GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	2 

SENATE BILL 161
Second Edition Engrossed 3/17/93

Short Title:  Special/Multiyear Plate Changes.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senators Kerr, Plexico, Seymour, Winner of Buncombe; and Forrester.
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Referred to:  Finance.
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February 15, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ALLOW ALL TRAILERS TO OBTAIN MULTIYEAR LICENSE PLATES, TO ALLOW OWNERS OF HORSELESS CARRIAGES TO OBTAIN MULTIYEAR LICENSE PLATES, TO CLARIFY THE DEFINITION OF SEMITRAILER, AND TO MAKE TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES TO THE LAWS CONCERNING SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 20-88(c) reads as rewritten:
	"(c) The fee for a trailer is ten dollars ($10.00) for each year or part of a year.  The fee is payable on or before January 1 of each year.  Upon the application of the owner of a trailer, the Division may issue a multiyear plate and registration card for the trailer for a fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00).  A multiyear plate and registration card for a trailer are valid until the owner transfers the trailer to another person or surrenders the plate and registration card to the Division.  A multiyear plate may not be transferred to another vehicle.
The Division shall issue a multiyear trailer plate in a different color than an annual trailer plate and shall include the word 'multiyear' on the plate.  The Division may not issue a multiyear plate for a house trailer."
Sec. 2.  G.S. 20-4.01(31)d. and e. read as rewritten:
"d.	Semitrailers. –Trailers that, by means of a kingpin, are attached at their front end to the device of a fifth wheel supplied by a truck tractor or by converter gear.
e.	Trailers. – Vehicles without motive power designed for carrying property or persons and to be drawn by a motor vehicle, including 'pole trailers' or a pair of wheels used primarily to balance a load rather than for purposes of transportation."
Sec. 3.  G.S. 20-79.4(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Types. –  The Division shall issue the following types of special registration plates:
(1)	Administrative Officer of the Courts. – Issuable to the Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'J-20'.
(2)	Amateur Radio Operator. – Issuable to an amateur radio operator who holds an unexpired and unrevoked amateur radio license issued by the Federal Communications Commission and who asserts to the Division that a portable transceiver is carried in the vehicle.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'Amateur Radio.'  The plate shall bear the operator's official amateur radio call letters, or call letters with numerical or letter suffixes so that an owner of more than one vehicle may have the call letters on each.
(3)	Civil Air Patrol Member. – Issuable to an active member of the North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'Civil Air Patrol'.  A plate issued to an officer member shall begin with the number '201' and the number shall reflect the seniority of the member; a plate issued to an enlisted member, a senior member, or a cadet member shall begin with the number '501'.
(4)	Class D Citizen's Radio Station Operator. – Issuable to a Class D citizen's radio station operator licensed by the Federal Communications Commission.  The plate shall bear the operator's official Class D citizen's radio station call letters.
(5)	Clerk of Superior Court. – Issuable to a clerk of superior court.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'Clerk Superior Court' and the letter 'C' followed by a number that indicates the county the clerk serves.
(6)	Coast Guard Auxiliary Member. – Issuable to an active member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'Coast Guard Auxiliary'.
(6a)	Collegiate Insignia Plate. – Issuable to the registered owner of a motor vehicle in accordance with G.S. 20-81.12.  The plate may bear a phrase or an insignia representing a public or private college or university.
(7)	Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. – Issuable to a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
(8)	Disabled Veteran. – Issuable to a veteran of the armed forces of the United States who suffered a 100% service-connected disability.
(9)	District Attorney. – Issuable to a North Carolina or United States District Attorney.  The plate issuable to a North Carolina district attorney shall bear the letters 'DA' followed by a number that represents the prosecutorial district the district attorney serves.  The plate for a United States attorney shall bear the phrase 'U.S. Attorney' followed by a number that represents the district the attorney serves, with 1 being the Eastern District, 2 being the Middle District, and 3 being the Western District.
(10)	Fire Department or Rescue Squad Member. – Issuable to an active regular member or volunteer member of a fire department, rescue squad, or both a fire department and rescue squad.  The plate shall bear the words 'Firefighter', 'Rescue Squad', or 'Firefighter-Rescue Squad'.
