643.335.  Waiver amount established by commission, cost, limits — verification of repairs, procedure — waiver form, affidavit — amount, how calculated — waiver amount for repairs by owner, form — waiver amount for owners receiving public assistance. — 1.  The commission shall establish, by rule, a waiver amount which shall be no greater than four hundred and fifty dollars.

  2.  The commission shall establish, by rule, a form and a procedure for verifying that repair and adjustment was performed on a failing vehicle prior to the granting of a waiver and approval.

  3.  The waiver form established pursuant to subsection 2 of this section shall be an affidavit requiring:

  (1)  A statement signed by the repairer that the specified work was done and stating the itemized charges for the work; and

  (2)  A statement signed by the commission or designee that an inspection of the vehicle verified, to the extent practical, that the specified work was done.  An inspection to verify whether repair work was performed or not shall not be conducted by the same inspection station, inspector, or affiliate that performed the repair work.

  4.  A vehicle which fails upon reinspection to meet the emissions standards specified by the commission shall have the emissions standards waived and receive approval only if the owner furnishes a complete, signed affidavit satisfying the requirements of subsection 3 of this section and the cost of the parts, repairs and adjustment work performed is equal to or greater than the waiver amount established by the commission.  Costs for repair work may only be included toward reaching the waiver amount if the repairs are performed by a recognized repair technician.  As used in this section, a "recognized repair technician" means a repair technician who has obtained and possesses^* valid A6, A8, and L1 certifications from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

  5.  No cost for parts, repairs or adjustments shall be included toward reaching the waiver amount if such costs are covered by an emission control performance warranty provided by the manufacturer at no additional cost to the vehicle owner unless the vehicle owner provides, with the affidavit, a written denial of warranty remedy from the motor vehicle manufacturer, dealer or other person providing the warranty.

  6.  No cost for parts, repairs or adjustments shall be included toward reaching the waiver amount if such costs are required to correct the effects of tampering with emissions systems or air pollution control devices.

  7.  Notwithstanding subsection 1 of this section, the waiver amount for an owner that performs repair work on his or her own vehicle shall be four hundred dollars, provided that the cost of the parts utilized by the owner to perform the repair is equal to or greater than four hundred dollars.  The types of parts that shall account toward the waiver amount described in this subsection shall include only emission control components described in 40 CFR Section 51.360, as amended.  The cost for labor performed by the owner shall not count toward the waiver limit.  The commission shall establish, by rule, a waiver form for repair work performed by a vehicle owner.  Such form shall include, but not be limited to:

  (1)  A statement signed by the owner that the owner expended a minimum of four hundred dollars on qualified emission control components and that the owner installed such components; and

  (2)  A statement signed by the commission or its designee that an inspection of the vehicle verified, to the extent practical, that the qualified components were installed.  

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The owner also shall submit all original receipts for emission-related parts.

  8.  The commission may establish, by rule, a waiver amount which may be lower for owners who provide reasonable and reliable proof to the commission that the owner is financially dependant solely on state and federal disability benefits and other public assistance programs.  Such proof shall be submitted to the commission thirty calendar days prior to each subsequent emissions inspection before the lowered waiver amount is allowed.  For the purposes of this section, "reasonable and reliable proof" shall mean government-issued documentation providing explanation of said customer's disability and financial assistance with regard to personal income.