Bill Text: NJ A3523 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes designated driver motor vehicle license plates.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-07-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee [A3523 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A3523-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes designated driver motor vehicle license plates.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing designated driver 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 designated driver 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, a designated driver license plate shall display the words "HERO Campaign" and an emblem indicating support for designated drivers in New Jersey. The license plate shall be designed by the chief administrator, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety and the John R. Elliott Foundation. Issuance of the designated driver 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.
2. An application for issuance of a designated driver 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 a motor vehicle. The chief administrator shall collect annually, subsequent to the year of issuance of the designated driver 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. The additional fees required by this subsection shall be deposited in the "Designated Driver License Plate Fund" created pursuant to section 3 of this act.
3. a. There is created in the Department of the Treasury a non-lapsing, interest-bearing fund to be known as the "Designated Driver License Plate Fund." There shall be deposited in the fund the amount collected from the additional application and renewal fees collected pursuant to section 2 of this act, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the commission for administrative costs pursuant to section 4 of this act.
b. Monies deposited in the fund shall be utilized by the Division of Highway Traffic Safety for public service announcements and advertisements promoting the use of designated drivers. 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 into 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.
c. The State Treasurer shall provide an annual report to the Division of Highway Traffic Safety on the status of the fund, and the division shall provide an annual report to the State Treasurer documenting expenditures of monies from the fund.
4. a. Prior to the deposit of the additional 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 all costs reasonably and actually incurred, as stipulated by the chief administrator, for:
(1) producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of designated driver license plates; and
(2) any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the designated driver license plate program established by this act, in an amount not to exceed $150,000.
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 the designated driver 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 application fee established in section 2 of this act in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may increase the fee for a designated driver license plate to an amount which, as certified by the chief administrator and approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor, is no greater than the average cost per license plate or the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance of the designated driver license plate.
5. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain designated driver 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 chief administrator after consultation with the Division of Highway Traffic Safety and the John R. Elliott Foundation.
6. The chief administrator and the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety shall develop and enter into a memorandum of agreement setting forth the procedures to be followed in carrying out the provisions of this act.
7. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month following enactment, but 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.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes the production and distribution of a motor vehicle license plate dedicated to increasing the use of designated drivers.
The words "HERO Campaign" and an emblem indicating support for designated drivers in the State would be displayed on the plate. The license plate would be designed by the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission in consultation with the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety and the John R. Elliott Foundation, which initiated the HERO Campaign.
In July 2000, Ensign John Robert Elliott of Egg Harbor Township was killed in a tragic car accident when his vehicle was struck by a driver who only hours earlier had been arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Ensign Elliott's parents launched the HERO campaign in his memory to highlight the crucial importance of sober driving and to encourage the use of designated drivers to prevent needless drunk driving fatalities, injuries, and accidents.
In 2001, the HERO campaign was adopted by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety and the Licensed Beverage Association of New Jersey. The campaign has also been adopted by the United States Navy Fleet Forces Command and received the prestigious Public Service Award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Applicants for the special plate would pay an additional fee of $50 and an additional renewal fee of $10 would be assessed. These fees, after the reimbursement of certain costs incurred by the commission, would be deposited in a "Designated Driver License Plate Fund" in the Department of the Treasury. Monies in this fund would be used to provide public service announcements and advertisements promoting the use of designated drivers.
The bill requires the chief administrator to notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain these plates through notices in registration renewal mailings and by placing posters or signs in commission offices and facilities.
In the event the cost of the license plate exceeds the application fee in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator is authorized to either increase the fee or discontinue the plate's issuance.