(11)	Historic Vehicle Owner. – Issuable for a motor vehicle that is at least 35 years old measured from the date of manufacture.  The plate for a vehicle that is 35 to 50 years old shall bear the phrase 'Antique'.  The plate for a vehicle that is at least 50 years old shall bear the phrase 'Horseless Carriage'.  A plate issued under this subdivision for a horseless carriage may be an annual plate or a multiyear plate.  A multiyear plate is valid until the vehicle's owner transfers the vehicle to another person or surrenders the plate to the Division.  A multiyear plate may not be transferred to another vehicle.
(11a)	Historical Attraction Plate. – Issuable to the registered owner of a motor vehicle in accordance with G.S. 20-81.12.  The plate may bear a phrase or an insignia representing a publicly owned or nonprofit historical attraction located in North Carolina.
(12)	Honorary Plate. – Issuable to a member of the Honorary Consular Corps, who has been certified by the U. S. State Department, the plate shall bear the words 'Honorary Consular Corps' and a distinguishing number based on the order of issuance.
(13)	Judge or Justice. – Issuable to a sitting or retired judge or justice in accordance with G.S. 20-79.6.
(14)	Legislator. – Issuable to a member of the North Carolina General Assembly.  The plate shall bear the words 'Senate' or 'State House' followed by the Senator's or Representative's assigned seat number.
(15)	Marshal. – Issuable to a United States Marshal.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'U.S. Marshal' followed by a number that represents the district the Marshal serves, with 1 being the Eastern District, 2 being the Middle District, and 3 being the Western District.
(16)	Military Reservist. – Issuable to a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States.  The plate shall bear the name and insignia of the appropriate reserve component.  Plates shall be numbered sequentially for members of a component with the numbers 1 through 5000 reserved for officers, without regard to rank.
(16a)	Military Retiree. – Issuable to an individual who has retired from the armed forces of the United States.  The plate shall bear the word 'Retired' and the name and insignia of the branch of service from which the individual retired.  The Division may not issue the plate authorized by this subdivision unless it receives at least 300 applications for the plate.
(17)	National Guard Member. – Issuable to an active or a retired member of the North Carolina National Guard.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'National Guard'.  A plate issued to an active member shall bear a number that reflects the seniority of the member; a plate issued to a commissioned officer shall begin with the number '1'; a plate issued to a noncommissioned officer with a rank of E7, E8, or E9 shall begin with the number '1601'; a plate issued to an enlisted member with a rank of E6 or below shall begin with the number '3001'.  The plate issued to a retired or separated member shall indicate the member's retired status.
(18)	Partially Disabled Veteran. – Issuable to a veteran of the armed forces of the United States who suffered a service connected disability of less than 100%.
(19)	Pearl Harbor Survivor. – Issuable to a veteran of the armed forces of the United States who was present at and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  The plate will bear the phrase 'Pearl Harbor Survivor' and the insignia of the Pearl Harbor Survivors' Association.
(20)	Personalized. – Issuable to the registered owner of a motor vehicle.  The plate will bear the letters or letters and numbers requested by the owner.  The Division may refuse to issue a plate with a letter combination that is offensive to good taste and decency.  The Division may not issue a plate that duplicates another plate.
(21)	Prisoner of War. – Issuable to the following:
a.	A member or veteran member of the armed forces of the United States who has been captured and held prisoner by forces hostile to the United States while serving in the armed forces.
b.	The surviving spouse of a person who had a prisoner of war plate at the time of death so long as the surviving spouse continues to renew the plate and does not remarry.
(22)	Purple Heart Recipient. – Issuable to a recipient of the Purple Heart award.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'Purple Heart Veteran, Combat Wounded' and the letters 'PH'.
(23)	State Government Official. – Issuable to elected and appointed members of State government in accordance with G.S. 20-79.5.
(24)	Street Rod Owner. – Issuable to the registered owner of a modernized private passenger motor vehicle manufactured prior to the year 1949 or designed to resemble a vehicle manufactured prior to the year 1949.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'Street Rod'.  The Division may not issue the plate authorized by this subdivision unless it receives at least 300 applications for the plate.
(25)	Transportation Personnel. – Issuable to various members of the Divisions of the Department of Transportation.  The plate shall bear the letters 'DOT' followed by a number from 1 to 85, as designated by the Governor.
