House File 2624 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2624 BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2234) (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2020) A BILL FOR An Act relating to radio operators blackout special 1 registration plates for motor vehicles, and including 2 effective date provisions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5557HZ (2) 88 mo/ns

H.F. 2624 Section 1. Section 321.34, subsection 3, Code 2020, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 3. Radio operators plates. The owner of an automobile, 3 motorcycle, trailer, or motor truck who holds an amateur radio 4 license issued by the federal communications commission may, 5 upon written application to the county treasurer accompanied 6 by a fee of five dollars, order special registration radio 7 operators plates bearing the call letters authorized the radio 8 station covered by the person’s amateur radio license. When 9 received by the county treasurer, such special registration 10 radio operators plates shall be issued to the applicant in 11 exchange for the registration plates previously issued to 12 the person. Not more than one set of special registration 13 radio operators plates may be issued to an applicant. Said 14 fee shall be in addition to and not in lieu of the fee for 15 regular registration plates. Special registration Radio 16 operators plates must , including any special radio operators 17 plates authorized by this section, shall be surrendered upon 18 expiration of the owner’s amateur radio license and the owner 19 shall thereupon be entitled to the owner’s regular registration 20 plates. The county treasurer shall validate special radio 21 operators plates in the same manner as regular registration 22 plates, upon payment of five dollars in addition to the regular 23 annual registration fee. 24 Sec. 2. Section 321.34, subsection 11C, paragraphs c and d, 25 Code 2020, are amended to read as follows: 26 c. The special blackout fee for letter-number designated 27 blackout plates is thirty-five dollars. An applicant eligible 28 for radio operators plates under subsection 3 may obtain 29 radio operators blackout plates upon payment of the fee for 30 radio operators plates as provided in subsection 3, which is 31 in addition to the special blackout fee. An applicant may 32 obtain personalized blackout plates upon payment of the fee for 33 personalized plates as provided in subsection 5 , which is in 34 addition to the special blackout fee. The fees collected by 35 -1- LSB 5557HZ (2) 88 mo/ns 1/ 3

H.F. 2624 the director under this subsection shall be paid monthly to the 1 treasurer of state and deposited in the road use tax fund. 2 d. Upon receipt of the special registration plates, the 3 applicant shall surrender the current registration plates to 4 the county treasurer. The county treasurer shall validate 5 the special registration plates in the same manner as regular 6 registration plates are validated under this section . The 7 annual special blackout fee for letter-number designated plates 8 is ten dollars which shall be paid in addition to the regular 9 annual registration fee. The annual fee for personalized 10 blackout plates and radio operators blackout plates is five 11 dollars which shall be paid in addition to the annual special 12 blackout fee and the regular annual registration fee. The 13 annual special blackout fee shall be credited as provided under 14 paragraph “c” . 15 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect January 1, 16 2021. 17 EXPLANATION 18 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 19 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 20 Under current law, an owner of a motor vehicle who holds 21 an amateur radio license issued by the federal communications 22 commission may order radio operators special registration 23 plates bearing the call letters authorized for the radio 24 station covered by the person’s amateur radio license. Current 25 law also authorizes the department of transportation (DOT) to 26 issue blackout plates to an owner of a motor vehicle, which are 27 plates with a black background and white numbers and letters. 28 This bill authorizes the DOT to issue radio operators 29 blackout special registration plates. An applicant otherwise 30 eligible for radio operators plates may obtain radio operators 31 blackout plates upon the payment of the $5 fee for radio 32 operators plates set forth under current law, which is in 33 addition to the special blackout fee. The annual fee for radio 34 operators blackout plates is $5, which is in addition to the 35 -2- LSB 5557HZ (2) 88 mo/ns 2/ 3

H.F. 2624 annual special blackout fee and the regular annual registration 1 fee. 2 The bill also makes conforming changes to Code section 3 321.34(3) to require special radio operators plates, such 4 as radio operators blackout plates, to be surrendered upon 5 expiration of the owner’s amateur radio license. 6 The bill takes effect January 1, 2021. 7 -3- LSB 5557HZ (2) 88 mo/ns 3/ 3