GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 69

Short Title:  Plates for VFD/Rescue Squads.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Representatives Bowman; Gottovi, Mercer, Russell, and Wood.
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Referred to:  Judiciary III.
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February 14, 1991

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE SEMIPERMANENT REGISTRATION PLATES FOR MEMBERS OF VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND RESCUE SQUADS.
Whereas, members of North Carolina Volunteer Fire Departments and Rescue Squads (over 1200 groups and 44,000 individuals) risk their lives in service of their communities; and
Whereas, members of North Carolina Volunteer Fire Departments and North Carolina Rescue Squads spend their time in community service without pay; and
Whereas, members of North Carolina Volunteer Fire Departments and North Carolina Rescue Squads spend their personal funds for travel to fight fires and to rescue people who are stricken or in accidents; and
Whereas, members of North Carolina Volunteer Fire Departments and North Carolina Rescue Squads have to pay ten dollars ($10.00) extra per year to obtain a motor vehicle registration plate noting their fire or rescue service, and as a result only approximately two percent (2%) purchase the distinguishing registration plates; and
Whereas, it is estimated that approximately thirty percent (30%) of eligible members of North Carolina Volunteer Fire Departments and North Carolina Rescue Squads would purchase distinguishing registration plates they were issued on a semipermanent basis, providing for an increase in revenue for the State; Now, therefore, 
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 20-81.7(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Every owner of a private passenger motor vehicle or pickup truck not exceeding a gross weight of 4,000 pounds, who is an active, regular, and volunteer member of a fire department or rescue squad, upon payment of registration and licensing fees for such vehicle as required by law and an additional fee of ten dollars ($10.00), shall be issued license plates of the same form and character as other license plates now or hereinafter authorized by law to be issued upon such vehicles except that such license plates shall in addition bear on the face thereof the following words: either 'fireman', 'rescue squad' or 'fireman-rescue squad.'  Special registration plates issued pursuant to this section shall be valid for five years and shall be renewed through the use of annual renewal stickers in the same manner as regular registration plates are renewed without the payment of any annual fee for the specialized plate.  When the holder of a special registration plate issued pursuant to this section becomes ineligible for it he shall exchange the plate for a regular plate within 30 days."
Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1991.