S*0736(Rat #0208, Act #0158 of 2005)  General Bill, By Ryberg and Peeler
 AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-7780, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976,
 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF "VIETNAM WAR VETERANS" SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, SO
 AS TO PROVIDE THAT ONLY VIETNAM WAR VETERANS WHO SERVED ON ACTIVE DUTY AT
 ANYTIME DURING THE PERIOD OF FEBRUARY 28, 1961 TO MAY 7, 1975, AND WHO CAN
 PROVIDE CERTAIN OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
 THAT VERIFIES THEIR SERVICE MAY BE ISSUED THIS SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE; TO AMEND
 SECTION 56-3-8800, RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF WORLD WAR II VETERANS SPECIAL
 LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO DELETE THE PROVISION THAT REQUIRES THAT THE
 DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES RECEIVES A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PREPAID APPLICATIONS
 FOR THIS SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE OR A DEPOSIT FROM THE INDIVIDUAL OR
 ORGANIZATION SEEKING THE ISSUANCE OF THIS LICENSE PLATE AND A PLAN TO MARKET
 THE SALE OF THIS LICENSE PLATE BEFORE IT PRODUCES AND DISTRIBUTES THIS LICENSE
 PLATE, AND THE PROVISION THAT REQUIRES THE DEPARTMENT NOT TO PRODUCE
 ADDITIONAL LICENSE PLATES IN THIS SERIES IF IT RECEIVES LESS THAN THREE
 HUNDRED BIENNIAL INITIAL OR RENEWAL APPLICATIONS FOR THIS LICENSE PLATE; TO
 AMEND CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56, BY ADDING ARTICLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE
 ISSUANCE OF UNITED STATES ARMED SERVICES SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES; TO AMEND
 SECTION 56-3-9600, RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF "NO MORE HOMELESS PETS" SPECIAL
 LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO SUBSTITUTE THE TERM "SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF
 AGRICULTURE" FOR THE TERM "STATE VETERINARIAN". - ratified title

   04/12/05  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-7
   04/12/05  Senate Referred to Committee on Transportation SJ-7
   04/20/05  Senate Committee report: Favorable Transportation SJ-14
   04/21/05         Scrivener's error corrected
   04/25/05  Senate Read second time SJ-12
   04/26/05  Senate Read third time and sent to House SJ-12
   04/27/05  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-7
   04/27/05  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works HJ-7
   05/25/05  House  Recalled from Committee on Education and Public
                     Works HJ-141
   05/31/05  House  Amended HJ-93
   05/31/05  House  Read second time HJ-94
   05/31/05  House   Reconsider second reading HJ-147
   05/31/05  House  Debate adjourned until Wednesday, June 1, 2005 HJ-147
   06/01/05  House  Amended HJ-16
   06/01/05  House  Debate adjourned HJ-18
   06/01/05  House  Read second time HJ-61
   06/02/05  House  Read third time and returned to Senate with
                     amendments HJ-53
   06/02/05  Senate House amendment amended SJ-125
   06/02/05  Senate Returned to House with amendments SJ-125
   06/02/05  House  Non-concurrence in Senate amendment HJ-67
   06/02/05  Senate  Senate recedes from Senate amendments SJ-128
   06/02/05  House  Ordered enrolled for ratification HJ-136
   06/07/05         Ratified R 208
   06/10/05         Signed By Governor
   06/15/05         Copies available
   06/15/05         Effective date 06/10/05
   06/16/05         Act No. 158

