P.L. 2019, c.325

An Act authorizing the issuance of support recovery license plates, designated as the “P.I.C.K. Awareness Act,” 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 support recovery license plates 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 an emblem, consisting of an image of a compass rose with cardinal direction indicators enclosed in a circle, and the words “SUPPORT RECOVERY” beneath the image. The chief administrator shall, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services and Parents in Connection for Kids, Inc., select the design and color scheme of the support recovery license plates. The support recovery 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 support recovery 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 support recovery 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 “Support Recovery 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 “Support Recovery 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 Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services within the Department of Human Services to be used to secure permanent sober living housing for individuals who have completed substance abuse treatment or temporary sober living housing for individuals waiting to be placed in a substance abuse treatment program. Monies appropriated to the division shall not be provided to any individual seeking housing assistance but may be provided to housing facilities to be used as deposits or monthly rent payments for individuals seeking housing assistance. 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 into 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 of the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section into the "Support Recovery License Plate Fund," 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 support recovery license plates; and

(2) any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the support recovery 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 support recovery 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 support recovery license plates.

e. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain support recovery license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the commission’s website. The Department of Human Services, and any other individual or entity designated by the Department of Human Services, may publicize the availability of the support recovery license plates in any manner that the department deems appropriate.

f. The chief administrator and the Commissioner of Human Services shall develop and enter into an interdepartmental 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 Commissioner of Human Services shall appoint a representative who shall act as a liaison between the Department of Human Services and the commission. The liaison shall represent the department in any and all communications with the commission regarding the support recovery license plates established by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

2. 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 support recovery license plates; or

(2) any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the support recovery license plate program established by P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

b. An individual or entity designated by the Department of Human Services 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 support recovery license plates, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program. Concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to the Department of Human Services to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for the support recovery 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 the “Support Recovery 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 support recovery license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until the following requirements have been met:

(1) The individual or entity designated by the Department of Human Services 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 support recovery license plate program; and

(2) The liaison appointed by the Commissioner of Human Services 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 support recovery license plates. These applications shall constitute the initial order for support recovery 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 enactment.

“P.I.C.K. Awareness Act”; authorizes issuance of special support recovery license plates.