GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1997

H	3 

HOUSE BILL 1156
Committee Substitute Favorable 5/21/97
Senate Finance Committee Substitute Adopted 8/4/97

Short Title:  March of Dimes/School Tech. Plates.	(Public)

─────────────────────────────────────── 
Sponsors:

─────────────────────────────────────── 
Referred to:  

─────────────────────────────────────── 

April 24, 1997

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATE FOR SUPPORTERS OF THE MARCH OF DIMES AND TO PROVIDE THAT A PORTION OF THE MONEY GENERATED FROM THE SPECIAL PLATE WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE EASTERN CAROLINA CHAPTER OF THE MARCH OF DIMES BIRTH DEFECTS FOUNDATION, TO AUTHORIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIAL PLATE FOR SUPPORTERS OF SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY AND TO PROVIDE THAT A PORTION OF THE MONEY GENERATED FROM THE SPECIAL PLATE WILL BE CREDITED TO THE STATE SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY FUND, AND TO AUTHORIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATE FOR WAR VETERANS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 20-79.4(b) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(14a)	March of Dimes. – 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 the March of Dimes Foundation."
Section 2.  G.S. 20-79.4(b) is amended by adding a new subdivision, to be inserted by the Revisor of Statutes in the appropriate alphabetical place, to read:
"(_)	School Technology. – 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 the public school system in North Carolina."
Section 3.  G.S. 20-79.4(b) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(28a)	War Veteran. – Issuable to a veteran of the armed forces of the United States who served in active federal service during a period of war and who was separated from the armed forces under conditions other than dishonorable.  The Division may not issue the plate authorized by this subdivision for a period of war unless it receives at least 300 applications for a plate for that period.  A ‘period of war' is any of the following:
a.	World War I, which began April 16, 1917, and ended November 11, 1918.
b.	World War II, which began December 7, 1941, and ended December 31, 1946.
c.	The Korean Conflict, which began June 27, 1950, and ended January 31, 1955.
d.	The Vietnam Era, which began August 5, 1964, and ended May 7, 1975.
e.	The Persian Gulf War.
f.	Any other campaign, expedition, or engagement for which the United States Department of Defense authorizes a campaign badge or medal."
Section 4.  G.S. 20-79.7(a) reads as rewritten:
"(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
State Attraction	$30.00
Collegiate Insignia	$25.00
Olympic Games	$25.00
Special Olympics	$25.00
March of Dimes	$20.00
School Technology	$20.00
Wildlife Resources	$20.00
Personalized	$20.00
Active Member of the National Guard	 None
All Other Special Plates	$10.00."
Section 5.  G.S. 20-79.7(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Distribution of Fees. – The Special Registration Plate Account and the Collegiate and Cultural 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 Cultural Attraction Plate Account (CCAPA), and the Natural Heritage Trust Fund (NHTF), which is established under G.S. 113-77.7, as follows:
Special Plate	SRPA	CCAPA	NHTF
Historical Attraction	 $10	 $20	   0
In-State Collegiate Insignia	 $10	 $15	   0
Out-of-state Collegiate Insignia	 $10	   0	 $15
Personalized	 $10	   0	 $10
Special Olympics	 $10	 $15	   0
Olympic Games	 $10	 $15	   0
State Attraction	 $10	 $20	   0
March of Dimes	 $10	 $10	   0
School Technology	 $10	 $10	   0
Wildlife Resources	 $10	 $10	   0
All other Special Plates	 $10	   0	   0."
Section 6.  G.S. 20-81.12 is amended by adding two new subsections to read:
"( b5)	March of Dimes Plates. – The Division must receive 300 or more applications for a March of Dimes plate before the plate may be developed.  The Division shall transfer quarterly the money in the Collegiate and Cultural Attraction Plate Account derived from the sale of March of Dimes plates to the Eastern Carolina Chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.  The Eastern Carolina Chapter shall disperse the revenue proportionately among the Eastern Carolina Chapter, the Western Carolina Chapter, the Greater Triad Chapter, and the Greater Piedmont Chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation based upon the population of the area each Chapter represents.  The money must be used for the prevention of birth defects through local community services and educational programs and through research and development.
(b6)	School Technology Plates. – The Division must receive 300 or more applications for a School Technology plate before the plate may be developed.  The Division shall transfer quarterly the money in the Collegiate and Cultural Attraction Plate Account derived from the sale of School Technology plates to the State School Technology Fund, which is established under G.S. 115C-102.6D."
Section 7.  G.S. 115C-102.6D(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	There is established under the control and direction of the State Board of Education the State School Technology Fund.  This fund shall be a nonreverting special revenue fund consisting of any monies appropriated to it by the General Assembly and any monies credited to it under G.S. 20-81.12 from the sale of School Technology special license plates."
Section 8.  S.L. 1997-339 is repealed.
Section 9.  This act is effective when it becomes law.