AN ACT
RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES; ENACTING A
DESCRIPTION OF AND REQUIREMENTS FOR A STANDARDIZED SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATE;
DESIGNATING A STANDARDIZED SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATE WITH A LOGO FOR ARMED
FORCES RETIREES; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF
THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. A new section of the Motor Vehicle Code,
Section 66-3-424 NMSA 1978, is enacted to read:
"66-3-424. STANDARDIZED SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATES WITH
LOGOS.--
A. Standardized special registration plates with
logos may be authorized by statute to show state support for worthy public
purposes. The authorizing statute shall
provide for collection of fees that, at a minimum, will cover the costs to the
division of development, manufacture and issuance of the special registration
plates and logos.
B. Standardized special registration plates, on
the standardized areas, shall:
(1) display the colors of the state flag, red
lettering on a yellow background;
(2) display the phrases "New Mexico
USA" and "Land of Enchantment";
(3) provide a space for applying the special
registration logo, centered at the left edge of the plate, between the
attachment holes, beginning one-fourth inch in from the edge of the plate and
having the following dimensions: four
and one-eighth inches in height and three and one-eighth inches in width; and
(4) provide a vehicle registration number, to be
assigned by the division, that consists of five alphanumeric characters
displayed to the right of the special logo area.
C. Special registration logos, except for the
standard dimension specified in Paragraph (3) of Subsection B of this section,
shall be left to the design discretion of the division, in consultation with
the public purpose interest group that requests the special registration plate.
D. Standardized special registration plates with
logos, when authorized by statute for a particular public purpose interest
group, shall meet the requirements specified in this subsection prior to plate
issuance by the division. The public
purpose interest group, no later than the effective date of the authorizing statute:
(1) shall provide evidence acceptable to the
division that it will generate a minimum number of prepaid applications as
determined by the division for the special registration plate with logo;
(2) shall provide a prepayment to the division in
an amount sufficient to cover the plate and logo cost of the initial order;
(3) shall provide a sample of the requested
artwork design in a format specified by the plate manufacturer for the
specialized logo; and
(4) in cases where the authorizing statute
includes revenue-sharing with distribution directed to a particular group or
fund, shall show that the recipient is a governmental entity or a fund
authorized for the use of a governmental entity.
E. The division may promulgate rules for
implementation of the provisions of this section."
Section 2. A new section of the Motor Vehicle Code,
Section 66-3-424.1 NMSA 1978, is enacted to read:
"66-3-424.1. SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATES FOR ARMED FORCES
RETIREES.--
A. The department shall issue a standardized
special registration plate with a logo specified in Section 66-3-424 NMSA 1978
indicating that the recipient is a retiree of the armed forces of the United
States, if that person submits proof satisfactory to the department of
retirement from the armed forces.
B. For a fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00), which
shall be in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fees, any motor
vehicle owner who is a retiree of the armed forces of the United States may
apply for the issuance of a special registration plate as defined in Subsection
A of this section. No two owners shall
be issued identically lettered or numbered plates.
C. The fifteen-dollar ($15.00) fee provided for
in Subsection B of this section shall be waived for each registration period in
which a validating sticker is issued under the provisions of Section 66-3-17
NMSA 1978, in lieu of the issuance of a special armed forces retiree
plate.
D. The
revenue from the special registration plates for the armed forces retirees' fee
imposed by Subsection B of this section shall be distributed as follows:
(1) seven dollars ($7.00) of the fee collected
for each registration plate shall be retained by the department and is
appropriated to the department for the manufacture and issuance of the
registration plates; and
(2) eight dollars ($8.00) of the fee collected
for each registration plate shall be paid to the state treasurer for credit to
the motor vehicle suspense fund for distribution in accordance with Section
66-6-23 NMSA 1978."
