Bill Text: CA AB1980 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Vehicles: California Legacy License Plate Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-16 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB1980 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB1980-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  March 18, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1980

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Introduced by Assembly Member Grayson
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Calderon, Wendy Carrillo, Gipson, Stephanie Nguyen, Papan, and Blanca Rubio)

January 30, 2024

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An act to amend Section 14526.4 of the Government 5004.3 of the Vehicle Code, relating to state highways. vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1980, as amended, Grayson. State highway operation and protection program: asset management plan. Vehicles: California Legacy License Plate Program.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish the California Legacy License Plate Program, and to create and issue a series of specialized license plates, consisting of one or more of 3 specified designs that replicate license plates from the state’s past. Existing law requires the department to collect and hold paid applications for the plates, as specified, and prohibits the department from issuing a specialized license plate until it has received not less than 7,500 paid applications for any one of the particular plates on or before January 1, 2015.

This bill would extend the deadline for receipt of the required number of paid applications to January 1, 2026, for plate designs that did not receive the required number of applications by January 1, 2015. This bill would also add an additional plate design to the program, as specified.

Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of the state highway system and requires the department to prepare a state highway operation and protection program for the expenditure of transportation funds for major capital improvements that are necessary to preserve and protect the state highway system. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the California Transportation Commission, to prepare an asset management plan to guide selection of projects for the program.

This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the latter provision.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 5004.3 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

5004.3.

 (a) Subject to subdivision (d), the department shall establish the California Legacy License Plate Program and create and issue a series of specialized license plates known as California Legacy License Plates that replicate the look of California license plates from the state’s past. The design of the plates shall be identical, to the extent the department determines it to be reasonably feasible under current manufacturing processes, to a regular license plate, except as provided in subdivision (b).

(b) The California Legacy License Plates shall consist of one or more of the following designs:

(1) Yellow background with black lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1956 to 1962, inclusive.

(2) Black background with yellow lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1965 to 1968, inclusive.

(3) Blue background with yellow lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1969 to 1986, inclusive.

(4) White background with blue lettering with the California sunset per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1982 to 1987, inclusive.

(c) An applicant for the specialized license plates described in subdivision (a), who shall be the owner or lessee of the vehicle on which the plates will be displayed, may choose to either accept a license plate character sequence assigned by the department or request a combination of letters or numbers or both, subject to Section 5105.

(d) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, retention, or transfer of the specialized license plates:

(1) Fifty dollars ($50) for the original issuance of the plates.

(2) Forty dollars ($40) for a renewal of registration with the plates.

(3) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle.

(4) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for each substitute replacement plate.

(5) Thirty-eight dollars ($38), when the payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in Section 4000 and the holder of the specialized license plates retains the plates. The fee shall be due at the expiration of the registration year of the vehicle to which the specialized license plates were assigned. This paragraph shall not apply when a plate character sequence is assigned by the department pursuant to subdivision (c).

(e) Sections 5106 and 5108 do not apply to the specialized license plates issued pursuant to this section.

(f) The department shall not issue California Legacy License Plates for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.

(g) (1) The department shall not establish the California Legacy License Plate Program until the department has received not less than 7,500 paid applications for plates. The department shall collect and hold applications for the plates. The department shall not issue a specialized license plate until it has received not less than 7,500 paid applications for any one of the particular plates within the time period prescribed in this section.

(2) The department shall have until January 1, 2015, 2026, to receive the required number of applications. applications for a plate design described in subdivision (b) that did not receive the required number of applications by January 1, 2015. If, after that date, 7,500 paid applications have not been received for any one of the three plates plate designs described in subdivision (b), the department shall immediately refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been collected. collected for that plate design.

(h) (1) Upon a determination by the department that there are sufficient funds for the program, moneys shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the necessary administrative costs of establishing the California Legacy License Plate Program.

(2) After deducting its administrative costs under this subdivision, the department shall deposit any additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, retention, and substitution of the specialized license plates into the California Environmental License Plate Fund, for appropriation by the Legislature pursuant to existing law. For purposes of this paragraph, “administrative costs” includes the costs of including the California Legacy License Plates in materials that promote special license plates authorized by this chapter.

SECTION 1.Section 14526.4 of the Government Code is amended to read:

14526.4.

(a)The department, in consultation with the commission, shall prepare a robust asset management plan to guide selection of projects for the state highway operation and protection program required by Section 14526.5. The asset management plan shall be consistent with any applicable state and federal requirements.

(b)The department may prepare the asset management plan in phases, with the first phase to be implemented with the 2016 state highway operation and protection program, and the complete asset management plan to be prepared no later than the 2020 state highway operation and protection program.

(c)In connection with the asset management plan, the commission shall do both of the following:

(1)Adopt targets and performance measures reflecting state transportation goals and objectives.

(2)Review and approve the asset management plan, including the final version of the first phase and the complete plan prepared by the department pursuant to subdivision (b).

(d)For purposes of this section, “asset management plan” means a document assessing the health and condition of the state highway system with which the department is able to determine the most effective way to apply the state’s limited resources.