H*4530(Rat #0330, Act #0266 of 2002)  General Bill, By Sharpe
 A BILL TO AMEND CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976,
 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION AND LICENSING, BY ADDING ARTICLE 93 SO
 AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY SHALL ISSUE "NO MORE
 HOMELESS PETS" SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, AND PROVIDE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF
 FEES COLLECTED FOR THESE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES TO LOCAL PRIVATE NONPROFIT
 GROUPS OFFERING ANIMAL SPAYING AND NEUTERING SERVICES.-amended title

   01/17/02  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-170
   01/17/02  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works HJ-170
   04/23/02  House  Committee report: Favorable with amendment
                     Education and Public Works HJ-2
   04/24/02  House  Amended HJ-44
   04/24/02  House  Read second time HJ-46
   04/25/02  House  Read third time and sent to Senate HJ-12
   04/25/02  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-6
   04/25/02  Senate Referred to Committee on Transportation SJ-6
   05/02/02  Senate Committee report: Favorable Transportation SJ-23
   05/08/02  Senate Read second time SJ-28
   05/09/02  Senate Read third time and enrolled SJ-26
   05/14/02         Ratified R 330
   05/20/02         Signed By Governor
   06/05/02         Act No. 266
   06/19/02         Effective date 05/20/02
   06/19/02         Copies available

AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION AND LICENSING, BY ADDING ARTICLE 93 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY SHALL ISSUE "NO MORE HOMELESS PETS" SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, AND PROVIDE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF FEES COLLECTED FOR THESE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES TO LOCAL PRIVATE NONPROFIT GROUPS OFFERING ANIMAL SPAYING AND NEUTERING SERVICES.

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

"No More Homeless Pets" special license plates; use of fees

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

"Article 93

Section 56-3-9300. (A) The department may issue 'No More Homeless Pets' 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 which may have imprinted on the plate 'No More Homeless Pets'. 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 seventy dollars.

(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 Public Safety to defray the expenses of the Motor Vehicles Division 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 State Veterinarian to support local animal spaying and neutering programs. The State Veterinarian 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.

(C) Before the Department of Public Safety produces and distributes a special license plate pursuant to 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, 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."

Time effective

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

Ratified the 14th day of May, 2002.

Approved the 20th day of May, 2002.