| Chapter 336 |
| 2026 -- S 3362 Enacted 06/23/2026 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES |
Introduced By: Senators Quezada, Vargas, and Acosta |
| Date Introduced: June 05, 2026 |
| 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: |
| 31-3-132. Special plate for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award |
| Committee of RI. |
| (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, the Dominican Independence |
| and Heritage Award Committee of RI. The plates shall be designed to reference the Dominican |
| Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI. |
| (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 Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI motor vehicle |
| plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed by the Dominican |
| Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI in conjunction with the division of motor |
| vehicles, with the design approved by the Rhode Island state police. |
| (d) The Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI 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 Dominican |
| Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates shall not be issued unless the minimum |
| order requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Dominican Independence and |
| Heritage Award Committee of RI and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for |
| production until the minimum order(s) have been met and the proper paperwork 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, the Dominican |
| Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI 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 Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI |
| to provide funding for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI. |
| (h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated |
| to the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI. |
| (i) In consideration of the receipt of funds from the registration of the Dominican |
| Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates, the Dominican Independence and |
| Heritage Award Committee of RI must use any Rhode Island-sourced funds in and for the benefit |
| of Rhode Island-based charitable organizations. |
| (j) The Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI will be required to |
| submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed. |
| (k) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of the Dominican Independence and |
| Heritage Award Committee of RI plates. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect six (6) months after passage. |
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| LC006557 |
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