Amended in Assembly April 6, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 28, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2303

Introduced by Assembly Member Holden

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Gatto)

February 18, 2016

An act to add begin delete Sections 5004.4 and 5076 end delete begin insert Section 5170 end insert to the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2303, as amended, Holden. Vehicles: specialized license plates.

Existing law begin delete requires end delete begin insert authorizes a state agency to apply to end insert the Department of Motor Vehicles begin insert (DMV) end insert to begin delete establish a California Legacy License Plate Program that creates a series of end delete begin insert sponsor a end insert specialized license begin delete plates that replicate plates from the state’s past. Existing law also requires the department to issue various other special-interest license plates sponsored by nonprofit organizations, as specified. end delete begin insert plate program, and requires the DMV to issue those license plates if the sponsoring state agency meets certain requirements. Existing law requires the DMV to charge specified fees related to the issuance of those plates and to deposit the fees, less the DMV’s costs, in the Specialized License Plate Fund. Existing law requires that moneys in the fund be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the sponsoring agency in proportion to the amount that is attributable to the agency’s specialized license plate program. Existing law authorizes the sponsoring agency to use these moneys to fund projects and programs that promote the state agency’s official policy, mission, or work. end insert begin insert Existing law also establishes the Active Transportation Program in the Department of Transportation for the purpose of encouraging increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. end insert

This bill would require begin delete the department, if 7,500 applications are received before January 1, 2019, to add a specified license plate design utilized by the department between 1982 and 1987 to the California Legacy License Plate Program. The bill would also require the department, in consultation with the California Bicycle Coalition, Inc., to make available for issuance bicycle awareness license plates if certain conditions are satisfied. end delete begin insert the Department of Transportation to apply to the DMV, as specified, to sponsor a bicycle pathway license plate program, and would require the DMV to issue specialized license plates for that program if the Department of Transportation satisfies certain requirements. Notwithstanding the above-described provisions regarding fees for specialized plates, the bill would require the additional fees for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of these specialized license plates to be deposited, after the DMV deducts its administrative costs, in the State Highway Account in the State Transportation Fund, to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature for the purpose of funding the Active Transportation Program. end insert

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.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) Twenty-one million adults walked for fun, exercise, or
transportation and 2,970,000 youth walked, biked, or skated from
school one or more times a week.

(b) There are 9,863 licensed professional cyclists who live in
California, which is 16 percent of the national total and more than
any other state.

(c) Death rates for California bicyclists and pedestrians are much
higher than in the United States as a whole.

(d) The Active Transportation Program has had more project
applications submitted than available funding every year since it
was formed in 2013.

begin delete

(e) The Legacy License Plate Program has been well-received
with the 1960s’ Vintage Plate entering production in 2015.

end delete begin delete

(f) It is the intent of the Legislature to further support bikeway
planning-related activities through the Active Transportation
Program.

end delete begin delete

(g) The Legislature further intends to initiate a statewide
program to raise bicycle awareness.

end delete

begin delete

SEC. 2.  

Section 5004.4 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

5004.4.  

(a) Subject to subdivision (c), the department shall
add to the California Legacy License Plate Program, authorized
pursuant to Section 5004.3, the license plate design utilized by the
department between 1982 and 1987 that featured blue, orange, and
red lettering, a white background, the phrase “Golden State” and
a sunset design.

(b) An applicant for the specialized license plates described in
subdivision (a), who shall be the owner or lessee of the vehicle on
which the plates will be displayed, may choose to either accept a
license plate character sequence assigned by the department or
request a combination of letters or numbers, or both.

(c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration or
renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be paid
for the issuance, renewal, retention, or transfer of the specialized
license plates:

(1) Fifty dollars ($50) for the original issuance of the plates.

(2) Forty dollars ($40) for a renewal of registration with the
plates.

(3) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another
vehicle.

(4) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for each substitute replacement
plate.

(5) Thirty-eight dollars ($38), when the payment of renewal
fees is not required as specified in Section 4000 and the holder of
the specialized license plates retains the plates. The fee shall be
due at the expiration of the registration year of the vehicle to which
the specialized license plates were assigned. This paragraph shall
not apply when a plate character sequence is assigned by the
department pursuant to subdivision (b).

(d) The department shall not issue California Legacy License
Plates for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration
fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.

(e) (1) The department shall not add the license plate authorized
by subdivision (a) until the department has received not less than
7,500 paid applications for plates. The department shall collect
and hold applications for the plates. The department shall not issue
the specialized plate authorized by subdivision (a) until it has
received not less than 7,500 paid applications for plates within the
time period prescribed in paragraph (2).

(2) The department shall have until January 1, 2019, to receive
the required number of applications. If, after that date, 7,500 paid
applications have not been received for the plate described in
subdivision (a), the department shall immediately refund to all
applicants all fees or deposits that have been collected.

(f) (1) Upon determination by the department that there are
sufficient funds for the program, moneys gathered pursuant to this
section shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature,
to the department for the necessary administrative costs incurred
pursuant to this section.

(2) After deducting its administrative costs pursuant to paragraph
(1), the department shall deposit any additional revenue derived
from the issuance, renewal, retention, transfer, and substitution of
the specialized license plates into the State Highway Account in
the State Transportation Fund, to be available upon appropriation
by the Legislature for the purpose of funding active transportation
planning.

SEC. 3.  

Section 5076 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

5076.  

(a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as
the Bicycle Awareness License Plate Act.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 5060.1, the department, in
consultation with the California Bicycle Coalition, Inc., shall make
available for issuance pursuant to this article bicycle awareness
license plates if the requirements of this article are satisfied.

(c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration or
renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be paid
for the issuance, transfer, or renewal of the bicycle awareness
license plates:

(1) For the original issuance of the plates, fifty dollars ($50).

(2) For a renewal of registration of the plates, forty dollars ($40).

(3) For the transfer of the special plates to another vehicle,
fifteen dollars ($15).

(d) All fees collected under this section, after deduction of the
department’s costs in administering this section, shall be deposited
in the California Bicycle Coalition Fund, which is hereby
established in the General Fund. Upon appropriation by the
Legislature, the funds shall be allocated to the California Bicycle
Coalition, Inc., to establish a statewide program to raise bicycle
awareness, which shall include, but not be limited to, state and
local educational activities promoting safety for bicyclists,
pedestrians, and motorists.

end delete

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 5170 is added to the end insert begin insert Vehicle Code end insert begin insert , end insert immediately
following Section 5168 begin insert , to read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 5170. end insert   

(a) The Department of Transportation shall apply to
the department, pursuant to Section 5156, to sponsor a bicycle
pathway license plate program. The department shall issue
specialized license plates for that program if the Department of
Transportation complies with the requirements of Section 5156.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 5157, the
additional fees prescribed by Section 5157 for the issuance,
renewal, or transfer of the specialized license plates issued
pursuant to this section shall be deposited, after the department
deducts its administrative costs, in the State Highway Account in
the State Transportation Fund, to be available upon appropriation
by the Legislature for the purpose of funding the Active
Transportation Program established pursuant to Chapter 8
(commencing with Section 2380) of Division 3 of the Streets and
Highways Code.

end insert