SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 245

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JANUARY 23, 1997

      The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 245.

      This bill would allow people who lease motor vehicles and obtain personalized, courtesy or special license plates to transfer those license plates to their other vehicles after a lease agreement ends.

      Currently, personalized license plates are considered registered to the motor vehicle and not to the person who applies for them. This means that the personalized plates must be surrendered and reapplied for, even by the original holder of the plates, when intended for use on another vehicle. The result is the redundant payment of application fees for the same license plates. This current system disfavors those who choose to lease instead of purchase a motor vehicle. This bill would allow lessees to pay the same fee of $4.50 to transfer their personalized, courtesy or special license plates as do those who own their motor vehicles.