Bill Text: NJ S2216 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Amended

New Jersey Senate Bill 2216 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Authorizes issuance of special license plates for alumni of four-year public institutions of higher education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-12-21 - Substituted by A1570 (1R) [S2216 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2022-S2216-Amended.html

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 2216

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

220th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MARCH 7, 2022

Sponsored by:

Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.

District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)

Senator TROY SINGLETON

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

Authorizes issuance of special license plates for alumni of four-year public institutions of higher education.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As reported by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on November 30, 2023, with amendments.

An Act authorizing the issuance of ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni license plates ¹for all four-year public institutions of higher education¹ and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

¹1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):

"Chief administrator" means the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

"Commission" means the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission established by section 4 of P.L.2003, c.13 (C.39:2A-4).

"Four-year public institution of higher education" means any public research university or State college in New Jersey, as those terms are defined in section 3 of P.L.1994, c.48 (C.18A:3B-3), except not including county colleges and public junior colleges.

"Special non-lapsing fund" or "fund" means the non-lapsing fund created and maintained for each alumni license plate program established for each four-year public institution of higher education.¹

¹2. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall establish and administer an alumni license plate program for each four-year public institution of higher education. Each alumni license plate program created pursuant to this section shall be subject to the provisions of sections 3 through 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).¹

¹[1.] 3.¹ a. Upon proper application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue ¹[Rowan University alumni license plates] special license plates to the alumni of a four-year public institution of higher education¹ 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 appropriate words or a slogan and emblem honoring ¹[Rowan University] the four-year public institution of higher education¹. The chief administrator shall, in consultation with ¹[the Rowan University Alumni Association] an alumni association of the four-year public institution of higher education¹, select the design and color scheme of the ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni license plates. The ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni 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 ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni 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 New Jersey Motor Vehicle 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 ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni 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 ¹[the "Rowan University License Plate Fund"] the special non-lapsing fund¹ created ¹,¹ pursuant to subsection c. of this section ¹, for the alumni license plate program¹.

c. ¹[There is created in the] The¹ Department of the Treasury ¹shall create and maintain¹ a special non-lapsing fund ¹[to be known as the "Rowan University License Plate Fund."] for each alumni license plate program established under P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).¹ There shall be deposited in ¹[the] each¹ fund the amount collected from all license plate fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section ¹for each alumni license plate program¹, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the commission for administrative costs pursuant to subsection d. of this section. Monies deposited ¹[in the] into each¹ fund shall be appropriated annually to ¹[the Rowan University Alumni Association to be used]an alumni association of the four-year public institution of higher education¹ to support the organization's mission and programs. Monies deposited ¹[in the] into each¹ fund shall be held in interest-bearing accounts in public depositories¹,¹ 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 into ¹[the] each¹ fund, and any monies which may be appropriated or otherwise become available for 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 of the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section into ¹[the "Rowan University License Plate Fund,"] the applicable special non-lapsing fund,¹ 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 ¹[the Rowan University]¹ alumni license plates; and

(2) any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement ¹[the Rowan University] each¹ alumni 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 ¹[the Rowan University]¹ alumni license plates ¹for each alumni license plate program¹. The annual certification of the average cost per license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee¹[,]¹ or its successor.

In the event that the average cost per license plate ¹under any alumni license plate program,¹ as certified by the chief administrator and approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee¹[,]¹ 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 ¹[Rowan University] the¹ alumni license plates.

e. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the commission's website. The ¹[Rowan University Alumni Association President] director of an alumni association of a four-year public institution of higher education¹ and any other individual or entity designated by ¹[the Rowan University Alumni Association] an alumni association¹, may publicize the availability of ¹[the Rowan University]¹ alumni license plates in any manner that ¹[the Rowan University Alumni Association]the alumni association¹ deems appropriate.

f. The chief administrator and the ¹[Rowan University Alumni Association President] director of an alumni association of each four-year public institution of higher education¹ shall develop and enter into a memorandum of agreement 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 ¹[Rowan University Alumni Association President] director of each alumni association¹ shall appoint a representative who shall act as a liaison between ¹[the Rowan University Alumni Association] an alumni association¹ and the commission. The liaison shall represent the ¹[Rowan University Alumni Association] alumni association¹ in any and all communications with the commission regarding the ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni license ¹[plates] plate program¹ established ¹[by] for each four-year public institution of higher education pursuant to¹ P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

¹[2.] 4.¹ a. State or public funds shall not be used by the commission for the initial cost of:

(1) designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni license plates; or

(2) any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement ¹[the Rowan University] an¹ alumni license plate program established by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

b. ¹[The Rowan University Alumni Association] An alumni association of each four-year public institution of higher education¹ or an individual or entity designated by ¹[the Rowan University Alumni Association] the alumni association¹, shall contribute non-public monies in an amount to be determined by the chief administrator, not to exceed a total of $25,000, ¹[to be used]¹ to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for designing, producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of ¹[Rowan University] the¹ alumni license plates ¹for the four-year public institution of higher education¹, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the ¹alumni license plate¹ program. Concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to ¹[the Rowan University Alumni Association to be used] the alumni association¹ to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for ¹[the Rowan University]¹ alumni license plates authorized by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). Any amount remaining after the payment of the initial cost shall be deposited in ¹[a "Rowan University License Plate Fund"] the special non-lapsing fund¹ established ¹for the applicable alumni license plate program¹ pursuant to subsection c. of section ¹[1] 3¹ 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 ¹[Rowan University] the¹ alumni license plates ¹for the four-year public institution of higher education¹, or making any necessary programming changes, until the following requirements have been met:

(1) ¹[The Rowan University Alumni Association] An alumni association of the four-year public institution of higher education¹ or an individual or entity designated by ¹[the Rowan University Alumni Association] the alumni association¹, has provided the commission with the non-public monies 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 ¹[Rowan University]¹ alumni license plate program; and
(2) The liaison appointed by the ¹[Rowan University Alumni Association President] director of the alumni association¹ pursuant to subsection g. of section ¹[1] 3¹ of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) has provided the commission with not less than 500 completed applications for ¹[Rowan University] the¹ alumni license plates. These applications shall constitute the initial order for ¹[Rowan University] the¹ alumni 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[1] 3¹ of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

¹[3.] 5.¹ This act shall take effect immediately ¹[, but shall remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th 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 15th month following enactment]¹.