(a) The Legislature hereby determines and finds that in the past some persons engaged in the business of selling new or used motor vehicles, house trailers, trailers, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, or used motor vehicle parts, and in the business of wrecking or dismantling motor vehicles, have not had the necessary qualifications, staff, equipment or facilities to adequately serve the public; that some persons engaged in the businesses have made false and deceptive claims and advertisements to the public and have engaged in fraud and other illegal conduct; that certain citizens of this state have sustained financial losses as a result thereof; and that in some of the cases there has been no adequate means to prevent the conduct or protect the interests of the citizens of West Virginia. It is, therefore, declared to be the public policy of this state that the business of new motor vehicle dealer, used motor vehicle dealer, house trailer dealer, trailer dealer, recreational vehicle dealer, motorcycle dealer, used parts dealer, or wrecker or dismantler, affects the general welfare of this state and its citizens; that persons without the necessary qualifications, staff, equipment or facilities to adequately serve the public, and persons not of good character or who have or are likely to attempt to misrepresent their product or engage in fraudulent or other illegal conduct should not engage in these businesses; and that the evils may best be prevented and the interests of the public best served by requiring persons in the businesses to meet the qualifications set forth in this article and to be licensed by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles as provided in this article.

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 17A-6-2

  • Commissioner: means the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles of this state. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
  • dealers: is a general term meaning, depending upon the context in which used, either a new motor vehicle dealer, used motor vehicle dealer, factory-built home dealer, recreational vehicle dealer, trailer dealer or motorcycle dealer, as defined in §. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Motor vehicle: means every vehicle which is self-propelled and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires, but not operated upon rails. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
  • Motorcycle: means every motor vehicle, including motor-driven cycles and mopeds as defined in §. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
  • New motor vehicle dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling five or more new motor vehicles or new and used motor vehicles in any fiscal year of a type required to be registered under the provisions of this chapter, except, for the purposes of this article only, motorcycles. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
  • Recreational vehicle dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling new or used recreational vehicles, or both. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
  • Trailer: means every vehicle with or without motive power designed for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and constructed so that no part of its weight rests upon the towing vehicle but excluding recreational vehicles. See West Virginia Code 17A-1-1
  • Trailer dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling new or used trailers. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
  • trailers: has the meaning ascribed to it in subsection (a) of this section. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
  • Used motor vehicle dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling 10 or more used motor vehicles, and projecting to sell 10 or more used motor vehicles, in any fiscal year of a type required to be registered under the provisions of this chapter, except, for the purposes of this article only, motorcycles. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
  • Used motor vehicles: means all motor vehicles, except motorcycles, of a type required to be registered under the provisions of this chapter which have been sold and operated, or which have been registered or titled, in this or any other state or jurisdiction. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1
  • Used parts dealer: means every person (other than agents and employees, if any, while acting within the scope of their authority or employment), engaged in, or held out to the public to be engaged in, the business in this state of selling any used appliance, accessory, member, portion, or other part of any vehicle. See West Virginia Code 17A-6-1

(b) The Legislature further determines and finds that there exists a significant problem when a motor vehicle dealer goes out of business or engages in business practices that cause citizens or businesses of the affected community, as well as this state substantial financial loss. It is, therefore determined, that the creation of a dealer recovery fund is necessary as a remedial measure to allow both the state and the citizens of this state to recover any taxes which have not been properly remitted to the state and to provide financial relief to citizens, businesses and other motor vehicle dealers who have suffered financial harm through the failure of a motor vehicle dealer to properly fulfill its responsibilities such as failure to properly release liens and deliver clear title in motor vehicle transactions.

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