2021 -- S 0554

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES

     Introduced By: Senators McCaffrey, Ruggerio, and Goodwin

     Date Introduced: March 04, 2021

     Referred To: Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs

     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:

     31-3-121. Special plate for Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals.

     (a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available

special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit corporation Rhode Island Society for

the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ("RISPCA"). The plates shall be designed to reference Rhode

Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, commemorating its one hundred fifty (150)

years of service.

     (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 RISPCA motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates,

and shall be designed by the RISPCA in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with the

design approved by the Rhode Island state police.

     (d) The RISPCA plates shall be subject to a minimum pre-paid order of at least six hundred

(600) sets of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.). The RISPCA plates shall not

be issued unless the minimum order(s) requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by

the RISPCA, 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 the division of motor vehicles shall develop application forms,

pre-payment 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 RISPCA 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 RISPCA to assist in the furtherance of its

programs in the state of Rhode Island.

     (h) A ten dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated

to the RISPCA.

     (i) The RISPCA will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies

are distributed.

     (j) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of RISPCA plates.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect six (6) months after passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES

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     This act would authorize the issuance of special motor vehicle registration plates for the

Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA).

     This act would take effect six (6) months after passage.

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