Section 3. Section 66-6-23 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1978,
Chapter 35, Section 358, as amended) is amended to read:
"66-6-23. DISPOSITION OF FEES.--
A. After the necessary disbursements for refunds
and other purposes have been made, the money remaining in the motor vehicle
suspense fund, except for remittances received within the previous two months
that are unidentified as to source or disposition, shall be distributed as
follows:
(1) to each municipality, county or fee agent operating
a motor vehicle field office:
(a) an amount equal to six dollars ($6.00) per
driver's license and three dollars ($3.00) per identification card or motor
vehicle or motorboat registration or title transaction performed; and
(b) for each such agent determined by the
secretary pursuant to Section 66-2-16 NMSA 1978 to have performed ten thousand
or more transactions in the preceding fiscal year, other than a class A county
with a population exceeding three hundred thousand or any municipality with a population
exceeding three hundred thousand that has been designated as an agent pursuant
to Section 66-2-14.1 NMSA 1978, an amount equal to one dollar ($1.00) in
addition to the amount distributed pursuant to Subparagraph (a) of this
paragraph for each driver's license, identification card, motor vehicle
registration, motorboat registration or title transaction performed;
(2) to each municipality or county, other than a
class A county with a population exceeding three hundred thousand or a
municipality with a population exceeding three hundred thousand designated as
an agent pursuant to Section 66-2-14.1 NMSA 1978, operating a motor vehicle
field office, an amount equal to fifty cents ($.50) for each administrative
service fee remitted by that county or municipality to the department pursuant
to the provisions of Subsection A of Section 66-2-16 NMSA 1978;
(3) to the state road fund:
(a) an amount equal to the fees collected
pursuant to Section 66-7-413.4 NMSA 1978;
(b) an amount equal to the fee collected pursuant
to Section 66-3-417 NMSA 1978;
(c) the remainder of each driver's license fee
collected by the department employees from an applicant to whom a license is
granted after deducting from the driver's license fee the amount of the
distribution authorized in Paragraph (1) of this subsection with respect to
that collected driver's license fee; and
(d) an amount equal to fifty percent of the fees
collected pursuant to Section 66-6-19 NMSA 1978;
(4) to the local governments road fund, the
amount of the fees collected pursuant to Subsection B of Section 66-5-33.1 NMSA
1978 and the remainder of the fees collected pursuant to Subsection A of
Section 66-5-408 NMSA 1978;
(5) to the department:
(a) any amounts reimbursed to the department
pursuant to Subsection C of Section 66-2-14.1 NMSA 1978;
(b) an amount equal to two dollars ($2.00) of
each motorcycle registration fee collected pursuant to Section 66-6-1 NMSA
1978;
(c) an amount equal to the fees provided for in
Subsection D of Section 66-2-7 NMSA 1978, Subsection E of Section 66-2-16 NMSA
1978, Subsections J and K of Section 66-3-6 NMSA 1978 other than the
administrative fee, Subsection C of Section 66-5-44 NMSA 1978 and Subsection B
of Section 66-5-408 NMSA 1978;
(d) the amounts due to the department pursuant to
Paragraph (1) of Subsection E of Section 66-3-419 NMSA 1978, Subsection E of
Section 66-3-422 NMSA 1978, Subsection E of Section 66-3-423 NMSA 1978 and
Paragraph (1) of Subsection D of Section 66-3-424.1 NMSA 1978; and
(e) an amount equal to the registration fees
collected pursuant to Section 66-6-6.1 NMSA 1978 for the purposes of enforcing
the provisions of the Mandatory Financial Responsibility Act and for creating
and maintaining a multilanguage noncommercial driver's license testing program;
(6) to each New Mexico institution of higher
education, an amount equal to that part of the fees distributed pursuant to
Paragraph (2) of Subsection D of Section 66-3-416 NMSA 1978 proportionate to
the number of special registration plates issued in the name of the institution
to all such special registration plates issued in the name of all institutions;
(7) to the armed forces veterans license fund,
the amount to be distributed pursuant to Paragraph (2) of Subsection E of
Section 66-3-419 NMSA 1978;
(8) to the children's trust fund, the amount to
be distributed pursuant to Paragraph (2) of Subsection D of Section 66-3-420
NMSA 1978;
(9) to the state highway and transportation
department, an amount equal to the fees collected pursuant to Section 66-5-35
NMSA 1978;
(10) to the state equalization guarantee
distribution made annually pursuant to the general appropriation act, an amount
equal to one hundred percent of the driver safety fee collected pursuant to
Subsection D of Section 66-5-44 NMSA 1978;
(11) to the motorcycle training fund, two dollars
($2.00) of each motorcycle registration fee collected pursuant to Section
66-6-1 NMSA 1978;
(12) to the highway infrastructure fund, all tire
recycling fees collected pursuant to the provisions of Sections 66-6-1, 66-6-2,
66-6-4, 66-6-5 and 66-6-8 NMSA 1978;
(13) to each county, an amount equal to fifty
percent of the fees collected pursuant to Section 66‑6‑19 NMSA 1978
multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the total mileage of public
roads maintained by the county and the denominator of which is the total
mileage of public roads maintained by all counties in the state; and
(14) to the litter control and beautification
fund, an amount equal to the fees collected pursuant to Section 66-6-6.2 NMSA
1978.
B. The balance, exclusive of unidentified
remittances, shall be distributed in accordance with
Section 66-6-23.1 NMSA 1978.
C. If any of the paragraphs, subsections or
sections referred to in Subsection A of this section are recompiled or
otherwise re-designated without a corresponding change to Subsection A of this
section, the reference in Subsection A of this section shall be construed to be
the recompiled or re-designated paragraph, subsection or section."
Section 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.--Except for Section 1 of this
act, the effective date of the provisions of this act is January 1, 2004. The effective date of the provisions of
Section 1 of this act is July 1, 2003.
HB 75
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