A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING ARTICLE 44 of CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56, RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES ISSUANCE OF "SHARE THE ROAD" SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO DISCONTINUE THE ISSUANCE OF THESE LICENSE PLATES AND PROVIDE FOR THE ISSUANCE OF "I BIKE" special LICENSE PLATES.

 

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

 

SECTION 1.  Article 44, Chapter 3, Title 56 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

Article 44

 

Share the RoadI Bike SC License Plates

 

    Section 56-3-4410. (A) The Department of Motor Vehicles may issue "Share the Road" "I Bike SC"  special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger motor vehicles as defined in Section 56-3-630 and motorcycles registered in their names which may have imprinted on the plate an emblem, a seal, or other symbol of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, Inc. The Palmetto Cycling Coalition, Inc. shall submit to the department for its approval the emblem, seal, or other symbol it desires to be used for this special license plate. The Palmetto Cycling Coalition, Inc. may request a change in the emblem, seal, or other symbol not more than once every five years. 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 these special license plateplates is the regular motor vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title and a special motor vehicle license fee of thirtyfifty-two dollars.

    (B) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, from the fees collected pursuant to this section, the Comptroller General shall place into the State Highway Fund as established by Section 57-11-20, to be distributed as provided in Section 11-43-167, an amount equal to 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 distributed to the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, Inc., or another nonprofit fund designated by the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, Inc., for the promotion of bicycling pedestrian, bicycle, and other active transportation safety and education programs. Any remaining funds must be administered by the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, Inc., or another nonprofit fund designated by the Palmetto Cycling Coalition Inc. used only for efforts to promote bicyclepedestrian, bicycle, and other active transportation safety and education programs, and deposited in an appropriate nonprofit account designated by the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, Inc.

    (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 six months after approval of the license plate's design.

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