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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
special plate; civic leadership development
Purpose
Establishes a civic leadership development special plate and the Civic Leadership Development Special Plate Fund (Fund).
Background
The Arizona
Department of Transportation (ADOT) Motor Vehicle Division provides one license
plate to every motor vehicle owner for each vehicle registered (A.R.S.
§ 28-2351). ADOT must issue or renew special plates in lieu of regular
license plates under specific conditions and procedures (A.R.S.
§ 28-2403). The fee for obtaining or renewing a special plate is $25 (A.R.S.
§ 28-2402). Of the $25 fee, $8 is an administration fee that ADOT deposits
in the State Highway Fund (SHF) and $17 is a donation.
All license plates, including special plates, that are designed or
redesigned on or after September 24, 2022, must have: 1) the state name,
Arizona, in capital letters in sans serif font and three-fourths of an inch in
height; and 2) a background color that contrasts significantly with the color
of the letters, numbers and state name (A.R.S.
§ 28-2351).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires ADOT to issue a civic leadership development special plate if, by December 31, 2026, a person pays the $32,000 implementation fee.
2. Requires the person that pays the $32,000 implementation fee to design the civic leadership development special plate.
3. Subjects the design and color of the civic leadership development special plate to the approval of ADOT.
4. Allows the Director of ADOT (Director) to combine a request for a civic leadership development special plate with a request for a personalized special plate.
5. Specifies that a combined request must be submitted in a form prescribed by the Director and is subject to the fees for both the personalized special plate and the civic leadership development special plate.
6. Specifies that, of the $25 fee required to obtain or renew a civic leadership development special plate, $8 is an administration fee and $17 is an annual donation.
7. Establishes the Fund which is to be administered by the Director.
8. Requires ADOT to deposit all special plate administration fees in the SHF and transmit all civic leadership development special plate donations to the Fund.
9. Requires the first $32,000 in the Fund to be reimbursed to the person that paid the implementation fee.
10. Requires the Director to annually allocate Fund monies to an entity that is a 501(c)(3) organization that must:
a) have been founded in 2015;
b) provide leadership development and civic education for high school and college students in Arizona;
c) assist young adults with voter education; and
d) promote traditional values of Arizona, including family values, fiscal responsibility and respect for life, liberty and justice.
11. Caps, at 10 percent, the annual amount of Fund monies that may be used to administer the Fund.
12. Requires the State Treasurer, on notice from the Director, to invest and divest Fund monies and credit monies earned to the Fund.
13. Specifies that Fund monies are continuously appropriated.
14. Makes conforming changes.
15. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 9, 2026
KJA/SDR/hk