Authorizes creation of "Woman Veteran" license plates with emblem displaying silhouette of woman veteran saluting set against American flag background.
The bill proposes the establishment of a fund, the 'Woman Veteran License Plate Fund', which will collect the additional fees from the license plate applications. Monies from this fund will be appropriated annually to organizations that support women veterans, thereby creating a financial resource dedicated to their empowerment and well-being. The funding mechanism is designed to ensure that the program does not rely on state funds for initial costs, instead stipulating that non-public funds be used, thereby reducing potential public fiscal burdens.
Bill A5097 aims to authorize the creation of special 'Woman Veteran' license plates in New Jersey, intended to honor women who have served in the military. The proposed license plates will feature a design that includes a silhouette of a woman veteran saluting against an American flag background, along with the words 'Woman Veteran'. Applicants for these plates must provide proof of military service through a DD-214 form or other official documentation of discharge from active duty, and will incur an application fee of $50 alongside an annual renewal fee of $10.
One notable point of contention surrounding Bill A5097 is the requirement for the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to gather a minimum of 500 completed applications before the license plates can be produced. This stipulation could be seen as a significant barrier to the program's implementation, and there may be concerns about whether sufficient demand exists to meet this threshold. Furthermore, if the average cost of producing the plates exceeds the set fees for two consecutive years, the chief administrator has the authority to terminate the program, which raises questions regarding sustainability and community engagement.
Moreover, the bill prohibits the use of state or other public funds for establishing the licensing program, thus obligating the Department to seek private contributions to cover initial setup costs and computer programming changes. This requirement underscores the necessity for robust support from both the government and local communities to ensure that the initiative is successfully launched and maintained.