ASSEMBLY, No. 1345

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Assemblyman DeCROCE

 

 

An Act providing for the issuance of certain license plates for the purpose of assisting in the support and funding of a State Railroad and Transportation Museum, amending P.L.1993, c.209, 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. As used in this act:

    "Commission" means the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Museum Commission created pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1993, c.209 (C.52:16A-44);

    "Director" means the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles in the Department of Transportation;

    "Division" means the Division of Motor Vehicles in the Department of Transportation;

 

    2. The Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles shall, upon proper application therefor, issue Railroad and Transportation Museum 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, a Railroad and Transportation Museum license plate shall display words or a slogan and an emblem indicating support for, or an interest in, a State Railroad and Transportation Museum. The words or slogan and emblem shall be chosen by the director in consultation with the commission; however, the director shall solicit, in conjunction with the Legislature, input from the general public on the design of the plate and shall review the submissions prior to choosing the design. Issuance of Railroad and Transportation Museum license plates in accordance with this section shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, except as otherwise specifically provided in this amendatory and supplementary act.

 

    3. a. Application for issuance of a Railroad and Transportation Museum license plate shall be made to the division on forms and in a manner as may be prescribed by the director. In order to be deemed complete, an application shall be accompanied by a fee of $50 payable to the division, which fee shall be in addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the registration of the motor vehicle.

    b. The annual fee for the registration certificate of a motor vehicle that has been issued a Railroad and Transportation Museum license plate pursuant to the provisions of this amendatory and supplementary act shall include in each year subsequent to the year of issuance a fee in the amount of $10, which fee shall be in addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the renewal of the registration of the motor vehicle.

 

    4. There shall be deposited in the "Railroad and Transportation Museum Fund" created pursuant to section 9 of P.L.1993, c.209 (C.52:16A-51), the amount hereafter collected from all license plate fees pursuant to section 3 of this amendatory and supplementary act, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the division for administrative costs pursuant to section 5 of this amendatory and supplementary act. Monies deposited in the fund shall be dedicated for railroad and transportation museum purposes as provided in section 9 of P.L.1993, c.209 (C.52:16A-51).

 

    5. a. Prior to the deposit of license plate fees collected pursuant to section 3 of this amendatory and supplementary act into the fund, amounts thereof as are necessary shall be used to reimburse the division for all costs reasonably and actually incurred, as stipulated by the director, for:

    (1) producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of Railroad and Transportation Museum license plates; and

    (2) any initial computer programming changes that may be necessary to implement the Railroad and Transportation Museum license plate program established by this amendatory and supplementary act.

    b. The director shall annually certify to the commission the average cost per license plate incurred in the immediately preceding year by the division in producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of Railroad and Transportation Museum license plates. The annual certification of the average cost per license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor.

    c. In the event that the average cost per license plate as certified by the director and approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor, is greater than the $50 application fee established in subsection a. of section 3 of this amendatory and supplementary act in two consecutive fiscal years, the director may discontinue the issuance of Railroad and Transportation Museum license plates.

 

    6. The director shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain Railroad and Transportation Museum license plates by including a notice with all motor vehicle registration renewals, and by posting, in all division facilities and offices, appropriate posters or signs as may be designed by the commission. However, the designs shall be subject to the approval of the director, and the commission shall supply the division with the notices, posters, and signs to be circulated or posted by that division.

 

    7. The commission, the director, and the State Treasurer shall develop and enter into an interagency memorandum of agreement setting forth the procedures to be followed by each in carrying out its respective responsibilities under this amendatory and supplementary act.

 

    8. Section 9 of P.L.1993, c.209 is amended to read as follows:

    9. There is established in the Department of State a fund to be known as the "Railroad and Transportation Museum Fund." The fund shall be credited with moneys received under subsection d. of section 4 of this act, and with any other moneys and appropriations obtained by the department for railroad and transportation museum purposes or credited to the fund from special license plate fees for these purposes. All interest earned on the investment moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund. Appropriations of moneys made by the Legislature to the commission or otherwise received by the commission for its administrative purposes shall be credited to the fund established under section 7 of this act until the expiration date of the commission under section 13 of this act. The moneys in the fund established by this section shall be administered by the Secretary of State, to be held thereby in the fund until appropriated by law. Moneys from the fund shall be used only for the purposes of a State railroad and transportation museum, including, but not limited to, the costs related to the establishment of the museum; the acquisition of a site for the museum; the selection and preparation of the architectural and interior design plans for the museum; and the acquisition, storage and security for railroad and transportation related equipment, memorabilia, books, papers and other documents for the museum. Not later than one year after the effective date of this act, and quarterly thereafter, the Secretary of State shall certify to the Legislature, the Department of the Treasury, and the commission until the date of its expiration under section 13 of this act, the total amount of moneys in the fund.

    Moneys received by the fund to be used for an expressly specified purpose, such as, but not limited to, moneys expressly donated for the purchase of a certain type of railroad or transportation equipment for the railroad and transportation museum, shall be held in a restricted account within the fund. Interest earned on investment moneys in each restricted account shall be credited to the fund. The moneys in the fund shall be invested and reinvested in the same manner that trust funds in the custody of the State Treasurer are invested and reinvested.

(cf: 1993, c.209, s.9)

 

    9. This act shall take effect on the 180th day after enactment, but the commission, the State Treasurer, and the director may take such anticipatory acts in advance of that date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of this act upon the effective date thereof.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill directs the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to establish a special Railroad and Transportation Museum license plate program. The special plates would contain markings or identification expressing the vehicle owner's support for, or interest in, a State railroad and transportation museum. The Director of the DMV, in consultation with the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Museum Commission, created pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1993, c.209 (C.52:16A-44), would select the design of the license plate, after soliciting, in conjunction with the Legislature, input from the general public and reviewing those submissions. A $50 fee would be charged for the issuance of the plates, and an additional $10 fee would be collected for each annual renewal.

    All license plate fees collected pursuant to the bill, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the DMV for administrative costs as provided in the bill, would be deposited in the "Railroad and Transportation Museum Fund" created pursuant to section 9 of P.L.1993, c.209 (C. 52:16A-51). Monies deposited in the fund would be dedicated for railroad and transportation museum purposes as authorized pursuant to section 9 of P.L.1993, c.209 (C. 52:16A-51).

    Costs incurred by the DMV in producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing Railroad and Transportation Museum license plates, as annually certified by the DMV director, would be reimbursed from the fees collected. The DMV would also be authorized to use a portion of the fees collected to pay for the cost of any computer programming changes that may be necessary to implement the license plate program.

    The bill directs the DMV to include in all mailings of motor vehicle registration renewals a notice of the availability of Railroad and Transportation Museum license plates, and also to post appropriate signs of the availability of such plates in division facilities.

    The bill requires the Joint Budget Oversight Committee to approve the DMV's annual certification of the average cost to produce, issue, renew, and publicize the availability of the license plate. If the average annual cost exceeds $50 for two consecutive fiscal years, the division would be authorized to discontinue the issuance of these license plates.

 

 

 

Establishes Railroad and Transportation Museum license plate; dedicates fees therefrom for railroad and transportation museum purposes.