S2872

An Act concerning New Jersey Hall of Fame license plates and supplementing Title 39 and Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. As used in this act:

"Chief Administrator" means the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission;

"Commission" means the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission;

"Fund" means the "New Jersey Hall of Fame Charitable Foundation Fund" created pursuant to section 4 of this act.

2. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall, upon proper application therefor, issue New Jersey Hall of Fame 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 license plate shall display words or a slogan and an emblem that represents the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The words or slogan and emblem shall be chosen by the chief administrator; however, the chief administrator shall solicit input from the general public on the design of the plate and shall review the submissions prior to choosing the design. Issuance of New Jersey Hall of Fame 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.

3. a. Application for issuance of a New Jersey Hall of Fame license plate shall be made to the commission on forms and in a manner as may be 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 fee shall be in addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the registration of the motor vehicle.

b. The annual fee for the registration certificate of a motor vehicle that has been issued a New Jersey Hall of Fame license plate pursuant to the provisions of this act shall include in each year subsequent to the year of issuance a fee in the amount of $10, which fee shall be in addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the renewal of the registration of the motor vehicle and shall be collected by the commission and deposited in the New Jersey Hall of Fame Charitable Foundation License Plate Fund created pursuant to section 4 of this act.

4. a. There is created in the Department of the Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the "New Jersey Hall of Fame Charitable Foundation License Plate Fund." There shall be deposited in the fund the amount collected from all license plate fees collected pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), less the amounts necessary to reimburse the commission for administrative costs pursuant to section 5 of this act. Monies deposited in the fund shall be dedicated for support and funding New Jersey Hall of Fame Charitable Foundation Fund.

b. 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 act.

5. a. Prior to the deposit of license plate fees collected pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) into the 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) producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of New Jersey Hall of Fame license plates; and

(2) any initial fees, in an amount conferred as necessary to the commissioner, collected from the issuance of New Jersey Hall of Fame license plates to be allocated to the commission to pay the cost of any computer programming changes that may be necessary to implement the New Jersey Hall of Fame license plate program established by this act.

b. 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 New Jersey Hall of Fame license plates. The annual certification of the average cost per license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor.

c. 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 a. of section 3 of this act in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance of New Jersey Hall of Fame license plates.

6. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain New Jersey Hall of Fame 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, as may be provided by the department. The notices, posters, and signs shall be designed by the commissioner. The designs shall be subject to the approval of the chief administrator.

7. Pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act, " P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission may promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the provisions of this act.

8. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month after enactment, but the State Treasurer, and the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission may take such anticipatory acts in advance of that date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of this act upon the effective date thereof.

STATEMENT

This bill directs the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to issue special New Jersey Hall of Fame license plates. The special plates would contain markings or identification expressing the vehicle owner's support for the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission would select the design of the license plate after soliciting, input from the general public and reviewing those submissions. A $50 fee will be charged for the issuance of the plates, and an additional $10 fee will be collected for each annual renewal.

The bill creates a special "New Jersey Hall of Fame Charitable Foundation License Plate Fund." All license plate fees collected pursuant to the bill, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the MVC for administrative costs, would be deposited in the fund. Monies deposited in the fund would be dedicated for support and funding of the New Jersey Hall of Fame Charitable Foundation.

The plates may be discontinued if the revenue they generate fails to exceed the costs of provided them for two consecutive years.