Chapter 356

2016 -- H 7271 Enacted 07/06/2016

A N   A C T

RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES - REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES

Introduced By: Representatives Lima, Hull, Bennett, Fogarty, and Gallison

Date Introduced: January 21, 2016

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 31-3 of the General Laws entitled "Registration of Vehicles" is

hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

31-3-104109. Special plate for Rhode Island public colleges and universities. -- (a)

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor

vehicle registration plates for passenger vehicles based upon the various public, nonprofit

institutions of higher education (Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College,

and/or the University of Rhode Island).

(b) The special plate(s) shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to

the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of, and in the same manner as, the

registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be

removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration

certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with §31-3-9. The

registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plates.

(c) The respective public, higher-education-institution's motor vehicle plates shall be the

same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed in conjunction with the division of

motor vehicles, with design approval by the Rhode Island state police.

(d) Each public, higher-education-institution plate shall be subject to a minimum prepaid

order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per institution per plate type (i.e. passenger,

commercial, etc.). The respective public, higher-education-institution plate shall not be issued

unless the minimum-order requirements are met by the requesting institution. The initial order

will be handled by the Rhode Island commissioner of post-secondary education or his or her

designee, and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the

minimum order has been met and the proper paperwork submitted to the division. The Rhode

Island commissioner of post-secondary education, or his or her designee, will act as program

coordinator and point of contact for the division of motor vehicles. Subsequent public, higher-

education-institution plate orders will be handled by the division of motor vehicles.

(e) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall develop prepayment

procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, public, higher-

education-institution plates shall be subject to a forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: twenty

dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00)

shall be distributed annually to the respective public, higher-education institution as a nonprofit

educational institution based in Rhode Island.

(h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals will go to the

respective public, higher-education institution.

(i) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of public, higher-education-institution

plates.

(j) Any respective public, higher-education institution not pursuing or not reaching the

minimum prepaid order of plates, as outlined in subsection (d), within thirty-six (36) months after

this section is enacted, will not be eligible to obtain special motor vehicle registration plates as

outlined above, absent further action of the general assembly.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC004067

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