ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Forty-seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
FINAL AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2727
White Mountain Apache tribe plates
Purpose
Requires the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to issue special license plates for families of fallen police officers and the White Mountain Apache Tribe and to establish an Arizona professional baseball club special license plate if specified conditions are met.
Background
ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) provides one license plate to every motor vehicle owner for each vehicle registered. Vehicle license plates display both the name of the state as well as a number assigned to the vehicle and the owner. License plates must be clearly visible and displayed on the rear of the vehicle.
In addition to regular Arizona vehicle license plates, MVD issues special license plates for a variety of causes and organizations. The fee for obtaining or renewing a special license plate is $25. From the $25 fee, $8 is an administration fee that goes to ADOT for deposit in the State Highway Fund and $17 is considered a donation to the respective organization (A.R.S. § 28-2402). Plate personalization is an additional $25 fee.
There are currently 64 types of license plates available in Arizona including specialized license plates, with the most popular being the personalized license plate. There are six military special plates, two types of handicapped plates and plates for the three state universities. There are also license plates indicating the vehicle’s status such as a farm vehicle or historic vehicle. Several special plates have been adopted in which part of the plates’ fee benefits the related cause such as the Child Abuse Prevention special license plate and the Environmental special license plate.
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this proposed legislation.
Provisions
White Mountain Apache Tribe Special License Plate
1. Requires ADOT to issue special license plates for the White Mountain Apache Tribe if $32,000 is paid to ADOT by December 31, 2006 for implementation of the special plates.
2. Requires the color and design of the White Mountain Apache Tribe special plate to be different from the color and design of regular license plates as determined by the License Plate Commission and representative of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
3. Allows the ADOT Director to permit requests for White Mountain Apache Tribe special plate to be combined with a personalized special plate in an ADOT prescribed form and subjects the plate to the personalized special plate fee and the White Mountain Apache Tribe special plate fee.
4. Requires ADOT to deposit all special plate administration fees in the State Highway Fund and transmit all donations to the White Mountain Apache Tribe Transportation Committee.
5. Requires the White Mountain Apache Tribe Transportation Committee to use donation monies for traffic control devices on highways on the Apache Indian Reservation located in Arizona that are not state highways.
Professional Baseball Club Special License Plate
6. Requires the ADOT to issue a professional baseball club special plate if $32,000 is paid to ADOT for implementation by December 31, 2006.
7. Requires the entity that provides the initial $32,000 to design the plate, subject to ADOT approval.
8. Allows the ADOT Director to combine the request for the professional baseball club special plate with a request for a personalized special plate and subjects the plate combination, if approved, to the professional baseball club special plate fee and the personalized special plate fee.
9. Stipulates that $8 of the $25 fee for special plates is an administrative fee, and $17 is an annual donation.
10. Establishes the Professional Baseball Club Special Plate Fund (Fund), to be administered by the ADOT Director.
11. Requires the administration fees to be deposited in the State Highway Fund, and all donations collected from the professional baseball club special plate fee to be deposited in the Fund.
12. Requires the first $32,000 received in the Fund to be used to reimburse the entity that paid the implementation fee to ADOT and limits monies used for Fund administration to ten percent annually.
13. Requires the ADOT Director to annually allocate Fund monies to a private professional baseball organization’s foundation that is qualified under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code, which funds programs relating to youth education and development, housing for homeless or low income persons and indigent health care.
14. Requires the State Treasurer to invest and divest monies in the Fund and requires monies earned from any investment to be credited to the Fund.
Fallen Police Officers Special License Plate
15. Requires ADOT to issue special license plates for families of fallen police officers if $32,000 is paid to ADOT by December 31, 2006 for implementation of the special plates.
16. Requires the Department of Public Safety Director or the Director’s designee to design the families of fallen police officers special plates.
17. Requires the entity that provides the $32,000 implementation fee to design the families of fallen police officers plate and be reimbursed for the implementation fee.
18. Permits ADOT to allow a request for families of fallen police officers special plates to be combined with a request for personalized special plates in an ADOT prescribed form and subjects the plate to the personalized special plate fee and the families of fallen police officers special plate fee.
19. Establishes the ADOT administered families of fallen police officers special plate fund (fund) and allows for ten percent of the annual deposits to be used for administration.
20. Requires ADOT to deposit all special plate administration fees in the State Highway Fund and transmit all donations to the fund.
21. Requires ADOT to allocate monies from the fund to an incorporated nonprofit Arizona corporation that is qualified under § 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Service code if the nonprofit organization demonstrates a commitment to help heal surviving family members of police officers who died in the line of duty in Arizona.
22. Makes technical and conforming changes.
23. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Requires ADOT to establish an Arizona professional baseball club special license plate if specified conditions are met.
2. Requires ADOT to establish a special license plate for families of fallen police officers if specified conditions are met.
3. Prohibits “Arizona” from being obscured on motor vehicle license plates.
Amendments Adopted by Conference Committee
1. Requires the entity that provides the $32,000 implementation fee to be reimbursed.
2. Requires the entity that provides the $32,000 implementation fee to design the families of fallen police officers special plate, subject to ADOT approval.
3. Removes the prohibition against “Arizona” being obscured on a license plate.
House Action Senate Action
TRANS 2/9/06 DPA 7-1-0-1-0 TRANS 3/28/06 DP 4-1-0-0
3rd Read 3/2/06 41-16-3-0 3rd Read 4/12/06 21-8-1-0
Final Read 5/15/06 39-10-11-0 Final Read 5/16/06 18-8-4-0
Signed by the Governor 5/19/06
Chapter 290
Prepared by Senate Research
May 26, 2006
DG/RD/ac