66-3-30. School bus registration; renewal.
A. A school district, another public entity or a school bus contractor may register a school bus that it owns on a permanent basis, without the requirement of renewal, at the time the school bus is initially registered with the department and issued a certificate of title or subsequent to initial registration at the next registration renewal date. The registrant shall pay the registration fee provided in Section 66-6-12 NMSA 1978. To implement this subsection, the department shall:
(1) promulgate a rule setting out the information and procedures the department may require to permanently register a school bus; and
(2) create a permanent registration validation sticker and permanent registration certificate for school buses registered pursuant to this subsection.
B. If a school district, another public entity or a school bus contractor does not register a school bus that it owns as provided in Subsection A of this section, it may renew the registration of two or more school buses it owns on a common date of its choosing on an annual basis, with the registration of those buses expiring and requiring renewal on that date. The fee for the registration of school buses is provided in Section 66-6-12 NMSA 1978. To implement this subsection the department shall:
(1) promulgate a rule setting out the information and procedures the department may require to achieve the registration renewal of two or more school buses on a common date; and
(2) prorate the fee for registration of school buses as necessary to achieve the common registration renewal date.
C. Nothing in this section shall prevent a school district or a school bus contractor from registering a school bus that it owns pursuant to another applicable provision of law.