| Chapter 249 |
| 2025 -- S 0074 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/26/2025 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES |
Introduced By: Senators Acosta, Urso, Britto, Kallman, Pearson, Murray, and Thompson |
| Date Introduced: January 23, 2025 |
| 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: |
| 31-3-130. Special plate for the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Inc. |
| (a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available |
| special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit entity Blackstone Valley Tourism |
| Council, Inc. The plates shall be designed to reference the not-for-profit entity Blackstone Valley |
| Tourism Council, Inc. and the Blackstone River Valley Environmental Clean-up and Education |
| Fund. |
| (b) The special plate 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 plate. |
| (c) The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Inc. motor vehicle plates shall be the same |
| size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed by the Blackstone Valley Tourism |
| Council, Inc. in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with the design approved by the |
| Rhode Island state police. |
| (d) The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Inc. plates shall be subject to compliance with |
| § 31-3-117 relating to the number of minimum prepaid orders of plates per plate type (i.e., |
| passenger, commercial, etc.) and any required payment. The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, |
| Inc. plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order requirements are met. The initial order |
| will be handled by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Inc. and shall not be submitted to the |
| division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) have been met and the proper |
| paper work submitted to the division. |
| (e) The administrator 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, Blackstone Valley |
| Tourism Council, Inc. 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 Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Inc. to provide funding for |
| the Blackstone River Valley Environmental Clean-up and Education Fund. |
| (h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated |
| to the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Inc. |
| (i) In consideration of the receipt of funds from the registration of Blackstone Valley |
| Tourism Council, Inc. plates, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Inc. must use any Rhode |
| Island-sourced funds in and for the benefit of Rhode Island-based charitable organizations. |
| (j) Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Inc. will be required to submit an annual |
| accounting report before such monies are distributed. |
| (k) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, |
| Inc. plates. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect six (6) months after passage. |
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| LC000533/SUB A |
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