Bill Text: NJ A4662 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes creation of special fallen firefighter license plates.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-10-22 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee [A4662 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A4662-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ERIC HOUGHTALING
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes creation of special fallen firefighter license plates.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the creation of special fallen firefighter license plates and supplementing chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Upon proper application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue fallen firefighter license plates for any passenger motor vehicle owned or leased and registered in the State. The license plate shall be designed by the chief administrator, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs, and, in addition to the registration and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law, shall feature a design that commemorates and honors firefighters who have died in the line of duty. Issuance of the fallen firefighters license plates in accordance with this section shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, except as hereinafter otherwise specifically provided.
b. Application for issuance of fallen firefighter license plates shall be made to the chief administrator on forms and in a manner prescribed by the chief administrator. In order to be deemed complete, an application shall be accompanied by a fee of $50, payable to the commission, which shall be in addition to the fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle.
The chief administrator shall collect annually, subsequent to the year of issuance of the fallen firefighter license plates, a $10 fee for the license plates in addition to the fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle. The additional fees required by this subsection shall be deposited in the "New Jersey Fire Museum and Fallen Firefighters Memorial Fund" created pursuant to subsection c. of this section.
c. There is created in the Department of the Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the "New Jersey Fire Museum and Fallen Firefighters Memorial Fund." There shall be deposited in the fund the amount collected from all license plate fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the commission for the administrative costs pursuant to subsection d. of this section. Monies deposited in the fund shall be appropriated annually to the New Jersey Fire Engine and Equipment Museum, Inc. and shall be used to support the creation of the New Jersey Fire Engine and Equipment Museum, to be designated as the John P. Caufield Memorial Fire Engine and Equipment Museum pursuant to P.L.1991, c.215 (C.28:2-26), and the construction of the New Jersey Fallen Firefighters Memorial at Allaire State Park. Monies deposited in the fund shall be held in interest bearing accounts in public depositories as defined pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1970, c.236 (C.17:9-41), and may be invested or reinvested in such securities as are approved by the State Treasurer. Interest or other income earned on monies deposited in the fund, and any monies which may be appropriated or otherwise become available for the purposes of the fund, shall be credited to and deposited in the fund for use as set forth in this section.
d. Prior to the deposit of the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section into the "New Jersey Fire Museum and Fallen Firefighters Memorial Fund," amounts thereof as are necessary shall be used to reimburse the commission for all costs reasonably and actually incurred, as stipulated by the chief administrator, for:
(1) designing, producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the fallen firefighter license plates; and
(2) any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the fallen firefighter license plate program in an amount not to exceed $150,000.
The chief administrator shall annually certify to the State Treasurer the average cost per license plate incurred in the immediately preceding year by the commission in producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the fallen firefighter license plates. The annual certification of the average cost per license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor.
In the event that the average cost per license plate as certified by the chief administrator and approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor, is greater than the $50 application fee established in subsection b. of this section in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance of fallen firefighter license plates.
e. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain fallen firefighter license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the website of the commission. The Division of Fire Safety, and any other individual or entity designated by the division, may publicize the availability of the license plates in any manner the division deems appropriate.
f. The chief administrator and the Director of the Division of Fire Safety shall develop and enter into a memorandum of agreement setting forth the procedures to be followed in carrying out their respective responsibilities under P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
g. The Director of the
Division of Fire Safety shall appoint a representative who shall act as a
liaison between the division and the commission. The liaison shall represent
the division in any and all communications with the commission regarding the
license plates established by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill).
2. a. State or public funds shall not be used by the commission for the initial cost of:
(1) designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of fallen firefighter license plates; or
(2) any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the fallen firefighter license plate program established by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. An individual or entity designated by the Division of Fire Safety shall contribute non-public monies in an amount to be determined by the chief administrator, not to exceed a total of $25,000, to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of fallen firefighter license plates, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. Concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to the division to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for the fallen firefighter license plates authorized by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). Any amount remaining after the payment of the initial cost shall be deposited in the "New Jersey Fire Museum and Fallen Firefighters Memorial Fund" established pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
c. The commission shall not begin designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of fallen firefighter license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until the following requirements have been met:
(1) The individual or entity designated by the Division of Fire Safety has provided the commission with the money necessary, as determined by the chief administrator pursuant to subsection b. of this section, to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the fallen firefighter license plate program; and
(2) The liaison appointed by the division pursuant to subsection g. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) has provided the commission with not less than 500 completed applications for fallen firefighter license plates. These applications shall constitute the initial order for fallen firefighter license plates and shall be accompanied by a fee representing the total cost of the initial order. The fee shall be determined by multiplying the number of sets of license plates being ordered by the applicable initial fee for each set of license plates as set forth in subsection b. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. This act shall take effect immediately, but shall remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month following the date on which the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection c. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) have been satisfied. The chief administrator may take such anticipatory actions in advance of that date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall expire if the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection c. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) are not satisfied by the last day of the 12th month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue special fallen firefighter license plates. The license plates are to be designed by the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (chief administrator), in consultation with the Director of the Division of Fire Safety (division) in the Department of Community Affairs, and feature a design that commemorates and honors firefighters who died in the line of duty.
In addition to the required motor vehicle registration fees, there is an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the fallen firefighter license plates. After deducting the costs to implement the plates, the additional fees collected are to be deposited into the "New Jersey Fire Museum and Fallen Firefighters Memorial Fund." The proceeds of the fund are to be appropriated annually to the New Jersey Fire Engine and Equipment Museum, Inc. to be used to support the creation of the New Jersey Fire Engine and Equipment Museum and the construction of the New Jersey Fallen Firefighters Memorial at Allaire State Park.
The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of the specialty license plates. If the average cost per plate exceeds $50 in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the fallen firefighter license plate program. The bill also requires that the Director of the division appoint a liaison to represent the division in all communications with the commission regarding the fallen firefighter license plates.
The bill provides that State or other public funds may not be used by the commission for the initial cost to implement the fallen firefighter license plate program. The bill requires an individual or entity designated by the division to contribute non-public monies, not to exceed $25,000, to offset the initial costs to design, produce, issue, and publicize the license plates and for any computer programming necessary to implement the program. The bill authorizes the division to receive funds from private sources to be used to offset the initial costs.
The chief administrator is not required to design, produce, issue, or publicize the availability of the fallen firefighter license plates, or make any necessary programming changes, until: (1) an individual or entity designated by the division has provided the commission with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the fallen firefighter license plate program; and (2) the division, or its designee, has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for the fallen firefighter license plates, upon the availability for purchase of those license plates.
The provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission are provided by the division's designee. The bill expires after 12 months if sufficient applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received.
