S 1460 General Bill, By Cork and Courtney
 A Bill to amend Article 31, Chapter 3, Title 56, Code of Laws of South
 Carolina, 1976, relating to special motor vehicle plates for volunteer
 firemen, so as to eliminate such plates for "volunteer firemen" and provide
 instead for such plates for "firefighters"; and to provide a grace period for
 special license plates for volunteer firemen issued before the effective date
 of this Act.

   04/08/92  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-22
   04/08/92  Senate Referred to Committee on Transportation SJ-22

A BILL

TO AMEND ARTICLE 31, CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO SPECIAL MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSE PLATES FOR VOLUNTEER FIREMEN, SO AS TO ELIMINATE SUCH PLATES FOR "VOLUNTEER FIREMEN" AND PROVIDE INSTEAD FOR SUCH PLATES FOR "FIREFIGHTERS"; AND TO PROVIDE A GRACE PERIOD FOR SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES FOR VOLUNTEER FIREMEN ISSUED BEFORE THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS ACT.

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

SECTION 1. Article 31, Chapter 3, Title 56 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Article 31

Section 56-3-2810. The South Carolina Department of Highways and Public Transportation shall issue special motor vehicle license plates to volunteer firemen firefighters who request them in the manner provided in this article and who are residents of the State for private motor vehicles registered in their respective names. For the purposes of this article the term `firefighter' means any employee of a municipal, county, or other governmental fire department who is compensated for his employment. The term also includes `volunteer firemen firefighters', which means members of organized units providing fire protection without compensation being paid to the members of the units for the service provided and whose membership is certified to the municipal clerk or chairman of the council of the municipality or county in which their unit is based by the chief officer of the unit concerned. The cost of the special license plate as determined by the department must be paid annually by the requesting volunteer fireman firefighter and only one license plate may be issued to any one volunteer fireman firefighter. The plate must be issued upon application being made therefor, in a manner and upon forms which must be prescribed by the department, and upon approval of the application by the department.

Section 56-3-2820. The special license plates, which must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates, must be imprinted with the words `Volunteer Fireman South Carolina Firefighter' together with numbers as the department may determine. The plates are for annual periods as provided by law.

Section 56-3-2830. A license plate issued pursuant to this article may be transferred to another vehicle of the same weight class owned by the same person upon application being made therefor, in a manner and upon forms which must be prescribed by the department, and upon approval of the application by the department. It is unlawful for any person to whom a plate has been issued pursuant to this article knowingly to permit it to be displayed on any vehicle except that one authorized by the department. If a holder of the plate ceases to be a volunteer fireman firefighter, as defined in Section 56-3-2810, he must immediately return the plate to the department.

Section 56-3-2840. The provisions of this article do not affect the registration and licensing of motor vehicles as required by other provisions of this chapter but are cumulative thereto. Any person violating the provisions of this article or any person who (a) fraudulently gives false or fictitious information in any application for a special license plate, as authorized in this article, (b) conceals a material fact in any such application, or (c) otherwise commits a fraud in any such application or in the use of any special license plate issued pursuant to this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or thirty days' imprisonment, or both."

SECTION 2. Special license plates imprinted with the words "Volunteer Fireman" which were issued pursuant to Article 31, Chapter 3, Title 56 of the 1976 Code before the effective date of this act shall remain valid for a period not to exceed twelve months following the effective date of this act.

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.