Relating to vehicle registration plates, including registration plate frames and Gadsden flag special registration plates, providing fees, and making appropriations

This bill relates to vehicle registration plates. The bill authorizes the department of transportation (DOT) to design and issue Gadsden flag special registration plates. The bill requires the plate’s background to be yellow at the top and bottom, with the color fading into white in the center. The plate’s numbers and letters must be black. The left side of the plate must contain the image of a rattlesnake in black and white coiled on green grass. The phrase “Don’t Tread on Me” must appear at the bottom of the plate. The bill provides that the special Gadsden flag fee for letter-number designated Gadsden flag plates is $50. An applicant may obtain personalized Gadsden flag plates upon payment of the $25 fee for personalized plates set forth under current law, which is in addition to the special Gadsden flag fee. Personalized Gadsden flag plates are limited to five numerals and letters. The annual special Gadsden flag fee for letter-number designated plates is $50, which is in addition to the regular annual registration fee. The annual fee for personalized Gadsden flag plates is $5, which is in addition to the annual special Gadsden flag fee and the regular annual registration fee. The fees collected by the DOT must be paid monthly to the treasurer of state and deposited in the road use tax fund (RUTF). The treasurer of state must transfer monthly from the statutory allocations fund to the general fund of the state an amount equal to the special fees collected in the previous month for the Gadsden flag plates, minus $1 per issuance or renewal of the plates that month. Such moneys are appropriated to department of public safety (DPS) to distribute in the form of grants to provide education and training on the right to keep and bear arms, and training on firearm safety. In the awarding of grants, DPS must give first consideration to any official state association of the national rifle association and similar nonprofit organizations. The bill prohibits the DOT from conditioning the issuance of Gadsden flag plates on the receipt of any number of orders for Gadsden flag plates. Gadsden flag plates are exempt from the general requirements to display the name of the county that issues the plates and to be consistent with the design and color of regular registration plates. Under current law, nonprofit organizations are authorized to apply to the DOT for approval to issue a decal of the organization’s own design to be displayed on special registration plates with space reserved for an organizational decal. The nonprofit organization may charge a fee and retain any payment received for the organizational decal.34(13) sets forth the application process and certain limitations for nonprofit organizations and decal designs. Under current law, an owner of a vehicle who places any frame around or over a registration plate which does not permit full view of all numerals and letters printed on the registration plate, including the name of the county printed on the bottom of the plate, commits a simple misdemeanor punishable by a scheduled fine of $30. Under the bill, a registration plate frame is no longer required to permit full view of the name of the county.