Revision: April 22, 2010, midnight
HB 1620-FN-A – AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
17Mar2010… 0833h
04/21/10 1425s
2010 SESSION
03/01
HOUSE BILL 1620-FN-A
AN ACT establishing a special registration plate symbol for the purpose of benefitting the state park system.
SPONSORS: Rep. A. Peterson, Hills 3; Rep. Campbell, Hills 24; Rep. Bergin, Hills 6; Rep. Nixon, Hills 17; Rep. G. Katsakiores, Rock 5; Sen. Hassan, Dist 23; Sen. Odell, Dist 8; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20
This bill authorizes a special registration plate symbol for the purpose of benefitting the state park system.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
17Mar2010… 0833h
04/21/10 1425s
10-2044
03/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Ten
AN ACT establishing a special registration plate symbol for the purpose of benefitting the state park system.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Paragraph; Fees for Park System; Special Registration Plate Symbol. Amend RSA 216-A:3-g by inserting after paragraph V the following new paragraph:
VI. No admission fee shall be charged for day use of the state park system to the occupants of a vehicle with a number plate bearing a special registration plate symbol authorized by RSA 261:75-c. Any fees for the use of metered parking or enterprise activities as defined in paragraph II shall be charged to such persons.
2 State Park Fund. RSA 216-A:3-i is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
216-A:3-i State Park Fund Established.
I. The state treasurer shall establish a separate and distinct account to be known as the state park fund. The treasurer shall establish within the state park fund separate and distinct accounts, known as the state park account and the state-owned ski area account. The accounts shall be continuing and nonlapsing. The treasurer shall deposit in the state park account actual revenues from fees, services, accommodations, rentals, retail sales, net profit from concession operations, and special registration plate symbol fees collected under RSA 261:75-c in excess of budget expenses and excluding revenues associated with state-owned ski areas. The treasurer shall deposit in the state-owned ski area account actual revenues associated with the state-owned ski areas, derived by the department of resources and economic development from fees, services, accommodations, rentals, revenue from lift and tramway operations, retail sales, and net profit from concession operations in excess of budget expenses. Any federal moneys which become available and all donations and gifts shall be deposited into their appropriately designated accounts.
II. Any funds deposited into the state park account and state-owned ski account are hereby continually appropriated to and may be expended by the commissioner of the department of resources and economic development only with the prior approval of the governor and council and the fiscal committee of the general court, provided that additional funds above those authorized in the budget are necessary for the division of parks and recreation to provide an adequate level of service and maintenance in the state park system, to restore park facilities, and for proper operation of the state-owned ski areas. The commissioner may use funds in the park account to promote the special registration plate symbol program authorized by RSA 261:75-c.
3 Reference Changed. Amend RSA 216-A:3-j to read as follows:
216-A:3-j Debt Service for Cannon Tramway. Effective July 1, 1996, debt service for the Cannon Tramway shall be a charge against the state park fund, state-owned ski area account.
4 New Section; Special Registration Plate Symbol. Amend RSA 261 by inserting after section 75-b the following new section:
261:75-c Special Registration Plate Symbol. The director is hereby authorized to assign registration numbers that include a special registration plate symbol for the purpose of benefitting the state park system. The special registration plate symbol shall serve as a character in the registration number. A special registration plate symbol may be used on any type of number plate issued by the division for private passenger vehicles, recreational vehicles, and motorcycles. The design and size of an appropriate symbol shall be determined by the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of resources and economic development. The department shall determine the means of identifying the special resignation plate symbol in the computerized records of the department. A special registration plate symbol shall be available to any applicant upon payment of a special registration plate symbol fee of $85, which shall be in addition to any other registration and number plate fees. An applicant may include the symbol on any vanity number plate upon payment of the special registration plate symbol fee and the vanity plate service fee in RSA 261:89. Vanity plate service fees shall be distributed as provided in RSA 261:89 and RSA 263:52. The fees described in this section shall apply to original registrations and annual registration renewals. The department shall retain from the special registration plate symbol fees an amount as is necessary to recover any additional production and administrative costs associated with use of the symbol. The remaining funds shall be paid to the state treasurer and deposited in the state park fund established in RSA 216-A:3-i to fund maintenance and use of the park system and promotion of the special registration number program. All other registration fees, permit fees, number plate fees, and special number plate fees shall be distributed as required by law. The cost of replacement number plates shall be identical to the cost of initial number plates and the revenue from replacement number plates shall be distributed in the same manner as revenue derived from initial number plates.
5 Application. The department of safety shall implement the use of a special registration plate symbol authorized by RSA 261:75-c as soon as practicable after the effective date of this act.
6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.
LBAO
10-2044 Amended 03/23/10
HB 1620 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT establishing a special registration plate symbol for the purpose of benefitting the state park system.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Departments of Resources and Economic Development and Safety state this bill, as amended by the House (Amendment #2010-0833h), will increase state restricted revenue and expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter. This bill will have no fiscal impact on county and local revenue or expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) states this bill establishes four state park number plate types to fund maintenance and use of the park system. The fee for these plates is $85 per year and entitles the owner to no fee day-use admission to the state park system, with revenue deposited in the state park fund. DRED assumes $5 of the fee will be retained by the Department of Safety consistent with the conservation number plate (CNP) program, resulting in net park plate revenue of $80 per plate. In addition, DRED assumes people who purchase the new plate would have purchased New Hampshire state park season passes at $60 per year, resulting in a net increase to the state park fund of $20 per plate purchased ($80 net plate revenue minus $60 season pass revenue). Assuming 500 new plates will be sold each year, DRED estimates state park revenue would increase by $10,000 in FY 2011 ($20 X 500 plates), and $20,000 in FY 2012 ($20 X 1,000 plates). It is also assumed that all plate fees will be deposited in the state park fund, net of plate costs, so RSA 235:23 provisions sending 12% of total revenue from plate sales to municipalities for local aid, do not apply.
The Department of Safety states although they cannot predict the actual number of persons who would purchase park plates, they assume 8,000 plates will be manufactured and eventually issued. The cost to produce 8,000 sets of plates is $67,174; including purchasing 4 rolls of new sheathing for $8,000, computer programming time of 250 hours at $175 per hour, ($43,750), and mailing costs of $15,424.