law16355

Chapter 355

2016 -- H 7269
Enacted 07/06/2016

A N A C T

RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES

Introduced By: Representatives Lima, Hull, Bennett, Fogarty, and Gallison

Date Introduced: January 21, 2016

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 31-3 of the General Laws entitled "Registration of Vehicles" is

hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

31-3-104105. Special plate for Rhode Island private colleges and universities. -- (a)

The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor

vehicle registration plates for passenger vehicles based upon the various independent, nonprofit

institutions of higher education (Brown University, Bryant University, Johnson & Wales

University, New England Institute of Technology, Providence College, Rhode Island School of

Design, Roger Williams University, and/or Salve Regina University).

(b) The special plate(s) shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to

the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of, and in the same manner as, the

registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be

removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration

certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with §31-3-9. The

registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plates.

be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed in conjunction with the

division of motor vehicles, with design approval by the Rhode Island state police.

(d) Each independent, higher-education-institution plate shall be subject to a minimum

prepaid order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per institution per plate type (i.e.

passenger, commercial, etc.). The respective independent, higher-education-institution plate shall

not be issued unless the minimum-order requirements are met by the requesting institution. The

initial order will be handled by the president of the Association of Independent Colleges and

Universities of Rhode Island (AICU RI), or his or her designee, and shall not be submitted to the

division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order has been met and the proper

paperwork submitted to the division. The AICU RI president, or his or her designee, will act as

program coordinator and point of contact for the division of motor vehicles. Subsequent

independent, higher-education institution plate orders will be handled by the division of motor

vehicles.

(e) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall develop prepayment

procedures and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, independent,

higher-education-institution plates shall be subject to a forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: twenty

dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00)

shall be distributed annually to the respective independent higher education institution as a

nonprofit educational institution based in Rhode Island.

(h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals will go to the

respective independent, higher-education institution.

(i) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of independent, higher-education

institution plates.

(j) Any respective independent, higher-education institution not pursuing or not reaching

the minimum prepaid order of plates, as outlined in subsection (d), within thirty-six (36) months

after this section is enacted, will not be eligible to obtain special motor vehicle registration plates

as outlined above, absent further action of the general assembly.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

========

LC004065

========