(A158, R208, S736)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-7780, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF "VIETNAM WAR VETERANS" SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT ONLY VIETNAM WAR VETERANS WHO SERVED ON ACTIVE DUTY AT ANYTIME DURING THE PERIOD OF FEBRUARY 28, 1961, TO MAY 7, 1975, AND WHO CAN PROVIDE CERTAIN OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES THAT VERIFIES THEIR SERVICE MAY BE ISSUED THIS SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE; TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-8800, RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF WORLD WAR II VETERANS SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO DELETE THE PROVISION THAT REQUIRES THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES RECEIVES A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PREPAID APPLICATIONS FOR THIS SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE OR A DEPOSIT FROM THE INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION SEEKING THE ISSUANCE OF THIS LICENSE PLATE AND A PLAN TO MARKET THE SALE OF THIS LICENSE PLATE BEFORE IT PRODUCES AND DISTRIBUTES THIS LICENSE PLATE, AND THE PROVISION THAT REQUIRES THE DEPARTMENT NOT TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL LICENSE PLATES IN THIS SERIES IF IT RECEIVES LESS THAN THREE HUNDRED BIENNIAL INITIAL OR RENEWAL APPLICATIONS FOR THIS LICENSE PLATE; TO AMEND CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56 BY ADDING ARTICLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE ISSUANCE OF UNITED STATES ARMED SERVICES SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES; TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-9600, RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF "NO MORE HOMELESS PETS" SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO SUBSTITUTE THE TERM "SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE" FOR THE TERM "STATE VETERINARIAN".

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

Vietnam Veterans special license plates

SECTION    1.    Section 56-3-7780(A) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 311 of 2004, is amended to read:

"(A)    The department may issue 'Vietnam Veterans' special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger-carrying motor vehicles or light pickups having an empty weight of seven thousand pounds or less and a gross weight of nine thousand pounds or less registered in their names who are Vietnam War Veterans who served on active duty in Vietnam at anytime during the period of February 28, 1961, to May 7, 1975. The motor vehicle owner must present the department with a DD214, or other official documentation that states that he was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal or that he served on active duty in Vietnam, 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 Vietnam War Veterans. 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."

World War II Veterans special license plates

SECTION    2.    Section 56-3-8800 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 104 of 2001, is amended to read:

"Section 56-3-8800.    Notwithstanding another provision of law, the department may issue special motor vehicle license plates to World War II veterans or their spouses for private motor vehicles registered in their names. The fee for the issuance of this special motor vehicle license plate is twenty dollars biennially, which must be distributed to the State Department of Education and used to support and promote ROTC programs in the state's public schools. This twenty dollar fee shall be in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title."

United States Armed Services special license plates

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

"Article 56

Section 56-3-6000.    (A)    The department may issue special license plates for use on a private passenger motor vehicle owned or leased by residents of this State which separately honor the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marines Corps, United States Air Force, and the United States Coast Guard. The biennial fee for the special license plate is the regular motor vehicle license plate fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title plus thirty 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 of Motor Vehicles in producing and administering the special license plates. The remaining funds collected from the special motor vehicle license fee must be administered by the Department of Education and deposited in an appropriate account designated by the Department of Education for distribution to the ROTC program.

(C)    Before the department produces and distributes a special license plate pursuant to this section, it must receive:

(1)    four hundred 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.

(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 license plate, 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.

(E)    The special license plates must be of the same size and general design as regular motor vehicle license plates. The department shall imprint the special license plates with a distinctive emblem approved by the United States Department of Defense and United States Department of Transportation, as applicable, which distinguishes each branch of the United States Armed Services."

No More Homeless Pets special license plates

SECTION    4.    Section 56-3-9600(B) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 266 of 2002, is amended to read:

"(B)    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of 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 of Motor Vehicles in producing and administering the special license plates. The remaining funds collected from the special motor vehicle license fee must be deposited in a special account, separate and apart from the general fund, designated for use by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to support local animal spaying and neutering programs. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture may use up to ten percent of the fees deposited in the special account for the administration of the program. Local private nonprofit tax exempt organizations offering animal spaying and neutering programs may apply for grants from this fund to further their tax exempt purposes. Grants must be awarded not more than once a year, and an applicant must receive as a grant an amount of the total revenues in the fund multiplied by the percentage that the applicant's caseload in the preceding calendar year was of the total caseload of all applicants in that year."

Time effective

SECTION    5.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 7th day of June, 2005.

Approved the 10th day of June, 2005.