Purpose

• To prevent fraud and misrepresentation in registrations, licenses, passes, and permits issued by the Minnesota commissioner. The bill adds criminal penalties for false or fraudulent actions and creates consistent requirements and penalties across multiple registration and licensing programs.

Main Provisions

• Unlawful acts related to registrations

  • Across several programs, it becomes unlawful to issue, obtain, or use a dealer 21-day temporary registration permit without the intent to complete a sale and registration.
  • Prohibits obtaining or assisting in obtaining a registration through misrepresentation or fraud (providing incorrect, misleading, incomplete, or materially untrue information).
  • Prohibits displaying or possessing fictitious or fraudulent registrations, decals, or licenses.
  • In several sections, a violation makes the registration or decal void.

• Penalties for unlawful acts

  • Individuals who violate these provisions are generally guilty of a misdemeanor.
  • Dealers who violate these provisions are guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
  • The temporary registration, registration sticker, or other item at issue becomes void when a violation occurs.

• Program-wide updates (examples of affected areas)

  • Snowmobile state trail passes: false statements or altered passes are punishable; the pass is void if fraudulent.
  • State park permits: false statements or altered permits are punishable; the permit is void if fraudulent.
  • Cross-country ski passes and horse passes: false statements or altered passes are punishable; the passes are void if fraudulent.
  • General license-related registrations (including temporary licenses and registration stickers) under relevant chapters: similar unlawful acts and penalties apply; the license or registration item is void if fraudulent.

• License and permit enforcement (86B.425 and related provisions)

  • Unlawful acts related to licenses include issuing, obtaining, or using a temporary license certificate or registration sticker without intent to complete the license process or sale.
  • Misrepresentation or fraud in license applications or in providing information is prohibited.
  • Penalties mirror other sections: voiding of the license/registration item; misdemeanor for individuals; gross misdemeanor for dealers.

• Expanded penalties for game and fish licenses (97A.311)

  • Altering, falsifying, or using fictitious licenses or permits is a misdemeanor.
  • False statements in applications for licenses or permits under game and fish laws are a misdemeanor.

• Extended, escalating penalties for license/permit violations (Sec. 11)

  • Subdivision 7 sets a tiered penalty structure for violations:
  • First conviction: cannot obtain a license or permit of that type for one year.
  • Second conviction: all licenses to take wild animals are void and cannot obtain a license or permit for one year.
  • Third conviction: all licenses to take wild animals are void and cannot obtain a license or permit for five years.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Introduces a broad, uniform framework of unlawful acts and penalties across multiple registration and licensing programs (snowmobiles, state parks, cross-country ski passes, horse passes, general licenses, and game and fish licenses).
• Establishes a consistent prohibition on dealer 21-day temporary registrations unless tied to an actual sale/registration, with immediate voiding of affected documents.
• Extends felony-level consequences for fraudulent activity by dealers or individuals by creating gross misdemeanor penalties in more programs.
• Adds explicit escalating penalties for repeated license/permit violations under game and fish laws, including multi-year or permanent prohibitions on obtaining certain licenses.

Who Is Affected

• Individuals applying for or holding registrations, passes, licenses, or permits issued by the Minnesota commissioner.
• Dealers involved in issuing or handling dealer temporary registrations, decals, or registration stickers.
• Recipients of snowmobile passes, state park permits, cross-country ski passes, horse passes, and other related licenses.

Implementation Notes

• The changes coordinate penalties across multiple statute sections, enhancing enforcement consistency.
• Several sections specify that fraudulent or false activity renders the relevant pass, decal, license, or permit void.

Public Understanding Takeaway

• It will be illegal to lie or misrepresent information when applying for registrations, licenses, or permits, and doing so can void the document and incur criminal penalties.
• Dealers face tougher penalties for fraudulent dealer registrations, including the possibility of gross misdemeanor charges.
• Repeated fraud or false statements in certain licenses can lead to progressively longer bans from obtaining licenses.

Relevant Terms - unlawful acts, registration, registration sticker, decal, dealer temporary 21-day registration permit, misrepresentation, fraud, false statement, fictitious, materially untrue, void, misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, snowmobile state trail pass, state park permit, cross-country ski pass, horse pass, license certificate, license, permit, registration sticker, commissioner, game and fish laws, alter/altering, falsify, false statements, escalating penalties, take wild animals, one year, five years, dealer.