ASSEMBLY, No. 3583

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  SHAMA A. HAIDER

District 37 (Bergen)

Assemblywoman  ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Assemblywoman  TENNILLE R. MCCOY

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

     Authorizes creation of registered nurse license plates.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

An Act authorizing the creation and issuance of registered nurse license plates 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.  Upon proper application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue registered nurse license plates for any motor vehicle owned or leased and registered in this State.  In addition to the registration number and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law, the license plates shall display the caduceus symbol, along with the words "Registered Nurse."  The chief administrator shall select the design and color scheme of the registered nurse license plates.  The registered nurse license plates shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, except as hereinafter otherwise provided.

     b.    Application for issuance of registered nurse license plates 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 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 registered nurse 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. 

     c.     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 registered nurse 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 subsection b. of this section in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance of registered nurse license plates.

     e.     The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain registered nurse license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the commission's website. 

     2.    a.  The Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting shall specify a State funding source to offset the initial cost of designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of the registered nurse license plates, as well as any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the registered nurse license plate program.

     b.  The commission shall not begin designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of registered nurse license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until the director specifies a State funding source as required by subsection a. of this section.

     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 condition set forth in subsection a. of section 2 of this act has been satisfied.  The chief administrator may take anticipatory acts in advance of that date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of this act.  This act shall expire if the condition set forth in subsection a. of section 2 of this act is not satisfied by the last day of the 12th month following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

      This bill authorizes the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue special registered nurse license plates.

      The bill provides that the design of the registered nurse license plate is to display the caduceus symbol, along with the words "Registered Nurse."  The chief administrator is to select the design and color scheme of the registered nurse license plates.

      In addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the registration of a motor vehicle, there is an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the registered nurse license plates.

      The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing, renewing, 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 license plate program. 

      The bill requires the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting (director) to determine the source of initial funding for the costs of the license plate program. 

      The commission is not required to design, produce, issue, or publicize the availability of the license plates or make programming changes until the director specifies the initial funding source.

      The provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month after the director specifies the funding source for the initial costs of the license plate program.  The bill expires on the last day of the 12th month after enactment if the director does not specify a funding source.