(26)	U.S. Representative. – Issuable to a United States Representative for North Carolina.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'U.S. House' and shall be issued on the basis of Congressional district numbers.
(27)	U.S. Senator. – Issuable to a United States Senator for North Carolina.  The plates shall bear the phrase 'U.S. Senate' and shall be issued on the basis of seniority represented by the numbers 1 and 2."
Sec. 4.  G.S. 20-79.7 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20-79.7.  Fees for special registration plates and distribution of the fees.
(a)	Fees. – Upon request, the Division shall provide and issue free of charge one registration plate to a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, a 100% disabled veteran, and an ex-prisoner of war.  All other special registration plates are subject to the regular motor vehicle registration fee in G.S. 20-87 or G.S. 20-88 plus an additional fee in the following amount:
Special Plate	Additional Fee Amount
	Historical Attraction	$30.00
Collegiate Insignia	$25.00
Personalized	$20.00
	Historic Vehicle – Annual	$10.00
Historic Vehicle – Multiyear	$75.00
Active Member of the National Guard	 None
All Other Special Plates	$10.00.
(b)	Distribution of Fees. – The Special Registration Plate Account and the Collegiate and Historical Attraction Plate Account are established within the Highway Fund.  The Division must credit the additional fee imposed for the special registration plates listed in subsection (a) among the Special Registration Plate Account (SRPA), the Collegiate and Historical Attraction Plate Account (CHAPA), and the Recreation and Natural Heritage Trust Fund (RNHTF), which is established under G.S. 113-77.7, as follows:
			Special Plate	SRPA	CHAPA	RNHTF
Historical Attraction	 $10	 $20	   0
In-State Collegiate Insignia	 $10	 $15	   0
Out-of-state Collegiate Insignia	 $10	   0	 $15
Personalized	 $10	   0	 $10
Historic Vehicle – Annual 	 $10	   0	   0
Historic Vehicle – Multiyear	 $75	   0	   0
All other Special Plates	 $10	   0	   0.
(c)	Use of Funds in Special Registration Plate Account. – The Division shall deduct the costs of special registration plates, including the costs of issuing, handling, and advertising the availability of the special plates, from the Special Registration Plate Account.  The Division shall transfer the remaining revenue in the Account quarterly as follows:
(1)	Thirty-three percent (33%) to the account of the Department of Economic and Community Development to aid in financing out-of-state print and other media advertising under the program for the promotion of travel and industrial development in this State.
(2)	Fifty percent (50%) to the Department of Transportation to be used solely for the purpose of beautification of highways other than those designated as interstate. These funds shall be administered by the Department of Transportation for beautification purposes not inconsistent with good landscaping and engineering principles.
(3)	Seventeen percent (17%) to the account of the Department of Human Resources to promote travel accessibility for disabled persons in this State.  These funds shall be used to collect and update site information on travel attractions designated by the Department of Economic and Community Development in its publications, to provide technical assistance to travel attractions concerning accommodation of disabled tourists, and to develop, print, and promote the publication ACCESS NORTH CAROLINA as provided in G.S.168-2.  Any funds allocated for these purposes that are neither spent nor obligated at the end of the fiscal year shall be transferred to the Department of Administration for removal of man-made barriers to disabled travelers at State-funded travel attractions.  Guidelines for the removal of man-made barriers shall be developed in consultation with the Department of Human Resources."
Sec. 5.  G.S. 105-330.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 105-330.1.  Classification of motor vehicles.
All motor vehicles, except (i)	motor vehicles exempt from registration pursuant to G.S. 20-51, (ii) manufactured homes, mobile classrooms, and mobile offices, (iii) trailers or historic vehicles registered on a multiyear basis, and (iv) motor vehicles owned by a public service company or leased by a public service company and included in the company's system property under G.S. 105-335, are hereby designated a special class of property under authority of Article V, Sec. 2(2) of the North Carolina Constitution.  Classified motor vehicles shall be listed and assessed as provided in this Article and taxes on classified motor vehicles shall be collected as provided in this Article."
Sec. 6.  Sections 3, 4, and 5 of this act become effective July 1, 1993; Section 5 applies to vehicles registered or reregistered on or after that date.  The remaining sections of this act are effective upon ratification.