A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to add A "National/state mottos" REGISTRATION plate as another option for registration plates that are furnished by the Division of motor vehicles for a private passenger vehicle and to conditionally appropriate funds to the division of motor vehicles to be distributed to The Soldiers & Airmen Assistance Fund, Inc., a nonprofit organization.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

dmv is authorized to Add new "National/state mottos" registration plate
SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 20‑63 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20‑63.  Registration plates furnished by Division; requirements; replacement of regular plates with First in Flight plates, First in Freedom plates, or National/State Mottos plates; surrender and reissuance; displaying; preservation and cleaning; alteration or concealment of numbers; commission contracts for issuance.
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(b)	Every license plate must display the registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it is issued, the name of the State of North Carolina, which may be abbreviated, and the year number for which it is issued or the date of expiration. A plate issued for a commercial vehicle, as defined in G.S. 20‑4.2(1), and weighing 26,001 pounds or more, must bear the word "commercial," unless the plate is a special registration plate authorized in G.S. 20‑79.4 or the commercial vehicle is a trailer or is licensed for 6,000 pounds or less. The plate issued for vehicles licensed for 7,000 pounds through 26,000 pounds must bear the word "weighted," unless the plate is a special registration plate authorized in G.S. 20‑79.4.
A registration plate issued by the Division for a private passenger vehicle or for a private hauler vehicle licensed for 6,000 pounds or less shall be, at the option of the owner, either (i) a "First in Flight" plate, (ii) a "First in Freedom" plate, or (iii) a "National/State Mottos" plate. A "First in Flight" plate shall have the words "First in Flight" printed at the top of the plate above all other letters and numerals. The background of the "First in Flight" plate shall depict the Wright Brothers biplane flying over Kitty Hawk Beach, with the plane flying slightly upward and to the right. A "First in Freedom" plate shall have the words "First in Freedom" printed at the top of the plate above all other letters and numerals. The background of the "First in Freedom" plate may include an image chosen by the Division that is representative of the Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775 or the Halifax Resolves of 1776. A "National/State Mottos" plate shall (i) be a white plate, (ii) have above all other letters and numerals the motto of the United States "In God We Trust" printed in gold lettering over a background containing the American flag, (iii) have the letters and numerals of the plate number in dark blue lettering, (iv) have below the plate number "North Carolina" printed in light blue bold Arial Black capitalized font, and (v) have at the bottom of the plate the State motto "To Be Rather Than To Seem" printed in dark blue lettering matching the North Carolina flag and italicized.
(b1)	The following special registration plates do not have to be a "First in Flight" plate, "First in Freedom" plate, or "National/State Mottos" plate as provided in subsection (b) of this section. The design of the plates that are not "First in Flight" plates, "First in Freedom" plates, or "National/State Mottos" plate must be developed in accordance with G.S. 20‑79.4(a3). For special plates authorized in G.S. 20‑79.7 on or after July 1, 2013, the Division may not issue the plate on a background under this subsection unless it receives the required number of applications set forth in G.S. 20‑79.3A(a).
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SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 20‑79(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Form and Duration. – A dealer license plate is subject to G.S. 20‑63, except for the requirement that the plate display the registration number of a motor vehicle and the requirement that the plate be a "First in Flight" plate, a "First in Freedom" plate, or a "National/State Mottos" plate. A dealer license plate must have a distinguishing symbol identifying the plate as a dealer license plate. The symbol may vary depending upon the classification of dealer license plate issued. The Division must provide suitably reduced sized license plates for motorcycle dealers and manufacturers.
A dealer license plate is issued for a period of one year. The Division shall vary the expiration dates of dealer registration renewals so that an approximately equal number expires at the end of each month, quarter, or other period consisting of one or more months. A dealer license plate may be transferred from one vehicle to another. When the Division issues a dealer plate, it may issue a registration that expires at the end of any monthly interval. When one of the following occurs, a dealer must surrender to the Division all dealer license plates issued to the dealer:
(1)	The dealer surrenders the license issued to the dealer under Article 12 of this Chapter.
(2)	The Division suspends or revokes the license issued to the dealer under Article 12 of this Chapter.
(3)	The Division rescinds the dealer license plates because of a violation of the restrictions on the use of a dealer license plate.
To obtain a dealer license plate after it has been surrendered, the dealer must file a new application for a dealer license plate and pay the required fee for the plate."
SECTION 1.(c)  G.S. 20‑79.02(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Form and Duration. – An LD license plate is subject to G.S. 20‑63, except for the requirement that the plate display the registration number of a motor vehicle and the requirement that the plate be a "First in Flight" plate, "First in Freedom" plate, or a "National/State Mottos" plate. An LD license plate must have a distinguishing symbol identifying the plate as an LD license plate. Subject to the limitations in this section, an LD license plate may continue in existence perpetually and may be transferred to other vehicles in the dealer's loaner fleet when the vehicle on which the LD license plate is displayed has been sold or leased to a third party or otherwise removed from the dealer's loaner fleet."
SECTION 1.(d)  G.S. 20‑79.2(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Form, Duration, and Transfer. – A transporter plate is subject to G.S. 20‑63, except for the requirement that the plate display the registration number of a motor vehicle and the requirement that the plate be a "First in Flight" plate, a "First in Freedom" plate, or a "National/State Mottos" plate. A transporter plate shall have a distinguishing symbol identifying the plate as a transporter plate. The symbol may vary depending upon the classification of transporter plate issued. A transporter plate is issued for a period of one year. The Division shall vary the expiration dates of transporter registration renewals so that an approximately equal number expires at the end of each month, quarter, or other period consisting of one or more months. When the Division issues a transporter plate, it may issue a registration that expires at the end of any monthly interval. During the year for which it is issued, a business or dealer may transfer a transporter plate from one vehicle to another as long as the vehicle is driven only for a purpose authorized by subsection (a) of this section. The Division must rescind a transporter plate that is displayed on a motor vehicle driven for a purpose that is not authorized by subsection (a) of this section."

appropriate highway funds to dmv to Distribute to nonprofit
SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding G.S. 143C‑5‑2, if for any fiscal year the amount of special plate fees distributed pursuant to G.S. 20‑81.12(b31) from the Collegiate and Cultural Attraction Plate Account to The Soldiers & Airmen Assistance Fund, Inc., a nonprofit organization, are below the sum of eighty thousand dollars ($80,000), there is appropriated from the Highway Fund to the Division of Motor Vehicles to be distributed to The Soldiers & Airmen Assistance Fund funds equal to the difference. These funds are for the purpose of helping provide assistance to the families of North Carolina National Guardsmen who have been activated and deployed in federal service.

effective date
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2018.