As Amended by Senate Committee As Amended by House Committee Session of 2025 HOUSE BILL No. 2168 By Committee on Transportation Requested by Zach Denney on behalf of the Department of Revenue 1-30 AN ACT concerning motor vehicles; relating to license plates; providing for the blackout distinctive license plate; creating the license plate replacement fund to be administered by the secretary of revenue; depositing the fees from the blackout license plate into such fund for purposes of replacing exhausted license plates. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas: Section 1. (a) On and after January 1, 2026, any owner or lessee of one or more passenger vehicles or trucks registered for a gross weight of 20,000 pounds or less, who is a resident of Kansas, upon compliance with the provisions of this section, may be issued one blackout license plate for each such passenger vehicle or truck. Such license plate shall be issued for the same period of time as other license plates upon proper registration and payment of the regular license fee as provided in K.S.A. 8-143, and amendments thereto. (b) Any applicant or renewal of registration for a blackout license plate authorized by this section shall pay an annual fee of $50 to the county treasurer for each such license plate to be issued. Any new blackout license plate shall be subject to the fee prescribed in K.S.A 8-1,141(a)(1), and amendments thereto. A blackout license plate may be a personalized license plate and subject to the personalized license plate fee pursuant to K.S.A. 8-1,141(a)(2), and amendments thereto. (c) Any applicant for a license plate authorized by this section may make application for such license plate on a form prescribed and furnished by the director of vehicles. Application for registration of a passenger vehicle or truck and issuance of the license plate under this section shall be made by the owner or lessee in a manner prescribed by the director of vehicles upon forms furnished by the director. (d) No registration or license plate issued under this section shall be transferable to any other person. (e) The director of vehicles may transfer a blackout license plate from a leased vehicle to a purchased vehicle. (f) Renewals of registration under this section shall be made annually, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 HB 2168—Am. by SC 2 upon payment of the fee prescribed in K.S.A. 8-143, and amendments thereto, and in the manner prescribed in K.S.A. 8-132, and amendments thereto. No renewal of registration shall be made to any applicant until such applicant has paid the fee provided in subsection (b). If such fee is not paid, such applicant shall be required to comply with K.S.A. 8-143, and amendments thereto, and return the license plate to the county treasurer of such applicant's residence. (g) The blackout license plate shall have a background design, an emblem or colors that designate the license plate as a blackout license plate. (h) There is hereby established in the state treasury the license plate replacement fund. The license plate replacement fund shall be administered by the secretary of revenue. Annual blackout license plate fees collected by county treasurers pursuant to this section shall be remitted to the state treasurer in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments thereto. Upon receipt of each such remittance, the state treasurer shall deposit the entire amount in the state treasury to the credit of the license plate replacement fund. All expenditures from such fund shall be for the costs associated with replacing license plates when the lifespan of such license plates has been exhausted as determined by the director of vehicles. All expenditures from such fund shall be made in accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the secretary of revenue or the secretary's designee. Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication in the statute book Kansas register. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26