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S. 350
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Fair
Document Path: l:\council\bills\nbd\11181ac05.doc
Companion/Similar bill(s): 329, 3382
Introduced in the Senate on January 26, 2005
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Transportation
Summary: Choose Death, Choose Life special license plates
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/26/2005 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-15 1/26/2005 Senate Referred to Committee on Transportation SJ-15
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
TO AMEND CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION AND LICENSING, BY ADDING ARTICLE 79 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES SHALL ISSUE "CHOOSE LIFE" SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF FEES COLLECTED FOR THESE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA CITIZENS FOR LIFE WHICH SHALL USE A PORTION OF THESE FUNDS TO AWARD GRANTS TO LOCAL PRIVATE NONPROFIT GROUPS OFFERING CRISIS PREGNANCY SERVICES; AND TO ADD ARTICLE 54, CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES SHALL ISSUE "CHOOSE DEATH" SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF FEES COLLECTED FOR THESE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH TO USE FOR COUNSELING POST ABORTION TRAUMA IN FEMALES WHO HAVE HAD ABORTIONS.
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 56-3-7950. (A) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall issue special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger carrying motor vehicles or light pickups having an empty weight of six thousand pounds or less and a gross weight of nine thousand pounds or less registered in their names which shall have imprinted on the plate the words 'Choose Life'. The fee for this special license plate is seventy dollars every two years in addition to the regular motor vehicle license fee set forth in Article 5. This special license plate must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates. The special license plates must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month they are issued.
(B) From the fees collected, the Comptroller General shall place sufficient funds into a special restricted account to be used by the department to defray the expense of producing the license plate. The remaining funds shall be designated for use by the South Carolina Citizens for Life, which shall use a portion of funds received to award grants to local private nonprofit tax exempt organizations offering crisis pregnancy services 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. Grants may not be awarded to any agency, institution, or organization that provides, promotes, or refers for abortion.
(C) Before the Department of Motor Vehicles produces and distributes a special license plate pursuant to this section, it must receive 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, the department shall retain the deposit.
(D) If the department receives less than three hundred biennial applications and renewals for the 'Choose Life' special license plate, it may not produce additional special license plates in that series. However, the department shall continue to issue special license plates of that series until the existing inventory is exhausted."
SECTION 2. Chapter 3, Title 56 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 56-3-5410. (A) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall issue special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger carrying motor vehicles or light pickups having an empty weight of six thousand pounds or less and a gross weight of nine thousand pounds or less registered in their names which shall have imprinted on the plate the words 'Choose Death'. The fee for this special license plate is the regular motor vehicle license fee set forth in Article 5. This special license plate must be of the same size and general design of regular motor vehicle license plates. The special license plates must be issued or revalidated for a biennial period which expires twenty-four months from the month they are issued.
(B) From the fees collected, the Comptroller General shall place sufficient funds into a special restricted account to be used by the department to defray the expense of producing the license plate. The remaining funds shall be designated for use by the Department of Mental Health to be used for post abortion trauma counseling for females who have chosen to have abortions and the department may disburse a portion of these funds to local mental health facilities to use for such counseling.
(C) Before the Department of Motor Vehicles produces and distributes a special license plate pursuant to this section, it must receive 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, the department shall retain the deposit.
(D) If the department receives less than three hundred biennial applications and renewals for the 'Choose Death' special license plate, it may not produce additional special license plates in that series. However, the department shall continue to issue special license plates of that series until the existing inventory is exhausted."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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