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AB-2303 Vehicles: specialized license plates.(2015-2016)

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 14, 2016
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 06, 2016
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 28, 2016

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2015–2016 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2303

Introduced by Assembly Member Holden
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Gatto)

February 18, 2016

An act to add Section 5170 to the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2303, as amended, Holden. Vehicles: specialized license plates.
Existing law authorizes a state agency to apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to sponsor a specialized license plate program, and requires the DMV to issue those license plates if the sponsoring state agency meets certain requirements. Existing law requires the DMV to charge specified fees related to the issuance of those plates and to deposit the fees, less the DMV’s costs, in the Specialized License Plate Fund. Existing law requires that moneys in the fund be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the sponsoring agency in proportion to the amount that is attributable to the agency’s specialized license plate program. Existing law authorizes the sponsoring agency to use these moneys to fund projects and programs that promote the state agency’s official policy, mission, or work. Existing law also establishes the Active Transportation Program in the Department of Transportation for the purpose of encouraging increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking.
This bill would require the Department of Transportation to apply to the DMV, as specified, to sponsor a bicycle pathway license plate program, and would require the DMV to issue specialized license plates for that program if the Department of Transportation satisfies certain requirements. Notwithstanding the above-described provisions regarding fees for specialized plates, the bill would require the additional fees for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of these specialized license plates to be deposited, after the DMV deducts its administrative costs, in the State Highway Account in the State Transportation Fund, to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature for the purpose of funding the Active Transportation Program. The bill would specify the appearance of the bicycle pathway license plate.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Twenty-one million adults walked for fun, exercise, or transportation and 2,970,000 youth walked, biked, or skated from school one or more times a week.
(b) There are 9,863 licensed professional cyclists who live in California, which is 16 percent of the national total and more than any other state.
(c) Death rates for California bicyclists and pedestrians are much higher than in the United States as a whole.
(d) The Active Transportation Program has had more project applications submitted than available funding every year since it was formed in 2013.

SEC. 2.

 Section 5170 is added to the Vehicle Code, immediately following Section 5168, to read:

5170.
 (a) The Department of Transportation shall apply to the department, pursuant to Section 5156, to sponsor a bicycle pathway license plate program. The department shall issue specialized license plates for that program if the Department of Transportation complies with the requirements of Section 5156.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 5157, the additional fees prescribed by Section 5157 for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of the specialized license plates issued pursuant to this section shall be deposited, after the department deducts its administrative costs, in the State Highway Account in the State Transportation Fund, to be available upon appropriation by the Legislature for the purpose of funding the Active Transportation Program established pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 2380) of Division 3 of the Streets and Highways Code.
(c) The design of the license plates issued under the bicycle pathway license plate program shall be identical, to the extent the department determines it to be reasonably feasible under current manufacturing processes, to the license plate design used by the department between 1982 and 1987, inclusive, that featured blue, orange, and red lettering, a white background, the phrase “Golden State,” and a sunset design.