Bill Text - SB385 (2010)

Relative to fees for low digit number plates.


Revision: March 3, 2010, midnight

SB 385-FN-A – AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

03/03/10 0815s

2010 SESSION

10-2743

03/01

SENATE BILL 385-FN-A

AN ACT relative to fees for low digit number plates.

SPONSORS: Sen. Roberge, Dist 9; Sen. Bragdon, Dist 11; Sen. Barnes, Jr., Dist 17

COMMITTEE: Transportation and Interstate Cooperation

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill requires holders of low-digit number plates to pay vanity plate fees.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03/03/10 0815s

10-2743

03/01

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Ten

AN ACT relative to fees for low digit number plates.

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

1 New Section; Low Digit Number Plates. Amend RSA 261 by inserting after section 89-c the following new section:

261:89-d Low Digit Number Plates.

I. Holders of number plates bearing one, 2, 3, or 4 digit registration numbers shall pay the vanity plate service and renewal fees established in RSA 261:89, which shall be in addition to any other registration or plate fees.

II. This section shall not apply to:

(a) Plates limited to specified eligible vehicle owners, such as special number plates for veterans, gold star number plates, special number plates for members of the national guard, special number plates for veterans who are disabled, blind, or former prisoners of war or were awarded the Purple Heart medal or survived Pearl Harbor, and walking disability number plates.

(b) Plates limited to specified eligible vehicles or uses, such as antique motor vehicle number plates and farm number plates.

(c) Motorcycle number plates.

(d) Conservation number plates.

(e) Plates bearing registration numbers that include letters.

2 Applicability. RSA 261:89-d, as inserted by section 1 of this act, shall not apply to any person holding a number plate bearing a one, 2, 3, or 4 digit registration number on the effective date of this act so long as the person continues to hold such number plate.

3 Driver Training Fund. Amend RSA 263:52, I to read as follows:

I. The proceeds from original license fees as provided in RSA 263:42 and the vanity plate service fee collected in accordance with RSA 261:89 or RSA 261:89-d, plus the fee for the renewal of the use of such plates, after costs of such plates or designation of effective periods thereof and issuance of same have been appropriated and deducted, shall be expended solely for courses of instruction and training in safe motor vehicle driving conducted in or under the supervision of secondary schools. After all costs of administration of the program each year of the biennium have been reserved, the balance which is appropriated to the driver training program shall be paid to the state treasurer by June 30 of each year. Such balance shall be kept in a separate fund which shall be paid out on or before September 15 of each year to participating schools prorated on a per-pupil basis for those who have completed the driver education program. Subject to final approval by the governor and council, the commissioner of safety jointly with the commissioner of education shall adopt pursuant to RSA 541-A and publish rules governing the courses of instruction and training and determining eligibility of secondary schools to receive moneys from the fund established by this section.

4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.

LBAO

10-2743

12/29/09

SB 385-FN-A - FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT relative to fees for low digit number plates.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Department of Safety states this bill will increase state and local revenue and state expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2011 and each year thereafter. This bill will have no fiscal impact on county revenue or county and local expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:

    This Department of Safety states this bill establishes fees for license plates containing one, two, three, or four digits. The Department assumes the fees established in this bill would be deposited in the highway fund. The Department states it is unable to determine the exact impact this would have on state highway fund revenue because there is no information available regarding the current number of one, two, three, or four digit plates in use. In addition, the Department cannot predict the number of current owners that would turn the plates in to avoid paying the additional fee upon annually registering their vehicle. The Department estimates approximately $78,750 in computer programming costs (450 hours at $175 per hour) would be required to change the system to generate the fees required by this bill. The Department further states any change in highway fund revenue under this bill would result in a change in highway fund expenditures for local aid (RSA 235:23), as well as local revenue. The exact fiscal impact cannot be determined at this time.