HB376INTRODUCED
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HB376
11TBCL3-1
By Representative Bedsole
RFD: State Government
First Read: 27-Feb-25
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5 11TBCL3-1 02/27/2025 CMH (L)bm 2025-917
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First Read: 27-Feb-25
SYNOPSIS:
Under existing law, all motor vehicle license
plate designs are valid for a period of at least five
years.
This bill would make all motor vehicle license
plate designs valid for a period of at least 10 years.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to motor vehicle licenses and registration; to
amend Sections 32-6-62 and 32-6-64, Code of Alabama 1975, to
extend the minimum validity period of motor vehicle license
plate designs from five years to 10 years.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Sections 32-6-62 and 32-6-64, Code of
Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows:
"§32-6-62
(a) Subject to subsection (b), all motor vehicle
license plate designs shall be valid for not less than five10
years. The Commissioner of Revenue, with the approval of the
License Plates Legislative Oversight Committee established by
Section 32-6-67, may authorize a license plate design to be
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Section 32-6-67, may authorize a license plate design to be
valid for more than five10 years.
(b) Subsection (a) shall not affect any law which
designates a license plate design to be permanent."
"§32-6-64
(a)(1) The design of license plates, including all
emblems, slogans, symbols, or characters appearing on the
plates, shall be by rule as adopted by the Commissioner of
Revenue, and as otherwise specified by law. The face of the
license plate to be displayed shall be fully treated with a
reflective material which will increase the nighttime
visibility and legibility of the plate.
(2) Characters on the license plate which designate the
county of issuance shall be numeric, and all numerals on the
license plates shall be no smaller than two and three-fourths
inches in height. The following numbering scheme shall be
used:
a. Jefferson County, 1; Mobile County, 2; Montgomery
County, 3.
b. All other counties shall be ranked alphabetically
and assigned consecutive numbers beginning with 4 and
concluding with 67.
c. The Department of Revenue shall be responsible for
the numbering of distinctive license plates and shall
establish a system to minimize duplication of license plate
numbers. License plates that shall be approved for manufacture
under subsection (b) shall be numbered or personalized.
(b) The sponsoring organization of any new or reissued
distinctive license plate that is not of an in-state college
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distinctive license plate that is not of an in-state college
or in-state university as provided in subsection (b) of
Section 32-6-150, or the Alabama Gold Star Family license
plate as provided in Section 32-6-630 or a military or veteran
related category shall assure a minimum quantity of 250
registrations in order for the proposed plate to qualify for
production consideration by the legislative oversight
committee under the provisions of Section 32-6-67.
(1) The procedure to assure the quantity minimum for a
distinctive license plate shall be as follows:
a. The sponsoring organization shall apply to the
Department of Revenue for approval for the proposed
distinctive license plate from the legislative oversight
committee. A sponsoring organization shall be limited to one
distinctive license plate design per application. At the time
of application, and upon payment of the application fee
required in paragraph b., if applicable, the sponsoring
organization shall submit a design for the plate or logo for
the quantity class being applied for as described below:
1. Quantity Class 1 (250 to 999 registrations). A new
distinctive license plate category, or an existing distinctive
license plate to be reissued, in which registrations are
estimated to be at least 250, but less than 1,000, shall be in
conformity with the design approved by the legislative
oversight committee for license plates in this quantity class.
This plate shall include a space designated on the left side
of the license plate, not exceeding two and one-half inches in
width and height, in which an appropriate emblem, slogan, or
logo design may be applied to represent the organization for
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logo design may be applied to represent the organization for
whom the distinctive license plate is issued. Each proposed
emblem, slogan, symbol, or logo shall be subject to the
approval of the legislative oversight committee.
2. Quantity Class 2 (1,000 or greater registrations).
This quantity class may use the logo system described for
Quantity Class 1, or may use a unique design for the entire
plate which is approved by the legislative oversight committee
and meets all other design and manufacture requirements of
Alabama law.
b. Effective January 1, 2022, each sponsoring
organization shall submit an application fee equal to the cost
of producing the distinctive license plate template not to
exceed one hundred dollars ($100) at the time the initial
application is made, the funds of which shall be distributed
by the Comptroller to the Department of Corrections to cover
the costs of producing the template of the distinctive license
plate for the sponsoring organization. On or before October 1,
2021, and by each October 1 thereafter, the Department of
Corrections shall certify the cost of production to the
legislative oversight committee for the subsequent calendar
year.
c. After the legislative oversight committee approval
and notification to the Department of Revenue, the department
shall also coordinate with the Comptroller to establish
funding procedures for depositing and maintaining monies held
pending issuance of the new category of license plates.
d. Each person desiring to register a vehicle in the
new category shall make application and shall remit, as a
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new category shall make application and shall remit, as a
commitment to purchase, the additional fee associated with the
license plate category in a manner as prescribed by rule of
the Commissioner of Revenue. Any credit card processing fee
associated with the transaction shall be paid by the person
making the commitment to purchase the distinctive license
plate and shall be nonrefundable.
e. The Department of Revenue shall deduct from the
additional fee and retain a two and one-half percent
commission. The balance shall be forwarded to the Comptroller
to be retained in escrow, until such time as the revenue
received is equal to or greater than the minimum amount
required to issue license plates in that category. If, after
one year from the date of notification of approval by the
legislative oversight committee, the number of subscribers for
a category fails to reach 250 for Quantity Class 1, or fails
to reach 1,000 for Quantity Class 2, the Comptroller shall pay
the money in escrow to the sponsoring organization and no
further consideration for production of this proposed
distinctive plate shall be made under this application. In
addition, the sponsoring organization may not submit another
application for a distinctive license plate for a period of
one year from the date the commitment to purchase period
ended.
