Chapter 463
2016 -- S 2240
Enacted 07/11/2016

A N   A C T
RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES - REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES -- SPECIAL PLATE IN HONOR OF CÉSAR E. CHÁVEZ

Introduced By: Senators Pichardo, Goodwin, Gallo, Crowley, and Metts
Date Introduced: January 27, 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:
     31-3-104. Special plate in honor of César E. Chávez. -- (a) The administrator of the
division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor-vehicle-registration
plates in honor of César E. Chávez. The plate shall be designed to reference the "César E. Chávez
Committee of Rhode Island" and shall bear the seal of the state imprinted on it.
     (b) The special plate 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 plate.
     (c) The César E. Chávez motor-vehicle plates shall 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) The César E. Chávez motor-vehicle plates shall be subject to a minimum prepaid
order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.).
The César E. Chávez motor-vehicle plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order(s)
requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the César E. Chávez Committee of
Rhode Island, and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the
minimum order(s) have been met and the proper paperwork submitted to the division.
     (e) The administrator 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, the César E.
Chávez plates shall be subject to a forty-dollar issuance ($40.00) surcharge.
     (g) The forty-dollar issuance ($40.00) 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 César E. Chávez Scholarship Fund with the Rhode Island
Foundation.
     (h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated
to the César E. Chávez Scholarship Fund with the Rhode Island Foundation.
     (i) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of César E. Chávez motor-vehicle
plates.
     (j) The César E. Chávez Committee of Rhode Island will be required to submit an annual
accounting report before such monies are distributed.
     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC003222
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