Bill Text: NJ A3195 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes creation of Wounded Warrior licence plate.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-08 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee [A3195 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A3195-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman R. BRUCE LAND
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes creation of Wounded Warrior license plate.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act authorizing the creation of Wounded Warrior 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 special license plates honoring veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound as a result of their military service on or after September 11, 2001, 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 license plates shall display the Wounded Warrior Project emblem, consisting of an image of a silhouette of a service member dressed in combat gear carrying another service member, along the left side of the license plates and the words "WOUNDED WARRIOR" displayed along the bottom of the license plates. The chief administrator shall select the design and color scheme in consultation with the Wounded Warrior Project. The Wounded Warrior 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 Wounded Warrior license plates 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 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 Wounded Warrior 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. The additional fees required by this subsection shall be deposited in the "Wounded Warrior 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 "Wounded Warrior 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 Wounded Warrior Project to support programs that benefit residents of this State who are veterans or service members who have incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound as a result of their military service on or after September 11, 2001. 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 securities 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 P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
d. Prior to the deposit into the fund of the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section, 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) designing, producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the Wounded Warrior license plates; and
(2) any computer programming changes that may initially be necessary to implement the Wounded Warrior license plate program, 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 Wounded Warrior 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 Wounded Warrior license plates.
e. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain Wounded Warrior license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the website of the commission. The Wounded Warrior Project, and any other individual or entity designated by the Wounded Warrior Project, may publicize the availability of Wounded Warrior license plates in any manner the organization deems appropriate.
f. The chief administrator and the Wounded Warrior Project shall develop and enter into a memorandum of understanding setting forth the procedures to be followed in carrying out their respective responsibilities under P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
g. The Wounded Warrior Project shall appoint a representative who shall act as a liaison between the organization and the commission. The liaison shall represent the Wounded Warrior Project in any and all communications with the commission regarding the Wounded Warrior license plates.
2. a. State or other public funds shall not be used by the commission for the initial cost of:
(1) designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of Wounded Warrior license plates; or
(2) any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the Wounded Warrior license plate program.
b. The Wounded Warrior Project, or an individual or entity designated by the Wounded Warrior Project, shall contribute non-public 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 designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of Wounded Warrior license plates, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. Concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to the Wounded Warrior Project, or the individual or entity designated by the Wounded Warrior Project, to further offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for the Wounded Warrior license plates. Any amount remaining after the payment of the initial costs shall be deposited in the "Wounded Warrior License Plate Fund" established pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
c. The commission shall not begin designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of Wounded Warrior license plates, or making any necessary computer programming changes, until the following requirements have been met:
(1) The Wounded Warrior Project, or the individual or entity designated by the Wounded Warrior Project, 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 Wounded Warrior license plate program; and
(2) The liaison appointed by the Wounded Warrior Project pursuant to subsection g. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) has provided the commission with not less than 500 completed applications for Wounded Warrior license plates. These applications shall constitute the initial order for Wounded Warrior license plates and shall be accompanied by a fee representing the total cost of the initial order. The fee shall be determined by multiplying the number of sets of license plates being ordered by the applicable initial fee for each set of license plates as set forth in subsection b. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. This act shall take effect immediately, but shall remain inoperative 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 anticipatory acts in advance of that 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 the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes the Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue special license plates honoring veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound as a result of their military service on or after September 11, 2001.
The bill provides that the design of the Wounded Warrior license plates are to display the Wounded Warrior Project emblem, consisting of an image of a silhouette of a service member dressed in combat gear carrying another service member, along the left side of the license plates and the words "WOUNDED WARRIOR" displayed along the bottom of the 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 Wounded Warrior license plates.
The bill creates a special non-lapsing fund known as the "Wounded Warrior License Plate Fund." After the deduction of the cost of implementing the license plate program, in an amount not to exceed $150,000, the additional fees will be deposited into "Wounded Warrior License Plate Fund. The proceeds of the fund are to be annually appropriated to the Wounded Warrior Project to support programs that benefit residents of this State who are veterans or service members who have incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound as a result of their military service on or after September 11, 2001.
The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost in the preceding year per license plate in producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the Wounded Warrior license plates. If the average cost exceeds $50 per license plate in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the license plates.
The bill provides that State or other public funds may not be used by the commission for the initial cost of implementing the Wounded Warrior license plate program. The bill requires that the Wounded Warrior Project, or any individual or entity designated by the Wounded Warrior Project, contribute monies, in an amount not to exceed $25,000, to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for implementing the Wounded Warrior license plate program.
The bill prohibits the commission from designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of Wounded Warrior license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until: (1) the Wounded Warrior Project, or its designee, has provided the commission with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the Wounded Warrior license plate program; and (2) the Wounded Warrior Project, or its designee, has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for Wounded Warrior license plates, upon the availability for purchase of the license plates.
The provisions of the bill are to remain inoperative until the first day of the seventh month after the appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission are provided to the commission. The bill is to expire on the last day of the 12th month following enactment if the required applications and fees are not received by that date.
