehicle
repossessed
by a creditor holding security in such vehicle.
(v) Nothing herein shall be construed to
prohibit a person not oth-
erwise required to be licensed under this act from selling such
person's
own vehicle as an isolated and occasional sale.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 8-2418 is hereby
amended to read as follows: 8-2418.
(a) The director shall remit all moneys received by or for
the director
from fees, charges or penalties under the provisions of this act to
the state
treasurer in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215,
and
amendments thereto. Upon receipt of each such remittance, the
state
treasurer shall deposit the entire amount in the state treasury to
the credit
of the state highway fund, except as provided in subsection
(b).
(b) On and after July 1, 2002, $25 of
each license fee collected under
subsections (e) and (f) of K.S.A. 8-2404, and amendments
thereto, except
that $10 of each license fee collected under paragraph (14) of
subsection
(e) and subsection (h) of K.S.A. 8-2404, and amendments thereto,
shall be
remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit such amounts to
the vehicle
dealers and manufacturers fee fund.
Sec. 3. K.S.A. 8-2435 is hereby
amended to read as follows: 8-2435.
(a) Upon proper application, on a form approved by the division of
ve-
hicles, the director of vehicles may authorize the display of new
motor
vehicles at a location other than the established or supplemental
place of
business of a motor vehicle dealer provided that the requirements
of
subsections (i) and (n) of K.S.A. 8-2404, and amendments thereto,
and
K.S.A. 8-2405, and amendments thereto, are satisfied by the motor
ve-
hicle dealer. A fee in the amount of $15 shall be paid by an
applicant for
each application. No sales transactions may occur at such display
loca-
tions.
(b) Authorization granted by the director
under this section shall be
granted only to motor vehicle dealers licensed by the director and
to no
other person, natural or otherwise. The authorization shall be for
a period
not to exceed 15 consecutive days unless otherwise authorized by
the
director of vehicles.
(c) Authorization to display under
this section shall not be granted
for events for which a temporary trade show license under
section 4, and
amendments thereto, would be required.
(d) The director may deny an
application for a license under this
section if the director:
(1) Has probable cause to believe that
the applicant's request for a
license should be made under the provisions of section 4, and
amendments
thereto; or
(2) the request for a license under
this section is being made to avoid
compliance with the provisions of section 4, and amendments
thereto.
(c) (e) The
provisions of this section shall be a part of and supple-
mental to the vehicle dealers and manufacturers licensing act.
New Sec. 4. (a) Upon proper
application on a form approved by the
division of vehicles, the director of vehicles may issue a license
known as
a temporary trade show license. A fee in the amount of $50 shall be
paid
by an applicant for each trade show license. Such license shall
only allow
the display of new trucks, truck tractors or semitrailers as
defined by
K.S.A. 8-126, and amendments thereto, or new recreational motor
vehi-
cles, at a location other than the established or supplemental
place of
business of the dealer. If trucks or truck tractors are displayed
at such
trade show, only trucks or truck tractors with a gross weight
rating of
26,000 pounds or more shall be displayed at such trade shows. No
sales
transactions may occur under such temporary trade show license or
at
any such authorized display location.
(b) The following shall apply to the
issuance of a temporary trade
show license:
(1) New vehicle dealers in each
particular same line-make of truck,
truck tractor, semitrailer or recreational motor vehicle whose
relevant
market area, as defined by K.S.A. 8-2430, and amendments thereto,
in-
cludes the proposed site of the trade show display, shall be
invited to
attend and to participate in the trade show display;
(2) the trade show shall not exceed four
consecutive days;
(3) each dealer has received the prior
approval of the first stage man-
ufacturer, second stage manufacturer, first stage converter or
second
stage converter for each line-make of truck, truck tractor,
semitrailer or
recreational vehicle to be displayed and the fact the event will be
a trade
show has been disclosed at the time of seeking such approval;
(4) if the applicant is not a Kansas
licensee, then such applicant must
be licensed in a state which permits vehicle dealers licensed in
Kansas
who sell trucks, truck tractors, semitrailers and recreational
vehicles to
participate in vehicle shows in such state pursuant to conditions
substan-
tially equivalent or less than the conditions which are imposed on
dealers
from such state who participate in vehicle shows in Kansas;
(5) if less than 50 vehicle dealers
participate as exhibitors at such
trade shows, then at least 50% of the participating vehicle dealers
shall
be as licensed motor vehicle dealers in this state;
(6) no more than two trade show licenses
shall be issued per partic-
ipant per county per year;
(7) the requirements of subsections (i)
and (n) of K.S.A. 8-2404, and
amendments thereto, and K.S.A. 8-2405, and amendments thereto,
shall
be satisfied by each motor vehicle dealer;
(8) a disclaimer that the trucks, truck
tractors, semitrailers or recre-
ational motor vehicles are for display purposes only and not for
sale shall
be placed on such vehicles in a clear and conspicuous manner to
be
prescribed by the director; and
(9) such other provisions of the dealers
and manufacturers licensing
act, K.S.A. 8-2401 et seq., and amendments thereto,
designated applicable
by the director of vehicles.
(c) Any dealer displaying at any such
trade show shall be licensed in
this or another state as a vehicle dealer under the laws of this or
another
jurisdiction and shall pay a fee of $35.
(d) The provisions of this section shall
be a part of and supplemental
to the vehicle dealers and manufacturers licensing act.
Sec. 5. K.S.A. 8-2404, 8-2418 and 8-2435 are hereby
repealed.
Sec. 6. This act shall take effect and be in force
from and after its
publication in the statute book.
Approved May 13, 2002.
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