f. Upon determination by the Department of Revenue that
a sufficient number of applications for a plate category has
been received, the department shall initiate the ordering
processes for design and manufacture of the approved license
plate. At that time, the Comptroller shall pay out of the
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plate. At that time, the Comptroller shall pay out of the
escrow account the amounts referred to in Section 32-6-68.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provisions to the
contrary, except where specifically provided by this
subsection, no distinctive license plates shall be reissued
unless the following requirements are met:
a. For Quantity Class 1 distinctive license plates,
there shall have been issued in the prior license year a
minimum of 250 license plates.
b. For Quantity Class 2 distinctive license plates,
there shall have been issued in the prior license year a
minimum of 1,000 license plates.
(3) The use of distinctive license plate categories
shall be limited to use on passenger cars, pick-up trucks, and
self-propelled campers or house cars.
(c)(1) The Department of Corrections is directed to
supply all license plates and revalidation devices required
under this subdivision. The amounts charged by the Department
of Corrections for the manufacture of revalidation devices
shall not be less than that charged for the manufacture of
license plates on a per item basis.
(2) The Department of Corrections shall maintain an
accurate system of recordkeeping which shall trace and account
for the handling and distribution of each plate and
revalidation device throughout the manufacturing process until
the items are distributed to each county.
(d) After the five-year license plate has been in use
for a period of three years, the Department of Corrections may
manufacture all subsequent license plates for the remaining
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manufacture all subsequent license plates for the remaining
two years of the validity period provided under Section 32-6-62
from a metal of less durability and quality than the metal
used in manufacturing the five-year license plates.
(e)(1) The department shall provide the owner or owners
of a motor vehicle who register a license plate provided in
this subsection the ability to opt-in to authorize the release
of certain personal information or to opt-out to restrict the
release of certain personal information by the department to
the sponsoring organization, college, or university. The
license plates that shall be subject to the opt-in and opt-out
provisions are as follows:
a. A distinctive license plate issued pursuant to this
section.
b. A collegiate or university distinctive license plate
issued pursuant to Section 32-6-150.
c. Other distinctive license plates as authorized by
the legislative oversight committee.
(2) Each owner of the motor vehicle may designate his
or her consent through the opt-in authorization to release
certain personal information included within a motor vehicle
registration record to the sponsoring organization, college,
or university. The opt-in authorization shall be made at the
time of initial registration through the licensing official
for a license plate as specified in subdivision (1).
Subsequent opt-in authorizations shall be made directly to the
department. As used in this subsection, the term personal
information includes only the following information:
a. Owner name.
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a. Owner name.
b. Owner address.
c. Owner email address, if applicable.
(3) Each owner of the motor vehicle may restrict the
release of personal information included within a motor
vehicle registration record for a license plate as specified
in subdivision (1) to the sponsoring organization, college, or
university by selecting to opt-out. The opt-out selection
shall be made directly to the department.
(4) The subsequent opt-in authorization provided in
subdivision (2) and opt-out selection provided in subdivision
(3) shall be made in a manner as prescribed by the department.
(5) The sponsoring organization of the distinctive
license plate or each college or university for which a
distinctive license plate has been issued may make an annual
request to the department for the listing of the owner
authorized opt-in disclosures. The sponsoring organization in
receipt of the listing shall be prohibited from the resale or
disclosure of the information to third parties without written
consent from the owner to whom the information pertains.
(f) All proposed distinctive license plates and the
continued issuance of all existing distinctive license plates
shall be subject to the approval and oversight of the
legislative oversight committee under Section 32-6-67 and this
section, except for the following:
(1) In-state collegiate or in-state university category
license plates.
(2) Military or veteran related category license
plates.
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plates.
(3) Alabama Gold Star Family license plates as provided
in Section 32-6-630.
(g) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, no
distinctive license plate shall be issued after five
consecutive years in which the plate has not met the
requirements for reissuance provided in this section. This
subsection does not apply to military or veteran related
categories or Alabama Gold Star Family distinctive license
plates. The Commissioner of Revenue may require persons who
qualify for military and veteran related categories or Alabama
Gold Star Family distinctive license plates to be recertified
not more than every five years by providing the licensing
official with Form DD214 or any other documentation prescribed
by law or rule as evidence of qualification for the license
plate. In the event that Form DD214 or other qualifying
documentation prescribed by law or rule is unavailable, the
applicant shall provide the licensing official with a
certification of eligibility from the Department of Veterans
Affairs after the applicant provides that office with other
authoritative documentation evidencing eligibility for the
license plate.
(h) Any distinctive license plate not created pursuant
to this section shall be subject to the reissuance provisions
of this section and Section 32-6-62 unless specifically
exempted by law, provided the Alabama Gold Star Family
distinctive license plate design in effect on January 1, 2021,
shall not be subject to the redesign provisions of Section
32-6-62.
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32-6-62.
(i) The provisions in Act 2021-407 amending this
section shall not amend the distribution of the additional fee
associated with a distinctive license plate as provided in
Section 32-6-68 or as otherwise provided under Article 2 of
this chapter."
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2025.
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