SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 1772
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: OCTOBER 8, 2020
The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 1772.
As amended and reported, this bill authorizes the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue special Rowan University alumni license plates.
The bill provides that the design of the Rowan University alumni license plate is to display appropriate words or a slogan and an emblem honoring Rowan University. The chief administrator, in consultation with the Rowan University Alumni Association, is to select the design and color scheme of the Rowan University alumni 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 Rowan University alumni license plates. After the deduction of the cost of designing, producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the plates and of any computer programming changes that are necessary to implement the license plate program, additional fees are to be deposited into a special non-lapsing fund known as the “Rowan University License Plate Fund.” The proceeds of the fund are to be annually appropriated to the Rowan University Alumni Association to be used to support the organization’s mission and programs.
The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the specialty license plates. If the average cost per plate exceeds $50 in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the license plate program. The bill also requires that the Rowan University Alumni Association President appoint a liaison to represent the Rowan University Alumni Association in all communications with the commission regarding the Rowan University alumni license plates.
The bill provides that State or other public funds are not to be used by the commission for the initial cost to implement the Rowan University alumni license plate program. The bill requires the Rowan University Alumni Association or an individual or entity designated by the Rowan University Alumni Association to contribute non-public monies, not to exceed $25,000, to offset the initial costs to design, produce, issue, and publicize the license plates and for computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the program. The bill authorizes the Rowan University Alumni Association to receive funds from private sources to be used to offset the initial costs.
The commission is not required to design, produce, issue, or publicize the availability of the license plates or make any necessary programming changes, until: (1) the Rowan University Alumni Association or the individual or entity designated by the Rowan University Alumni Association has provided the commission with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the license plate program; and (2) the Rowan University Alumni Association liaison has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed applications for the license plates.
The provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month after the date on which the appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission are provided to the commission. The bill expires on the last day of the 15th month after enactment if sufficient applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received by that date.
The committee amended the bill to provide that any amount of non-public monies that remain after the payment of the initial cost to design, produce, issue, and publicize the availability of the Rowan University alumni license plates and any computer programming necessary to implement the program are to be deposited in the “Rowan University License Plate Fund.”