H 4051 General Bill, By Knight, Alexander, Hosey, McLeod, Govan, Anthony, 
Bedingfield, Bowen, Clyburn, Davenport, Hagood, Hamilton, Harrison, Hodges, 
Jefferson, Leach, Mitchell, Neilson, Scarborough, J.R. Smith, Spires and 
Williams

Similar(S 1050)
 A BILL TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE
 101 TO CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR
 VEHICLES MAY ISSUE PERSIAN GULF WAR VETERANS SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES TO
 VETERANS OF OPERATION DESERT STORM-DESERT SHIELD, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM,
 AND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.

   05/09/07  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-10
   05/09/07  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works HJ-10

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE 101 TO CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES MAY ISSUE PERSIAN GULF WAR VETERANS SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES TO VETERANS OF OPERATION DESERT STORM-DESERT SHIELD, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, AND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Chapter 3, Title 56 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

Section 56-3-10110.    (A)    The department may issue Persian Gulf War Veterans special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger carrying motor vehicles as defined in Section 56-3-630 registered in their names who are veterans of Operation Desert Storm-Desert Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi Freedom. The motor vehicle owner must present the department with a DD214, or other official documentation that states that he served on active duty during any of these military operations along with his application for this special license plate. The special license plate may have imprinted on it an emblem, a seal, or other symbol that honors veterans of these military operations. The special license plate also must provide a space on its top to affix a decal that indicates which military operation the veteran was a participant. The special license plate must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month it is issued. The fee for this special license plate is the regular motor vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title and a special motor vehicle license fee of twenty dollars.

(B)    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, from the fees collected pursuant to this section, the Comptroller General shall place sufficient funds into a special restricted account to be used by the Department of Motor Vehicles to defray the expenses of the department in producing and administering the special license plates. The remaining funds collected from the special motor vehicle license fee must be placed in the state's general fund.

(C)    Before the department produces and distributes a plate authorized under this section, it must receive:

(1)    four hundred or more prepaid applications for the special license plate or a deposit of four thousand dollars from the individual or organization seeking issuance of the license plate. If a deposit of four thousand dollars is made by an individual or organization pursuant to this section, the department must refund the four thousand dollars once an equivalent amount of license plate fees is collected for that organization's license plate. If the equivalent amount is not collected within four years of the first issuance of the license plate, then the department must retain the deposit; and

(2)    a plan to market the sale of the special license plate that must be approved by the department.

(D)    If the department receives less than three hundred biennial applications and renewals for a particular special license plate authorized under this section, it shall not produce additional special license plates in that series. The department shall continue to issue special license plates of that series until the existing inventory is exhausted."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.