SB310 (2006) Detail

(New Title) establishing gold star number plates and relative to special number plates for veterans.


SB 310-FN – AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

02/16/06 0887s

19Apr2006… 1759h

2006 SESSION

06-2860

03/01

SENATE BILL 310-FN

AN ACT establishing gold star number plates and relative to special number plates for veterans.

SPONSORS: Sen. Barnes, Dist 17; Sen. Gallus, Dist 1; Sen. Kenney, Dist 3

COMMITTEE: Transportation and Interstate Cooperation

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill establishes gold star number plates. This bill also clarifies the eligibility requirements for special number plates for veterans.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

02/16/06 0887s

19Apr2006… 1759h

06-2860

03/01

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Six

AN ACT establishing gold star number plates and relative to special number plates for veterans.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Section; Gold Star Number Plates. Amend RSA 261 by inserting after section 87-b the following new section:

261:87-c Gold Star Number Plates.

I. The department shall furnish one set of special number plates, designed by the director with the approval of the commissioner, for one motor vehicle owned by a mother or father of a person killed while on duty in the United States armed forces. These gold star number plates shall be issued upon payment of the regular registration and number plate fees. The issuance of a set of such special number plates to a parent shall not preclude the issuance of another set of such special number plates to the other parent.

II. For purposes of this section, a motor vehicle is owned by a mother or father of a person killed while on duty in the United States armed forces if the mother or father of a person killed while on duty in the United States armed forces is the motor vehicle’s owner under RSA 259:72, I, or if the legal ownership of the motor vehicle is held by a trust established by the mother or father of a person killed while on duty in the United States armed forces and the mother or father of a person killed while on duty in the United States armed forces has use of the motor vehicle or the motor vehicle is used for the transportation of the mother or father of a person killed while on duty in the United States armed forces. The director shall establish the documentation required for a motor vehicle held in trust to be eligible for plates under this section. The director shall not issue more than one set of plates under this section to any trust. A trustee of the trust or the administrator of the estate may be fined up to $500 for failing to return within 60 days of the death of the mother or father of a person killed while on duty in the United States armed forces any plates issued under this section for a motor vehicle held in trust.

2 Special Number Plates for Veterans; Eligibility. Amend RSA 261:87-b to read as follows:

261:87-b Special Number Plates for Veterans. The director is hereby authorized to issue special number plates to be used on motor vehicles owned by veterans of the United States armed services, in lieu of other number plates. The design of these special plates shall be determined by the commissioner, and shall be distinct from the design or designs of those plates issued under RSA 261:86. Such plates shall be issued only to veterans as defined in RSA 21:50, I(a) upon application, proof of [honorable discharge from the armed services as deemed appropriate by the director] veteran status in a form authorized by RSA 21:50, I(b), and payment of a one time $25 fee to recover production and administrative costs that shall be in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee and any other number plate fees otherwise required. The director shall also issue such plates to any person providing proof of honorable discharge from the armed services of any nation allied with the United States during World War II and proof of such person's service during World War II. Renewals of such special number plates shall be charged the fee assessed for standard motor vehicles as prescribed under RSA 261:141. The plates furnished pursuant to this section are non-transferable and shall expire upon the death of the veteran.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBAO

06-2860

Amended 4/27/06

SB 310 FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT establishing gold star number plates and relative to special number plates for veterans.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The Department of Safety determined this bill, as amended by the House (Amendment #2006-1759h), will increase state restricted revenue and expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2006 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on county and local revenue or expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:

The Department states establishes gold star number plates. These plates would be issued upon payment of the regular registration and number plate fee, so there would be no effect on state revenue. State expenditures would increase by the costs of designing and manufacturing the plates and the computer programming time costs to be paid to an outside vendor. Discussions with the Office of Information Technology revealed that it does not have the resources to do the project. It is generally not cost effective to manufacture a new plate type in batches of less than 5,000. The minimum startup cost to create a new plate type is about $45,000 for computer time, artist fees, printing, handling, and accounting. The cost to mail a pair of plates is $2.29. The cost to manufacture the plates in small quantities is as much as $15 for each pair of plates. The economies of scale occur only with larger runs. The Department cannot determine how many people would be eligible for gold star plates or how many of the eligible people would choose to obtain them; therefore, even though the Department states that the cost would be a minimum of $131,450 for 5,000 pairs of plates, the fiscal impact on state restricted expenditures cannot be reasonably estimated.

The Department further states this bill includes a provision for a fine of up to $500 levied against the trustees or administrators of estates for failing to return within 60 days of the death of the mother of a person killed while on duty in the United States armed forces any Gold Star plates. The Department assumes such fine money would be returned to the Inventory Fund to help defray additional costs that would be incurred to track the deaths of the mothers to know when the plates would be due to be returned. The Department cannot estimate how many fines would be levied or for how much, nor can it estimate costs that would be incurred to track this process.