A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 56-3-1230, RELATING TO THE PRODUcTION AND PERIODIC ISSUANCE OF NEW PLATES, AND THE ISSUANCE OF REVALIDATION STICKERS, SO AS TO DELETE THE PROVISION RELATING TO THE PORTION OF VEHICLE REGISTRATION AND LICENSE FEES PLACED IN A SPECIAL RESTRICTED ACCOUNT TO BE USED FOR THE PRODUCTION AND ISSUANCE OF NEW LICENSE PLATES, TO PROVIDE LICENSE PLATES MUST BE ISSUED ANNUALLY FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES, TO PROVIDE NO REVALIDATION STICKERS MAY BE ISSUED FOR PLATEs ON INTERSTATE COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES, AND to PROVIDE REVALIDATION STICKERS MAY BE ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES.

 

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

 

SECTION 1.  Section 56-3-1230 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    Section 56-3-1230. (A) License plates must be at least six inches wide and not less than twelve inches in length and must show in bold characters the year of registration, the serial number, the full name or the abbreviation of the name of the state, and other distinctive markings the department may consider advisable to indicate the class of the weight of the vehicle for which the license plate was issued. The plate must be of a strength and quality to provide a minimum service of five years. A new license plate including personalized and special plates, but excluding license plates provided in Sections 56-3-660 and 56-3-670, must be provided by the department at intervals the department considers appropriate, but at least every ten years. A new license plate for vehicles contained in Sections 56-3-660 and 56-3-670, must be provided by the department at intervals the department considers appropriate.  Beginning with the vehicle registration and license fees required by this title which are collected after July 1, 2002, except for the fees collected pursuant to Sections 56-3-660 and 56-3-670, two dollars of each biennial fee and one dollar of each annual fee collected from the vehicle owner must be placed by the Comptroller General in a special restricted account to be used solely by the Department of Motor Vehicles for the costs associated with the production and issuance of new license plates. The department is not authorized to use this set aside money for any other purpose. License plates issued for commercial motor vehicles in excess of twenty-six thousand pounds must be issued bienniallyannually, and no revalidation sticker may be issued for the plates on interstate commercial motor vehicles. License plates issued as permanent may be revalidated and replaced at intervals determined by the department.

    (B) The face of the license plate must be treated completely with a retroreflective material which increases the nighttime visibility and legibility of the plate.  The department shall prepare the specifications for the retroreflective material.  In those years in which a metal plate is not issued, a revalidation sticker with a distinctive serial number or other suitable means prescribed by the department mustmay be issued and affixed in the space provided on the license plate assigned to the vehicle upon payment of the fee prescribed for registration and licensing, including fees for personalized or special license plates.

 

SECTION 2.  This act takes effect on the first day of the fiscal year that begins once the Department of Motor Vehicles is fully appropriated for license plates.

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