South Carolina General Assembly
123rd Session, 2019-2020

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Bill 3306


Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A BILL

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 ELIMINATE THE SPECIAL MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSE FEE, THE PROVISION THAT PROVIDES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF FEES COLLECTED FROM THE ISSUANCE OF THE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, THE PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF LICENSE PLATES APPLICATIONS OR DEPOSITS THAT MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE THE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES MAY BE PRODUCED, THE PROVISION THAT REQUIRES A MARKETING PLAN FOR THE SALE OF THE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, AND THE PROVISION THAT REQUIRES A MINIMUM NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR THE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE TO CONTINUE ITS PRODUCTION; TO AMEND SECTION 56-3-8800, RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF WORLD WAR II SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THERE IS NO FEE FOR THIS SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE; TO AMEND SECTIONS 56-3-10110, 56-3-10210, AND 56-3-10310, RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF OPERATION DESERT STORM-DESERT SHIELD VETERAN SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM VETERAN SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, AND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THESE LICENSE PLATES ARE EXEMPT FROM CERTAIN PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS, AND TO DELETE THE PROVISIONS THAT PROVIDE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF FEES COLLECTED FOR THESE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES.

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

SECTION    1.    Section 56-3-7780 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-3-7780.    (A)    The department may issue 'Vietnam Veterans' 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 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. There is no fee for this special license plate.

(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 in producing and administering the special license plates. The remaining funds collected from the special motor vehicle license fee must be placed in the state's general fund.

(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.    Section 56-3-8800 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-3-8800.    (A)    Notwithstanding another provision of law, the department may issue special motor vehicle license plates to World War II veterans or their spouses for private passenger motor vehicles and motorcycles registered in their names. The fee for the issuance of this special motor vehicle license plate is the regular motor vehicle registration fee contained in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title. There is no fee for this special license plate.

(B)    If a person who qualifies for the special license plate issued under this section also qualifies for the handicapped placard issued pursuant to Section 56-3-1960, then the license plate issued pursuant to this section also shall include the international symbol of access used on placards issued pursuant to Section 56-3-1960. Until the department determines that the license plate shall be redesigned to include the international symbol of access, the department shall develop a decal using the international symbol of access to be placed on the license plate which shall be issued to all persons who request the license plate authorized by this section, including persons for whom license plates were issued pursuant to this section on or before the effective date of this subsection."

SECTION    3.    Section 56-3-10110 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-3-10110.    (A)    The department may issue 'Operation Desert Storm-Desert Shield Veteran' special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger-carrying motor vehicles or light pickups as defined in Section 56-3-630 registered in their names who are veterans of Operation Desert Storm-Desert Shield who served on active duty in the Persian Gulf at anytime during the period of August 2, 1990, to February 28, 1991. The motor vehicle owner must present the department with a DD214, or other official documentation that states that he served on active duty during Operation Desert Storm-Desert Shield, 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 veterans of Operation Desert Storm-Desert Shield. 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. This special license plate is exempt from the six thousand eight-hundred-dollar production requirement of Section 56-3-8100.

(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 in producing and administering the special license plates. The remaining funds collected from the special motor vehicle license fee must be placed in the state's general fund.

(C)    The guidelines for the production of a special license plate under this section must meet the requirements of Section 56-3-8100."

SECTION    4.    Section 56-3-10210 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-3-10210.    (A) The department may issue 'Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran' special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger-carrying motor vehicles or light pickups as defined in Section 56-3-630 registered in their names who are veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom who served on active duty fighting against terrorism at anytime following September 11, 2001, until the operation is completed. The motor vehicle owner must present the department with a DD214, or other official documentation that states that he served on active duty during Operation Enduring Freedom, 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 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom. 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. This special license plate is exempt from the six thousand eight-hundred-dollar production requirement of Section 56-3-8100.

(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 in producing and administering the special license plates. The remaining funds collected from the special motor vehicle license fee must be placed in the state's general fund.

(C)    The guidelines for the production of a special license plate under this section must meet the requirements of Section 56-3-8100."

SECTION    5.    Section 56-3-10310 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-3-10310.    (A)    The department may issue 'Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran' special motor vehicle license plates to owners of private passenger-carrying motor vehicles or light pickups as defined in Section 56-3-630 registered in their names who are veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom who served on active duty in Iraq or the Persian Gulf at anytime from March 20, 2003, until the operation is completed. The motor vehicle owner must present the department with a DD214, or other official documentation that states that he served on active duty in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, 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 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 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. This special license plate is exempt from the six thousand eight-hundred-dollar production requirement of Section 56-3-8100.

(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 in producing and administering the special license plates. The remaining funds collected from the special motor vehicle license fee must be placed in the state's general fund.

(C)    The guidelines for the production of a special license plate under this section must meet the requirements of Section 56-3-8100."

SECTION    6.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 18, 2018 at 5:20 PM