SENATE, No. 772
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 15, 1996
By Senator BUBBA
An Act establishing equine license plates and supplementing chapter 3 of Title 39 and chapter 15 of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The director may issue for a motor vehicle registered in this State special equine license plates bearing, in addition to the registration number and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law, words and an emblem indicating support for, or an interest in, horses. The license plate shall be designed by the director, in consultation with the State Board of Agriculture and the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board.
b. The director shall collect a $50 application fee for the equine license plate in addition to the fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle. The director shall collect annually subsequent to the year of issuance of the 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. The additional fees required by this subsection shall be deposited into the "Horse Park Fund," established pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (now pending before the Legislature as this bill). Applicants shall be advised of the annual $10 renewal fee at the time of initial application.
2. a. There is created in the Department of the Treasury a non-lapsing, revolving fund to be known as the "Horse Park Fund." The fund shall be the depository of the fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (now pending before the Legislature as this bill). Interest earned on moneys deposited in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
b. Moneys in the Horse Park Fund shall be distributed exclusively: (1) to reimburse the Division of Motor Vehicles for costs incurred in producing and issuing equine license plates; and (2) for grants to assist in the operation and development of the Horse Park of New Jersey at Stone Tavern, Inc.
c. The Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles shall annually certify to the State Treasurer the average cost per license plate incurred in the preceding year by the Division of Motor Vehicles in producing and issuing equine license plates. The State Treasurer shall quarterly transfer a sum equal to the division's cost of producing and issuing equine license plates from the Horse Park Fund to the division.
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month after enactment.
STATEMENT
The horse is New Jersey's State animal. This bill establishes a special equine license plate, with proceeds dedicated to the Horse Park of New Jersey. The plate would bear words and an emblem designed by the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles in consultation with the State Board of Agriculture and the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board. Motor vehicle owners and lessees would be able to obtain the plate for an initial fee of $50 and an annual $10 renewal fee, in addition to the registration fees otherwise prescribed by law.
The additional fees would be deposited in the Horse Park Fund, created by the bill, and used exclusively for license plate costs and expenses associated with the operation and development of the Horse Park of New Jersey.
The Horse Park of New Jersey at Stone Tavern, Inc., located in Allentown, Monmouth County, represents a unique combination of State government, horse industry, and private, not-for-profit groups working together to develop a modern and versatile world-class facility for exhibiting and viewing horses. The Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Equine Advisory Board and the Horse Park worked for more than a decade to acquire the land through a Green Acres Bond issue, design the project, secure the funding and begin to execute the plan for this show facility. The Horse Park is a not-for-profit educational organization which sponsors activities that include horse shows, seminars on horse health and care, youth programs, breed group activities, and handicapped rider programs, among others.
Establishes special equine license plate to aid the Horse Park of New Jersey.