SF 2112 (LSB 6006XS (3) 88)

SENATE FILE 2112

BY  COSTELLO

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to full-color special registration plates.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 321.34, subsection 11C, Code 2020, is amended to read as follows:
   11C.  Blackout Full-color plates.
   a.  Upon application and payment of the proper fees, the director may issue blackout full-color plates to the owner of a motor vehicle subject to registration under section 321.109, subsection 1, autocycle, motor truck, motor home, multipurpose vehicle, motorcycle, trailer, or travel trailer.
   b.  Blackout Full-color plates shall be designed by the department. A blackout plate’s background shall be black, and the plate’s letters and numbers shall be white.  A full-color plate’s background shall be one color, and the plate’s letters and numbers shall be one color different from and distinctly in contrast with the color of the plate’s background. The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to establish acceptable colors and color combinations for a full-color plate’s background, letters, and numbers. The department’s rules shall allow full-color plates with a black background and white letters and numbers.
   c.  The special blackout full-color fee for letter-number designated blackout full-color plates is thirty-five dollars. An applicant may obtain personalized blackout full-color plates upon payment of the fee for personalized plates as provided in subsection 5, which is in addition to the special blackout full-color fee. The fees collected by the director under this subsection shall be paid monthly to the treasurer of state and deposited in the road use tax fund.
   d.  Upon receipt of the special registration plates, the applicant shall surrender the current registration plates to the county treasurer. The county treasurer shall validate the special registration plates in the same manner as regular registration plates are validated under this section. The annual special blackout full-color fee for letter-number designated plates is ten dollars which shall be paid in addition to the regular annual registration fee. The annual fee for personalized blackout full-color plates is five dollars which shall be paid in addition to the annual special blackout full-color fee and the regular annual registration fee. The annual special blackout full-color fee shall be credited as provided under paragraph “c”.
   e.  The department shall not condition the issuance of blackout full-color plates on the receipt of any number of orders for blackout full-color plates.
    Sec. 2.  Section 321.166, subsection 9, Code 2020, is amended to read as follows:
   9.  Special registration plates issued pursuant to section 321.34, other than gold star, medal of honor, collegiate, fire fighter, natural resources, and blackout full-color registration plates, shall be consistent with the design and color of regular registration plates but shall provide a space on a portion of the plate for the purpose of allowing the placement of a distinguishing processed emblem or an organization decal. Special registration plates shall also comply with the requirements for regular registration plates as provided in this section to the extent the requirements are consistent with the section authorizing a particular special vehicle registration plate.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill replaces blackout special registration plates with full-color special registration plates. The bill authorizes the department of transportation (DOT) to design and issue the full-color plates. The bill requires that a full-color plate’s background be one color and the plate’s letters and numbers be one color different from and distinctly in contrast with the color of the plate’s background. The DOT is required to establish acceptable colors and color combinations for a full-color plate’s background, letters, and numbers. The department’s rules must allow full-color plates with a black background and white letters and numbers. 
   The bill does not otherwise alter the process to obtain the plates or the fees for the plates, which are deposited in the road use tax fund.