Bill Text: NJ A2284 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes recreational fishing license plate; dedicates fees to coastal fishing research.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-06 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee [A2284 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A2284-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes recreational fishing license plate; dedicates fees to coastal fishing research.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing "Recreational Fishing" 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. a. Upon proper application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue recreational fishing 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 recreational fishing license plate shall display words or a slogan and an emblem indicating support for, or interest in, recreational fishing. The chief administrator shall select the design, in consultation with the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and any advocacy groups having an interest in recreational fishing. Recreational fishing license plates shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, except as hereinafter otherwise specifically provided.
b. Application for issuance of a recreational fishing 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 motor vehicles. The chief administrator shall collect annually, subsequent to the year of issuance of the recreational fishing 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 "Recreational Fishing License Plate Fund" created pursuant to subsection c. of this section.
c. There is created in the Department of the Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the "Recreational Fishing License Plate Fund." There shall be deposited in the fund the amount collected from all license plate fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the commission for administrative costs pursuant to subsection d. of this section. Monies deposited in the fund shall be appropriated annually to the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and shall be used to fund research on coastal fishing. 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.
d. Prior to the deposit of the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section into the fund, amounts thereof as are necessary shall be used to reimburse the commission for all costs reasonable and actually incurred, as stipulated by the chief administrator, for:
(1) producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the recreational fishing license plates; and
(2) any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the recreational fishing license plate program established by this act, in an amount not to exceed $150,000.
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 recreational fishing license plates. The annual certification of the average cost per license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor.
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 recreational fishing license plates.
e. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain recreational fishing license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the website of the Motor Vehicle Commission. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and any other individual or entity designated by the university, may publicize the availability of recreational fishing license plates in any manner the university deems appropriate.
f. The chief administrator and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey shall develop and enter into an interagency memorandum of agreement setting forth the procedures to be followed in carrying out their respective responsibilities under this act.
g. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, shall appoint a representative who shall act as a liaison between the organization and the commission. The liaison shall represent the university in any and all communications with the commission regarding the recreational fishing license plates established by this act.
2. a. No State or other public funds shall be used by the commission for the initial cost of:
(1) producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of recreational fishing license plates; or
(2) any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the recreational fishing license plate program established by this act.
b. The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, or other individual or entity designated by the university, shall contribute monies in an amount to be determined by the chief administrator, not to exceed a total of $25,000, to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of recreational fishing license plates, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. To further help offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for the special license plates authorized by this act, other concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, or an individual or entity designated by the university, for this purpose. Any amount remaining after the payment of the initial costs shall be deposited in the "Recreational Fishing License Plate Fund" established pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of this act.
c. The commission shall not begin designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of recreational fishing license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until the following requirements have been met:
(1) Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, or the individual or entity designated by the university, has provided the commission with the money necessary, as determined by the chief administrator pursuant to subsection b. of this section, to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the recreational fishing license plate program; and
(2) The liaison appointed by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, pursuant to subsection g. of section 1 of this act has provided the commission with not less than 500 completed applications for recreational fishing license plates. These applications shall constitute the initial order for recreational fishing license plates and shall be accompanied by a fee representing the total cost of the initial order. Such fee shall be determined by multiplying the number of sets of plates being ordered by the applicable initial fee for each set of plates as set forth in subsection b. of section 1 of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately, but shall remain inoperable until the first day of the seventh month following the date on which the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection c. of section 2 of this act have been satisfied. The chief administrator may take such anticipatory acts in advance of that operative date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of this act. This act shall expire if the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection c. of section 2 of this act are not satisfied by the last day of the 12th month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes the Motor Vehicle Commission to issue a recreational fishing license plate. The additional fees generated through the sale of these plates, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the commission for its costs, are to be deposited in a special fund and used by the New Jersey Agricultural Experimental Station at Rutgers to fund research on coastal fishing.
