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AB-1759 California Memorial Scholarship Program: California memorial license plates.(2001-2002)

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Assembly Bill No. 1759
CHAPTER 38

An act to add Article 21.5 (commencing with Section 70010) to Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, and to add Section 5066 to the Vehicle Code, relating to license plates, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

[ Filed with Secretary of State  May 13, 2002. Approved by Governor  May 13, 2002. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1759, Wesson. California Memorial Scholarship Program: California memorial license plates.
(1) Existing law establishes the Golden State Scholarshare Trust and Governor’s Scholarship Programs, under the administration of the Scholarshare Investment Board, to provide financial aid for postsecondary education costs of participating students.
This bill would establish the California Memorial Scholarship Program under the administration of the board to provide scholarships for surviving dependents, as defined, of California residents, as defined, killed as a result of injuries sustained during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The bill would establish the California Memorial Scholarship Fund, out of which moneys would be provided to fund the scholarships. The bill would prescribe the responsibilities of the Treasurer and the board in administering the scholarship program.
(2) Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue specific special interest license plates in accordance with a specified procedure.
This bill would provide for the issuance of California memorial license plates. The bill would provide that additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of California memorial license plates would be deposited, as specified, in the Antiterrorism Fund and the California Memorial Scholarship Fund.
(3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Article 21.5 (commencing with Section 70010) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:
Article  21.5. The California Memorial Scholarship Program

70010.
 (a) The California Memorial Scholarship Program is hereby established. The program shall be administered by the Scholarshare Investment Board established pursuant to Section 69984. The program shall be funded by the California Memorial Scholarship Fund established pursuant to Section 5066 of the Vehicle Code.
(b) The purpose of the program is to provide scholarships for surviving dependents of California residents killed as a result of injuries sustained during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. These scholarships shall be used to defray the costs incurred by participants in the program at institutions of higher education. The Legislature finds and declares the scholarships provided by this act are funded by voluntary donations provided by California vehicle owners.

70010.1.
 As used in this article:
(a) “Board” means the Scholarshare Investment Board established pursuant to Section 69984.
(b) “California resident” means a person who would not be required to pay nonresident tuition under Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 68000) of Part 41.
(c) “Dependent” means a person who, because of his or her relationship to a California resident killed as a result of injuries sustained during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, qualifies for compensation under the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (Title IV (commencing with Section 401) of Public Law 107-42).
(d) “Fund” means the California Memorial Scholarship Fund established pursuant to Section 5066 of the Vehicle Code.
(e) “Institution of higher education” means either of the following:
(1) A private postsecondary educational institution within the meaning of Section 94739 that offers vocational instruction or training.
(2) A regionally accredited postsecondary educational institution that offers associate, baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degrees.
(f) “Participant” means a surviving dependent of a California resident killed as a result of injuries sustained during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, who has executed, or on whose behalf has been executed, a participation agreement pursuant to Section 70011.
(g) “Participation agreement” means an agreement, entered into pursuant to Section 70011, between the board and a participant or a person entitled to act on behalf of that participant.
(h) “Program” means the California Memorial Scholarship Program established pursuant to Section 70010.

70010.5.
 (a) The Treasurer shall identify all persons who are eligible for scholarships under the program. The Treasurer shall notify these persons or, in the case of minors, the parents or guardians of these persons, of their eligibility for scholarships under the program. This notification shall be in writing, and shall be received by all of the appropriate persons no later than July 1, 2003. In order to identify and notify persons eligible for scholarships under this program, the Treasurer shall use information made available by the Special Master of the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (P.L. 107-42 (9/22/01) 115 Stat. 230) and by nonprofit organizations which provide assistance to families eligible for compensation from this fund, and other relevant sources.
(b) Eligible persons, or in the case of minors, the parents or guardians of these persons, shall inform the board of their decision on whether to participate in the program in a timely manner. Eligible persons, or in the case of minors, the parents or guardians of these persons, who are to become participants in the program shall execute participation agreements pursuant to Section 70011 no later than July 1, 2005.

70010.7.
 (a) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall deposit the proceeds of the sale of California memorial license plates into the fund in accordance with paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 5066 of the Vehicle Code. When a participation agreement is executed pursuant to Section 70011, the board shall establish an account within the fund for the benefit of a person eligible for the program. The total amount of moneys in the fund shall, at all times, be evenly divided among the accounts that are in existence at that time until the board has transferred five thousand dollars ($5,000) from the fund into each account. When five thousand dollars ($5,000) has been transferred by the board into each account, all revenues remaining in the fund shall be deposited into the Antiterrorism Fund created by paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 5066 of the Vehicle Code and distributed as provided in that paragraph. A participant or other entity may also deposit funds into an account, and these amounts shall not count towards the five thousand dollar ($5,000) limit.
(b) Moneys in the fund, including moneys in the accounts, may be invested and reinvested by the board, or may be invested in whole or in part under contract with private money managers, as determined by the board. The interest earned shall accrue to the accounts.
(c) The board shall establish within the fund an administrative account, the amount deposited in which may not exceed 5 percent of the total amount of moneys in the fund. Funds in the administrative account may be used, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or in another statute, for the administrative costs of the board in administering the program.
(d) No moneys from the fund may be encumbered, and no distribution may be made from any account in the fund, unless and until an appropriation authorizing that encumbrance or distribution is made in the annual Budget Act or in another statute.

