California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2321

Introduced by Assembly Member Gomez

February 21, 2014

An act to add Section 5156.5 to the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2321, as introduced, Gomez. Specialized license plates: domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking awareness.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue specialty license plates, including environmental license plates and specified special environmental design license plates. Under existing law, a state agency is authorized to apply to the DMV to sponsor a specialized license plate program, and the DMV is required to issue those license plates if the agency meets certain requirements. The DMV is required to charge specified fees for certain services related to the issuance of those plates.

This bill would require the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board to apply to the DMV to sponsor a domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking awareness license plate program. The bill would establish the California Domestic Violence Prevention Fund in the State Treasury, and would require that these funds be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board to fund a competitive grant program to finance projects that raise awareness about domestic violence.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 5156.5 is added to the Vehicle Code, to
read:

5156.5.  

(a) The California Victim Compensation and
Government Claims Board shall apply to the department to sponsor
a domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking awareness
license plate program pursuant to this article.

(b) The fees specified in Section 5157 shall be imposed for the
issuance, renewal, or transfer of specialized license plates
authorized by this section. Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of
Section 5157, after deducting its administrative costs, the
department shall deposit the revenue derived from the additional
fees into the California Domestic Violence Prevention Fund, which
is hereby established in the State Treasury. Upon appropriation by
the Legislature, the moneys in that fund shall be allocated to the
California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board
to fund a competitive grant program, to be administered by the
board, in which grants shall be made to qualifying agencies and
organizations to fund projects that raise awareness about domestic
violence.