S92

An Act authorizing the issuance of Protect Pollinator 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 Protect Pollinators 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 license plate shall display appropriate words or a slogan and an emblem representing one or more animal pollinators native to New Jersey. The chief administrator shall select the design, including an emblem and color scheme. Protect Pollinators 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 Protect Pollinators 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 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 Protect Pollinators 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.

c. There is created in the Department of the Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the "Protect Pollinators 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 associated with the program. Monies deposited in the fund shall be appropriated annually to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and to the "Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program" established pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2017, c.44 (C.27:7-42.4) in order to support efforts to protect pollinator animals in the State. 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 "Protect Pollinators 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) producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the Protect Pollinators license plates; and

(2) any computer programming changes that may be initially necessary to implement the Protect Pollinators license plate program established by this act, in an amount not to exceed $150,000.

e. 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 Protect Pollinators 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 Protect Pollinators license plates.

f. The chief administrator shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain Protect Pollinators license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the website of the commission.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill would require the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to create "Protect Pollinator" license plates, to be issued upon application for any motor vehicle registered in the State. The license plate would feature a design and slogan that expresses support for New Jersey's native pollinator animals. Applicants for the license plate would be required to pay an initial fee of $50 and a subsequent $10 fee to renew the license plates.

The bill would also establish a special fund called the "Protect Pollinators License Plate Fund" in the Department of the Treasury. Any monies from application fees that are not used to administer the license plate program would be deposited in this fund and annually appropriated to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and to the "Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program" established pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2017, c.44 (C.27:7-42.4), in order to support efforts to protect pollinator

animals in the State.

The program could be discontinued by the Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission in the event that the average cost per plate of the program exceeds $50 in two consecutive fiscal years.