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HOUSE BILL 580
57
TH LEGISLATURE
-
STATE
OF
NEW
MEXICO
-
FIRST SESSION
,
2025
INTRODUCED BY
Stefani Lord and Art De La Cruz and Randall T. Pettigrew
and Jonathan A. Henry and Joseph L. Sanchez
AN ACT
RELATING TO LICENSE PLATES; CREATING A SEPARATE SPECIAL SHARE
WITH WILDLIFE REGISTRATION PLATE THAT DEPICTS ELK; ALLOWING FOR
THE CESSATION OF SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE ISSUANCE UNDER CERTAIN
CONDITIONS; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
SECTION 1. Section 66-3-424.6 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2003,
Chapter 178, Section 2, as amended) is amended to read:
"66-3-424.6. SPECIAL WILDLIFE ARTWORK REGISTRATION
PLATES--PROCEDURES--FEE.--
A. The department shall establish and issue a
standardized special registration plate with a logo specified
in Section 66-3-424 NMSA 1978 featuring artwork of New Mexico
wildlife for any private motor vehicle except a motorcycle.
The department shall adopt procedures for application for and
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issuance of the special wildlife artwork registration plates.
B. Beginning January 1, 2026, the division shall
issue a separate standardized special registration plate with a
logo designed as specified in Section 66-3-424 NMSA 1978 and
that depicts elk to express support for the share with wildlife
program of the department of game and fish.
[B.] C. The director of the department of game and
fish [shall] may designate a "share with wildlife" logo design
committee that [shall ] may recommend to the director the color
and design of [the] a special wildlife artwork logo. The
director in cooperation with the secretary shall determine the
design of [the] a special wildlife artwork logo. No
personalized or vanity design variation of the special wildlife
artwork registration plates shall be issued.
[C.] D. For a fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00),
which [shall be] is in addition to the regular motor vehicle
registration fees, an owner of a motor vehicle may apply for
the issuance of a special wildlife artwork registration plate.
The owner of a motor vehicle shall apply for the plate and pay
the twenty-five-dollar ($25.00) fee for the first year and ten
dollars ($10.00) for each subsequent year if [he ] the owner
wishes to retain and renew the special wildlife artwork
registration plate.
[D.] E. The revenue from the additional fee for a
special wildlife artwork registration plate shall be
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distributed as follows:
(1) ten dollars ($10.00) of the initial fee
collected shall be retained by the division and is appropriated
to the division to defray the cost of making and issuing
special registration plates for wildlife artwork; and
(2) fifteen dollars ($15.00) of the initial
fee and the entire renewal fee collected shall be distributed
to the share with wildlife program of the game protection fund.
F. Beginning on July 1, 2031, and on July 1 of each
subsequent year, the department may compare the number of each
special registration plates issued and renewed pursuant to this
section in the previous fiscal year with the average number of
such plates issued and renewed annually between fiscal years
2026 through 2031. If the department determines that the
number of special registration plates issued and renewed
pursuant to this section in the previous fiscal year is less
than fifty percent of the average number of the plates issued
and renewed annually between fiscal years 2026 through 2031,
the department may stop issuing the special registration
plates."
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