A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 56-1-550, RELATING TO the FEE FOR EXPEDITING REQUESTs FOR COPies OF DOCUMENTs OR RECORDs, so as to increase the fee, to provide this section relates to the expedited delivery of beginners' permits, drivers' licenses, and identification cards, to provide for the delivery of the cards, to delete references to the freedom of information act, and to provide the funds collected must be retained by the department of motor vehicles; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 56-19-420, RELATING TO the ALLOCATION of fees collected by the department of motor vehicles, so as to provide the department may collect fees for Certificates of title printed and provided in person at its branch offices, and to provide for distribution of these fees.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1.  Section 56-1-550 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

    Section 56-1-550.  The Department of Motor Vehicles may collect a fee not to exceed twentyninety dollars per document beginner's permit, driver's license, or identification card issued to expedite the delivery of the permit, license, or card to the applicant's address. When a customer pays this fee, the department, or its authorized agent, must mail the card in the most expeditious manner once it is produceda request for copies of documents and records it maintains. This fee is in addition to the normal fees associated with the issuance of the card request. Expedited requests must be available within seventy-two hours of receipt of the request and standard requests within thirty days. Nothing in this section may be construed as circumventing the requirements of Section 30-4-30 of the Freedom of Information Act. The funds collected pursuant to this section must be retained by the department and used for the sole purpose of providing expedited beginner's permits, driver's licenses, or identification cardsplaced by the Comptroller General into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167.

SECTION 2.  Section 56-19-420 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

    Section 56-19-420. (A) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall charge fifteen dollars for:

       (1) the issuance of a certificate of title;

       (2) the transfer of a certificate of title; or

       (3) the issuance of a duplicate certificate of title.

    (B) Five dollars of the fee contained in this section must be placed in a special earmarked account by the Comptroller General and must be distributed in the following manner:

       (1) the first one million dollars must be credited to the general fund of the State to offset a portion of state individual income tax revenue not collected pursuant to the subsistence allowance allowed pursuant to Section 12-6-1140(6); and

       (2) the remainder must be allocated to the Department of Public Safety and used to support highway patrol programs.

    (C) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, five dollars of the fee contained in this section must be placed in the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167 by the Comptroller General.

    (D) In addition to the fee above, the department may collect a fee not to exceed twenty dollars per certificate of title printed and provided in person at its branch offices. This fee may not be collected in any other circumstance. The funds collected pursuant to this subsection must be placed into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167.

SECTION 3.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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