Bill Text: NJ S3908 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes creation of temporary Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary commemorative license plate.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-05 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Transportation Committee [S3908 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S3908-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES W. HOLZAPFEL
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes creation of temporary Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary commemorative license plate.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act authorizing the creation and issuance of a Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary commemorative license plate and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The New Jersey Historical Commission, in consultation with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, shall establish a license plate design contest in which any participants may submit one or more designs for a Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary commemorative license plate that represents the State of New Jersey and commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States. In establishing the contest, the New Jersey Historical Commission shall, at a minimum:
(1) develop an application process for participants to submit one or more designs to the New Jersey Historical Commission for the commemorative license plate;
(2) review the applications received and select a license plate design, which design shall be issued and advertised by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission pursuant to sections 2 and 3 of P.L. , c. (C. and C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill); and
(3) advertise the opportunity to participate in the license plate design contest.
b. The New Jersey Historical Commission, in consultation with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, may require such information or content as it deems appropriate to be included within the license plate designs submitted pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
2. a. (1) After a license plate design is selected by the New Jersey Historical Commission pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and upon proper application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue a temporary commemorative license plate to represent the State of New Jersey and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence for any motor vehicle owned or leased and registered in this State. The commemorative license plate shall utilize the plate design selected by the New Jersey Historical Commission pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and any words or symbols as may be determined by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, except that the commemorative license plate shall not include the registration number and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law.
(2) The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue one Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate to each eligible applicant, as provided in this section, which commemorative license plate shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes and displayed on the front of the vehicle in accordance with R.S.39:3-33, except that the commemorative license plate shall not be displayed on any vehicle after January 1, 2028.
b. Application for issuance of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate shall be made to the chief administrator in a form and 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 fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle. The chief administrator shall collect, after the year of issuance of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate, but no later than January 1, 2028, a $10 fee for the commemorative license plate 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 "Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary License Plate 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 "Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary License Plate Fund." There shall be deposited in the fund the amount collected from all commemorative license plate fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for administrative costs pursuant to subsection d. of this section. Monies deposited in the fund shall be annually appropriated to the New Jersey Historical Commission and shall be used to support and preserve Revolutionary War sites throughout New Jersey. 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 securities 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. (1) Prior to the deposit into the fund of the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section, amounts thereof as are necessary shall be used to reimburse the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for all costs reasonably and actually incurred, as stipulated by the chief administrator, for:
(a) designing, producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate; and
(b) any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate program in an amount not to exceed $150,000.
(2) The chief administrator shall annually certify to the State Treasurer the average cost per commemorative license plate incurred in the immediately preceding year by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission in producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate. The annual certification of the average cost per commemorative license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor.
e. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain a temporary Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate by publicizing the availability of the commemorative license plate on the website of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
f. The chief administrator and the New Jersey Historical Commission 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 New Jersey Historical Commission shall appoint a representative who shall act as a liaison between the New Jersey Historical Commission and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. The liaison shall represent the New Jersey Historical Commission in all communications with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission regarding the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate established by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. a. In addition to any non-public monies contributed by the individual or entity designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission pursuant to subsection b. of this section, State or other public funds may be used by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for the initial cost of:
(1) designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate; or
(2) any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate program established pursuant to P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. An individual or entity designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission may 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 New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. To further offset the initial costs incurred by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate authorized by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), other concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to the New Jersey Historical Commission, or the individual or entity designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission, for this purpose. Any amount remaining after the payment of the initial costs shall be deposited in the "Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary License Plate Fund," established pursuant to subsection c. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
c. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall not begin designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate, or making any necessary programming changes, until the liaison appointed by the New Jersey Historical Commission pursuant to subsection g. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) has provided the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission with not less than 500 completed applications for the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate. These applications shall constitute the initial order for Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary 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 commemorative license plates being ordered by the applicable initial fee for each commemorative license plate as set forth in subsection b. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall authorize the displaying of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate on the front of a motor vehicle in place of an alternate license plate for a period of two years beginning on January 1, 2026.
5. This act shall take effect immediately, except that sections 2 through four of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month following the date on which the conditions set forth in subsection c. of section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) have been satisfied. The chief administrator may take 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 subsection c. of section 3 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 creation of temporary Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary commemorative license plates and establishes a public contest to select the design of these commemorative license plates.
Specifically, the bill requires the New Jersey Historical Commission, in consultation with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, to establish a license plate design contest in which participants can submit one or more designs for a Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate that represents the State of New Jersey and commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States. In establishing the contest, the New Jersey Historical Commission is required to, at a minimum: (1) develop an application process for participants to submit one or more designs to the New Jersey Historical Commission for the commemorative license plate; (2) review the applications received and select a license plate design; and (3) advertise the opportunity to participate in the license plate design contest.
The bill also authorizes the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to create and issue a commemorative temporary Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate using the license plate design selected by the New Jersey Historical Commission. Only one commemorative license plate will be issued per motor vehicle, and the license plate will serve as a decorative license plate, without the inclusion of a registration number. The bill requires the chief administrator to authorize the displaying of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate on the front of a motor vehicle in place of an alternate license plate for a period of two years beginning on January 1, 2026.
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 Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate. After deducting the cost to implement the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate program, the additional fees collected are required to be deposited into the "Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary License Plate Fund," and the funds are to be appropriated annually to the New Jersey Historical Commission to be used to support and preserve Revolutionary War sites throughout New Jersey.
The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost per commemorative license plate in producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate. The bill also requires that the New Jersey Historical Commission appoint a liaison to represent the New Jersey Historical Commission in all communications with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission regarding the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate.
The bill provides that, in addition to any non-public monies contributed by the individual or entity designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, State or other public funds may be used by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for the initial cost of designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate or any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate program.
The bill also provides that an individual or entity designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission may contribute 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 New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. The bill authorizes the New Jersey Historical Commission to receive funds from private sources to be used to offset the initial costs.
The bill prohibits the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission from designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plate, or making any necessary programming changes, until the New Jersey Historical Commission's liaison has provided the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for the Declaration of Independence 250th Anniversary license plates, upon the availability for purchase of those license plates.
The chief administrator is responsible for publicizing the availability of the commemorative license plates on the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission's website.
Except for the establishment of the license plate design contest, the provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month after the appropriate number of applications are provided to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. The bill expires on the last day of the 12th month after the date of enactment if sufficient applications are not received by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
