The Michigan House has approved Rep. Pat Outman’s bill to allow family members to renew vehicle registrations after the owner’s death, addressing delays caused by title updates during probate.

“When a loved one passes away, their family must sort through a maze of paperwork while grieving their loss,” said Outman, addressing his colleagues on the House floor. “We can make the process slightly less cumbersome by making it less difficult for a surviving spouse or next-of-kin to update tabs on a vehicle that belonged to the deceased.”

Under current law, if a vehicle title was leased or financed, the leasing company or bank may still be listed on the title. Until that paperwork is updated, which can take weeks or months through probate, the family has no ability to renew the registration or tabs through the Secretary of State. This leaves a spouse or family member effectively stranded, unable to legally drive the car sitting in their own driveway.

“It’s not practical,” Outman said. “The system should be more flexible to spare families from additional hardship and bureaucratic penalties during their time of grief.”

Outman’s bill provides a commonsense fix allowing a vehicle owner’s next-of-kin to renew the registration one time, so the car can remain legally on the road as the estate is worked out. This flexibility gives families breathing room during a stressful period, without weakening the safeguards already in place.

The mid-Michigan legislator said the bill was written carefully to prevent abuse and ensure the measure provides temporary relief only, not a loophole for avoiding proper title transfer.

House Bill 4674 is one of the few bills that has been approved with overwhelming bipartisan support this year, a testament to the representatives’ commitment to finding bipartisan solutions to issues facing Michigan despite the current split nature of the Legislature this term. His plan now moves to be considered by the state Senate.