With the passing of Senate Bill 81, multiple disabled parking placards will soon come with a fee. This bill, spon- sored by Representative Jerry Miller, is aimed at reducing the number of placards with a hope of improving park- ing access for those who truly need it. “Charging a fee for additional placards and linking placards to individuals, not vehicles, are steps we hope will cut down on the number of placards issued and help disabled populations find designated spots,” said Representative Miller. House Bill 81 effectively amends KRS 189.456, specifying that county clerks “issue one (1) accessible park- ing placard to an applicant at no cost” while charging $10 for every additional placard requested. Rather than a 2-year renewal cycle, a 6-year cycle will be en- acted, with placard expiration matched to the applicant’s birth month (much like motor vehicle registration). This, as Rep- resentative Miller explained, effectively ties the placard to the applicant, rather than to the applicant’s motor vehicle. By lengthening the renewal cycle, state employees realized that the qual- ity of the placard material would need to improve. “The extended renewal cy- cle of permanent placards from 2 years to 6 years called for a more durable ma- terial to handle normal wear and tear and regular transfer between vehicles,” said Department of Vehicle Regulation Commissioner Matt Henderson. “Soft- ware changes are complete, and the remaining work is limited to procedural changes, printing and distributing the new placards to all 120 counties.” It has been nine (9) years since Kentucky charged for disabled park- ing placards, and the lack of cost has caused handicap placard use to skyrocket, going from an issuance of 32,000 in 2008 to 209,000 the year after. Today, because of the saturation of placards, many individuals who suffer from disabilities have serious difficulties finding a parking spot. House Bill 81 accomplishes other feats, beyond its main objective. It introduces decals to be affixed to the placard, signifying renewal, thereby making fraudulent use much more dif- ficult. It also allows “a parent or guard- ian of a disabled person to apply for a placard on his or her behalf”. Signed by Governor Matt Bevin on April 2nd , 2018, the program changes took effect on Monday, September 17th . The $10 fee for all duplicate placards is split, with $8 distributed to the Ken- tucky Road Fund, and $2 going to the county clerk. Sources: http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/18RS/hb81.htm https://www.wtvq.com/2018/03/22/bill-charge- fees-disabled-parking-heads-governor/ http://www.rcnky.com/articles/2018/07/30/curb- fraud-changes-coming-disabled-parking-placards- kentucky House Bill 81 Promises Changes to Disable Parking Placards By: Jordan Kelch, Public Relations 3 “Charging a fee for additional placards and linking placards to individuals, not vehicles, are steps we hope will cut down on the number of placards issued and help disabled popula- tions find designated spots.” — Rep. Jerry Miller