Bill Text: NJ S2419 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes special "We Support the Arts" license plates with proceeds to New Jersey State Council on Arts.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Transportation Committee [S2419 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S2419-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes special "We Support the Arts" license plates with proceeds to New Jersey State Council on Arts.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning 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. Upon proper application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue support the arts license plates for any motor vehicle owned or leased and registered in the State. In addition to the registration number and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law, the support the arts license plate shall display the slogan "We Support the Arts." The chief administrator shall choose the design, including an emblem and color scheme, based upon the results of a Statewide contest for the design of the plates.
2. Application for issuance of a support the arts license plate 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 New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, which shall be in addition to the fee otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of motor vehicles. The chief administrator shall collect annually, subsequent to the year of issuance of the support the arts license plate, a $10 fee for the license plate in addition to the fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle.
3. a. There shall be deposited into a special non-lapsing account to be known as the "Support the Arts Fund" the additional application and renewal fees collected pursuant to section 2 of this act and any interest earned thereon, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for administrative costs pursuant to this section. The monies in the fund shall be distributed to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in the Department of State, established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1966 c.214 (C.52:16A-25) to support the arts in New Jersey.
b. Prior to the deposit of license plate fees collected pursuant to section 2 of this act into the fund, amounts thereof as are necessary shall be used to reimburse the commission for costs reasonably and actually incurred, as stipulated by the chief administrator, for producing, issuing, renewing and publicizing the availability of support the arts license plates, including the cost of any initial computer programming changes.
c. The chief administrator annually shall 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 support the arts license plates. The annual certification of the average cost per license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor.
d. 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 section 2 of this act in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance of support the arts license plates.
4. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain support the arts license plates by including a notice with all motor vehicle registration renewals and by posting appropriate posters or signs in all commission facilities and offices. The notices, posters and signs shall be designed by the commission, after consultation with the artist who submitted the winning design.
5. a. State or public funds shall not be used by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for the initial cost of:
(1) designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of support the arts license plates; or
(2) any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the support the arts license plate program established by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, or an individual or entity designated by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 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 support the arts license plates, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. Concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for the support the arts 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 "Support the Arts Fund" established pursuant to section 3 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 support the arts license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until the following requirements have been met:
(1) the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, or an individual or entity designated by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 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 support the arts license plate program; and
(2) the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, or an individual or entity designated by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, has provided the commission with not less than 500 completed applications for support the arts license plates. These applications shall constitute the initial order for support the arts 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 section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
6. This act shall take effect immediately, but shall remain inoperative until the first day of the seventh month following the date on which the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection c. of section 5 of this act have been satisfied. The chief administrator may take anticipatory actions in advance of that date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of this act. This act shall expire on the last day of the 12th month following enactment if the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection c. of section 5 of this act are not satisfied by that date.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes a "We Support the Arts" license plate, with proceeds dedicated to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The design of the license plate would be chosen by the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) after conducting a Statewide contest. The design would include the slogan "We Support the Arts."
There is a $50 initial fee in addition to the registration fees required by law, with a $10 annual fee in addition to the renewal fees required by law. The monies raised, after reimbursement to the MVC, would be deposited into the "Support the Arts Fund," also established by this bill.
Under the bill, the MVC is prohibited from using State or public funds for the initial cost of designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of support the arts license plates, or for any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the support the arts license plate program. The New Jersey State Council on the Arts (the council), or an individual or entity designated by the council, would be required to contribute non-public monies in an amount to be determined by the chief administrator, not to exceed $25,000, to be used to offset these initial costs or computer programing changes. The council, or designated individual or entity, would also be required to provide the commission with not less than 500 completed applications for support the arts license plates, along with the initial fee for each application, constituting the initial order for support the arts license plates. The bill would take effect immediately, but would remain inoperative until the first day of the seventh month following the date on which the specified non-public moneys and initial applications are delivered to the MVC. The bill would expire if these requirements are not met by the last day of the 12th month following the date of enactment.
