SB451 (2010) Detail

Including low digit number plates as vanity plates.


SB 451-FN – AS INTRODUCED

2010 SESSION

10-2708

03/10

SENATE BILL 451-FN

AN ACT including low digit number plates as vanity plates.

SPONSORS: Sen. Sgambati, Dist 4; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 24; Sen. Gallus, Dist 1; Sen. Gilmour, Dist 12; Sen. Hassan, Dist 23; Sen. Houde, Dist 5; Sen. Merrill, Dist 21; Sen. Reynolds, Dist 2; Sen. Roberge, Dist 9; Rep. Shurtleff, Merr 10; Rep. Pierce, Graf 9; Rep. Stuart, Belk 4

COMMITTEE: Transportation and Interstate Cooperation

ANALYSIS

This bill includes low digit number plates as vanity plates.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

10-2708

03/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Ten

AN ACT including low digit number plates as vanity plates.

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

1 Vanity Number Plates. Amend RSA 261:89 to read as follows:

261:89 Vanity Number Plates. The director is hereby authorized to design and to issue, under such rules as the director deems appropriate, vanity number plates to be used on motor vehicles in lieu of other number plates. Such number plates shall be of such design and shall bear such letters or letters and numbers as the director shall prescribe, but there shall be no duplication of identification. Such number plates or a changeable designation of the effective period thereof, as the director shall determine, shall be issued only upon application therefor and upon payment of a special vanity plate service fee of $40, said special fee to be in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee and any other number plate manufacturing fee otherwise required by law for the particular vehicle. Plates shall be renewed on an annual basis for $40 per set. Any number plate, regardless of vehicle or plate type, which bears a number of 5 digits or less shall be classified as a vanity plate and subject to the additional fees under this section. All special fees collected under this section shall be paid to the state treasurer and distributed as provided by RSA 263:52.

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

LBAO

10-2708

12/29/09

SB 451-FN - FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT including low digit number plates as vanity plates.

FISCAL IMPACT:

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

METHODOLOGY:

    This Department of Safety states this bill would consider any number plate with a number of 5 digits or less, to be a vanity plate subject to the additional fees, currently $40 per year. The Division of Motor Vehicles states they are unable to determine the exact impact this would have on state revenue due to the numerous plate types currently existing, many of which have only 5 digits. The Division states there is no information available regarding the current number of 3, 4, and 5 digit plates currently in use. In addition, the Division cannot predict the number of current owners that would turn the plates in to avoid paying the additional $40 fee upon annually registering their vehicle. The Division 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 for all plate types for certain digit configurations in order that the DMV offices and the 222 cities and towns acting as municipal registration agents charge the correct fees required by this bill. The exact fiscal impact cannot be determined at this time.