California Senate Bill SB1453 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 1453AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 2, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 20, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 13, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 14, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 24, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Senator Price (  Coauthor:   Assembly Member   Ma   Coauthors:   Assembly Members   Bradford,   Fong,   and Ma  ) FEBRUARY 19, 2010 An act to add Section 1656.6 to the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1453, as amended, Price. Vehicles: digital electronic license plates. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon the registration of a vehicle, to issue to the owner of the vehicle license plates meeting specified requirements for the vehicle. This bill would authorize the department to take specified actions for the purposes of developing and evaluating the  potential  use of digital electronic license plates, as defined. The bill would authorize the department to contract with a private vendor for the purposes of researching, reporting, developing, acquiring, and exploring the utilization of  the digital electronic license plates. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2013,  if it enters into a contract with a private vendor,  to submit to the Legislature a report on its investigation on the utilization of  the  digital electronic license plates. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares both of the following: (a) The Department of Motor Vehicles, by virtue of its interaction with millions of California drivers and vehicle owners each year, represents a valuable resource to the state and an important public safety advocate and partner. (b) The department, as are all state agencies and departments, is experiencing budget reductions, furloughs, and other cost-saving measures aimed at alleviating the current and expected budget financial crisis of the state. SEC. 2. Section 1656.6 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read: 1656.6. (a) The department may consider the use and development of existing or emerging technologies for the creation of a digital electronic license plate for the purpose of generating revenue for the department and state. (b) For the purposes of developing and evaluating the potential use of a digital electronic license plate, the department may enter into any of the following: (1) A request for proposals. (2) A memorandum of understanding. (3) A letter of intent. (4) Other instruments deemed appropriate by the department. (c) (1) The department may enter into a contract with a private vendor for the purposes of researching, reporting, developing, acquiring, and exploring the utilization of a digital electronic license plate. (2) The contract shall include a requirement that the private vendor pay for the costs of all activities identified in paragraph (1) and any additional related costs identified by the department. (d) On or before January 1, 2013, the department shall  , if it enters into a contract under subdivision (c),  submit to the Legislature pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code a report on its investigation of the utilization of digital electronic license plates containing all of the following information: (1) An explanation of how digital electronic license plates could function as both a vehicle identifier and a mobile message display unit, including all of the following: (A) Restrictions the department may impose upon the message displayed on the digital electronic license plate. (B) The control that a registered owner may have over the message displayed on the digital electronic license plate. (C) Options for the driver of the vehicle to display and to change the messages displayed on the digital electronic license plate. (2) The effects of the use of the digital electronic license plates on traffic safety, including, in consultation with the Department of California Highway Patrol, a consideration of the onroad safety impacts of digital electronic license plates through onroad testing of these plates authorized by the Department of the California Highway Patrol. (3) The revenues to the state that may be generated by the use of the digital electronic license plates, if any. (4) Cost savings that may be realized by the department through improved efficiency in the registration of vehicles, if any. (5) The security and reliability of the digital electronic license plates. (6) Recommendations on the future use of digital electronic license plates.  (e) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (d) is inoperative on January 1, 2017, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.   (e)   (f)  For purposes of this section, "digital electronic license plate" is a license plate that may be used secondarily as a mobile message display unit and that complies with Article 7 (commencing with Section 4850) of Chapter 1 of Division 3 while in vehicle identification mode.