70011.
 (a) The board may enter into participation agreements with participants or with persons entitled to act on behalf of participants.
(b) A participation agreement shall specify that any moneys remaining in an account after the 30th birthday of the participant, or 10 years after the date of the execution of the participation agreement, whichever occurs last, shall revert to the Antiterrorism Fund established under paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 5066 of the Vehicle Code. The participation agreements may also include, but need not be limited to, the terms and subject matter set forth in Section 69983.

70011.3.
 Nothing in this article shall be construed to authorize or require the admission of a participant into a specific institution of higher education or degree program.

70011.5.
 Notwithstanding any other provisions of state law, any funds awarded pursuant to this article shall augment and not supplant student financial aid from other state sources. All calculations for eligibility for student financial aid from other state sources shall be made without consideration of any funds awarded pursuant to this article.

70011.7.
 Within the annual report required pursuant to Section 69989, the board shall also include information on the operation of the program. This information shall include, but need not be limited to, data on the number of participation agreements executed during the year, the date on which each participation agreement is executed, the age of each participant, the amount and number of distributions made from accounts within the fund, and the rate of return on the funds invested under this article.

70011.9.
 (a) The board may adopt regulations for the purposes of this article as emergency regulations in accordance with the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). For the purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of the regulations shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, or general welfare, notwithstanding subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any regulation adopted pursuant to this section shall not remain in effect more than one year unless the board complies with rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, as required by subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.

SEC. 2.

 Section 5066 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

5066.
 (a) The department shall, in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol, design and make available for issuance pursuant to this article the California memorial license plate. Notwithstanding Section 5060, the California memorial license plate may be issued in a combination of numbers or letters, or both, as requested by the applicant for the plates. Any person described in Section 5101 may, upon payment of the additional fees set forth in subdivision (b), apply for and be issued a set of California memorial license plates.
(b) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, retention, or transfer of the California memorial license plates authorized pursuant to this section:
(1) For the original issuance of the plates, fifty dollars ($50).
(2) For a renewal of registration of the plates or retention of the plates, if renewal is not required, forty dollars ($40).
(3) For transfer of the plates to another vehicle, fifteen dollars ($15).
(4) For each substitute replacement plate, thirty-five dollars ($35).
(5) In addition, for the issuance of an environmental license plate, as defined in Section 5103, the additional fees prescribed in Sections 5106 and 5108 shall be deposited proportionately in the funds described in subdivision (c).
(c) The department shall deposit the additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of California memorial license plates as follows:
(1) Eighty-five percent in the Antiterrorism Fund, which is hereby created in the General Fund.
(A) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, one-half of the money in the fund shall be allocated by the Controller to the Office of Criminal Justice Planning to be used solely for antiterrorism activities. The office shall not use more than 5 percent of any funds appropriated to it for administrative purposes.
(B) Upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or in another statute, one-half of the money in the fund shall be used solely for antiterrorism activities.
(2) Fifteen percent in the California Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is hereby established in the General Fund. Moneys deposited in this fund shall be administered by the Scholarshare Investment Board, and shall be available, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or in another statute, for distribution or encumbrance by the board pursuant to Article 21.5 (commencing with Section 70010) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of the Education Code.
(d) The department shall deduct its costs to administer, but not to develop, the California memorial license plate program.
(e) “Antiterrorism activities” means activities related to the prevention, detection, and emergency response to terrorism that are undertaken by state and local law enforcement, fire protection, and public health agencies. The funds provided for these activities, to the extent that funds are available, shall be used exclusively for purposes directly related to fighting terrorism. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, hiring support staff to perform administrative tasks, hiring and training additional law enforcement, fire protection, and public health personnel, response training for existing and additional law enforcement, fire protection, and public health personnel, and hazardous materials and other equipment expenditures.
(f) Beginning January 1, 2007, and each January 1 thereafter, the department shall determine the number of currently outstanding and valid California memorial license plates. If that number is less than 7,500 in any year, then the department shall no longer issue or replace those plates.

SEC. 3.

 This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
Because California must take immediate preventative measures against terrorism and Californians need the opportunity to commemorate those lost through terrorism, it is necessary that this act go into immediate effect.