Title 31
Motor and Other Vehicles

Chapter 3
Registration of Vehicles

§ 31-3-131. 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.