SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 614

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: MARCH 7, 1996

      The Senate Education Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 614.

      As amended, this bill authorizes the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue special license plates in support of education for a motor vehicle owned or leased and registered in the State. The special plates would contain markings indicating support for, or an interest in, education.

      Under the bill's provisions, the director of the Division of Motor Vehicles would select the license plate design after soliciting suggestions from the public. The application fee for the plates would be $50, with an additional $10 fee for each annual renewal, in addition to the fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle. The fees would be deposited into a special fund and used in accordance with a county-wide plan developed under the guidance of the county superintendent of schools. The plan is to be focused on the support of telecommunications infrastructure and information technologies in the schools, with an emphasis on the interconnections among school districts in the county. The plan is to identify the district which will serve as the fiscal agent and host for the plan, and the budget is to describe the recipients and uses of the funds. The bill stipulates that the funds shall be distributed to support the county telecommunications plan in the county where the applicant for the license plate resides and that the funds shall not supplant any other State educational funding sources.

      The DMV would be reimbursed for the costs incurred for producing, issuing, renewing and publicizing the availability of the special plates from the fees collected prior to their deposit into the fund. Also, the director is to certify annually the average cost per license plate incurred in the immediately preceding year, which cost is to be certified by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee or its successor. In the event that the certified average cost per license plate exceeds the $50 applicant fee for two consecutive years, the director may discontinue the issuance of the education license plate.

      The committee amended the bill to provide a procedure for the reimbursement of the Division of Motor Vehicles for the costs incurred in producing and distributing the license plates and to change the effective date from the second to the seventh month after enactment.