SENATE STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1274

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: MAY 15, 1997

      The Senate State Government Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate, No. 1274.

       This bill permits active members of the Ukrainian American Veterans (UAV) to obtain special license plates for their motor vehicles at a cost of $25 in addition to the fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of motor vehicles. The plates would bear the words "Ukrainian American Veteran" and the emblem of the Ukrainian American Veterans' organization.

      The bill provides that the application fee shall be retained by the division to offset the cost of producing the plates and permits the director to discontinue the issuance of the special plate if the average cost per plate is greater than the $25 application fee.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amended the bill to: 1) raise the application fee for the special plates from $15 to $25; 2) provide that the application fee shall be retained by the division to offset the cost of producing the plates; 3) delete the provision in the bill which permits the surving spouse of a Ukrainian American veteran to retain the special plates for display on a motor vehicle registered to the surviving spouse; 4) permit the director to discontinue the issuance of the special plate if the average cost per plate is greater than the $25 application fee; and 5) provide that the bill takes effect on the first day of the sixth month after enactment instead of the fifth month after enactment.