ASSEMBLY, No. 3506

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 25, 2020

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  ERIK PETERSON

District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)

Assemblyman  JAY WEBBER

District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Authorizes special Support Our Veterans license plate with proceeds supporting New Jersey homeless veteran’s centers.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Act concerning special Support Our Veterans 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.    Upon proper application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission shall issue “Support Our Veterans” 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 “Support Our Veterans” license plate shall display appropriate words and an emblem honoring the nation’s veterans. The chief administrator, in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, shall choose the design, including an emblem and a color scheme.  “Support Our Veterans” license plates shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, except as provided pursuant to P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

 

     2.    Application for issuance of a “Support Our Veterans” 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 “Support Our Veterans” 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 section shall be deposited in the “Support Our Veterans License Plate Fund” created pursuant to section 3 of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

 

     3.    a.  There is created in the Department of the Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the “Support Our Veterans License Plate Fund.”  There shall be deposited into the fund the amount collected from all license plate fees collected pursuant to section 2 of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), less the amounts necessary to reimburse the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for administrative costs pursuant to this section. The monies in the fund shall be appropriated annually to the Veterans Haven Council within the Division of Veterans' Services in the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, established pursuant to P.L.2011, c.170 (C.38A:3-47 et seq.), to support services for the benefit of veterans housed at the Veterans Haven facility and duties of the council.  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 P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

     b.    Prior to the deposit of license plate fees collected pursuant to section 2 of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) into the 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) producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of “Support Our Veterans” license plates; and (2) any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the “Support Our Veterans” license plate program established by P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), in an amount not to exceed $150,000.

     c.     The chief administrator annually shall 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 “Support Our Veterans” license plates. The annual certification of the average cost per license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor.

     d.    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 section 2 of P.L.     , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance of “Support Our Veterans” license plates.

 

     4.    a.  The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain Support Our Veterans license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the website of the commission.  The Veterans Haven Council, and any other individual or entity designated by the Veterans Haven Council, may publicize the availability of “Support Our Veterans” license plates in any manner the Veterans Haven Council deems appropriate. 

     b.    The chief administrator and the Veterans Haven Council shall develop and enter into an interagency 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).

     c.     The Veterans Haven Council shall appoint a representative who shall act as a liaison between the council and the commission.  The liaison shall represent the Veterans Haven Council in any and all communications with the commission regarding the “Support Our Veterans” license plates established by P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

 

      5.    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 “Support Our Veterans” license plates; or

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

     b.    The Veterans Haven Council or other individual or entity designated by the Veterans Haven Council, 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 “Support Our Veterans” 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 P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), other concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to the Veterans Haven Council, or an individual or entity designated by the Veterans Haven Council, for this purpose.  Any amount remaining after the payment of the initial costs shall be deposited in the “Support Our Veterans License Plate Fund” established pursuant to subsection a. of section 3 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 Our Veterans” license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until the following requirements have been met:

     (1)   The Veterans Haven Council or the individual or entity designated by the Veterans Haven Council, 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 Our Veterans” license plate program; and

     (2)   The liaison appointed by the Veterans Haven Council pursuant to subsection c. of section 4 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 Our Veterans” license plates. These applications shall constitute the initial order for “Support Our Veterans” 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 section 2 of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

 

     6.    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 5 of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) have been satisfied. The chief administrator may take such anticipatory acts in advance of that date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill). P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)) shall expire if the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection c. of section 5 of P.L.    , c.    (C.        ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) are not satisfied by the last day of the 12th month following enactment.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill authorizes a special Support Our Veterans license plate with the proceeds supporting New Jersey homeless veterans’ centers, Veterans Haven, North and South.

     The design of the license plate would be chosen by the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission in consultation with the Division of Veterans' Services in the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs (NJDMAVA).

     There is a $50 initial fee, in addition to the registration fees required by law, with a $10 annual fee, in addition to the renewal fees required by law.  The additional fees, after the deduction of the cost of producing and publicizing the plates, will be deposited into a special non-lapsing fund known as the “Support Our Veterans License Plate Fund.”  The proceeds of the fund are to be annually appropriated to the Veterans Haven Council within the (NJDMAVA).

     The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost per license plate in producing, issuing, and publicizing the Support Our Veterans license plates.  If the average cost exceeds $50 for two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the license plate program.

     The bill provides that no State or other public funds may be used by the commission for the initial cost of producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of Support Our Veterans license plates or any computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the Support Our Veterans license plate program.

     The bill also requires that the Veterans Haven Council or other individual or entity designated by the Veterans Haven Council, 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 Support Our Veterans license plates, and any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program.

     The bill prohibits the commission from designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of Support Our Veterans license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, until: (1) the Veterans Haven Council, or its designee, has provided the commission with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the Support Our Veterans license plate program; and (2) the Veterans Haven Council, or its designee, has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for Support Our Veterans license plates, upon the availability for purchase of those plates.

     The chief administrator is responsible for publicizing the availability of the license plates on the commission’s website.  The Veterans Haven Council or any individual or entity designated by the Veterans Haven Council, may also publicize the availability of Support Our Veterans license plates in any manner the Veterans Haven Council deems appropriate.

     The provisions of the bill remain inoperative until the appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission are provided by the board, and the bill expires after 12 months if sufficient applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received.