Authorizes creation of "Sons of the American Legion" license plates.

A4429

ASSEMBLY, No. 4429

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� AURA K. DUNN

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

Assemblywoman� ROSAURA "ROSY" BAGOLIE

District 27 (Essex and Passaic)

Assemblyman� WILLIAM F. MOEN, JR.

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Fantasia and Assemblyman Scharfenberger

SYNOPSIS

���� Authorizes creation of �Sons of the American Legion�
license plates.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning the creation of special Sons of the American
Legion license plates and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.�� Upon proper
application, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
shall issue Sons of the American Legion license plates for any motor vehicle
owned or leased and registered in the State. �In addition to the registration
number and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law, the
license plate shall display appropriate words or a slogan and an emblem
representative of the Sons of the American Legion. �The chief administrator
shall select the design, including an emblem and color scheme, in consultation
with the Sons of the American Legion Detachment of New Jersey.� Sons of the
American Legion license plates shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3
of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, except as hereinafter otherwise
specifically provided.

���� b.��� Application for issuance
of Sons of the American Legion license plates shall be made to the chief
administrator on forms and in a manner prescribed by the chief administrator.�
In order to be deemed complete, an application shall be accompanied by a fee of
$50, payable to the commission, which shall be in addition to the fees
otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle.

���� The chief administrator shall
collect annually, subsequent to the year of issuance of the Sons of the
American Legion license plates, a $10 fee for the license plates in addition to
the fees otherwise prescribed by law for the registration of a motor vehicle. �The
additional fees required by this subsection shall be deposited in the �Sons of
the American Legion License Plate Fund� created pursuant to subsection c. of
this section.

���� c.���� There is created in the
Department of the Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the �Sons
of the American Legion License Plate Fund.� There shall be deposited in the
fund the amount collected from all license plate fees collected pursuant to
subsection b. of this section, less the amounts necessary to reimburse the
commission for the administrative costs pursuant to subsection d. of this
section.� Monies deposited in the fund shall be appropriated annually to the Sons
of the American Legion Detachment of New Jersey.� Monies deposited in the fund
shall be held in interest bearing accounts in public depositories as defined
pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1970, c.236 (C.17:9-41), and may be invested or
reinvested in such securities as are approved by the State Treasurer.� Interest
or other income earned on monies deposited in the fund, and any monies which
may be appropriated or otherwise become available for the purposes of the fund,
shall be credited to and deposited in the fund for use as set forth in this
section.

���� d.��� Prior to the deposit of
the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section into
the �Sons of the American Legion License Plate Fund,� amounts thereof as are
necessary shall be used to reimburse the commission for all costs reasonably
and actually incurred, as stipulated by the chief administrator, for:

���� (1)�� designing, producing,
issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of� the Sons of the
American Legion license plates; and

���� (2)�� any computer programming
changes that may be initially necessary to implement the Sons of the American
Legion license plate program in an amount not to exceed $150,000.

���� The chief administrator shall
annually certify to the State Treasurer the average cost per license plate
incurred in the immediately preceding year by the commission in producing,
issuing, renewing, and publicizing the availability of the Sons of the American
Legion license plates. �The annual certification of the average cost per
license plate shall be approved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its
successor.

���� In the event that the average
cost per license plate as certified by the chief administrator and approved by
the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor, is greater than the $50
application fee established in subsection b. of this section in two consecutive
fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance of Sons of
the American Legion license plates.�

���� e.���� The chief administrator
shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain Sons of the
American Legion license plates by publicizing the availability of the license
plates on the website of the commission.� The Sons of the American Legion
Detachment of New Jersey, and any other individual or entity designated by the
organization, may publicize the availability of the license plates in any
manner the organization deems appropriate.

���� f.���� The chief administrator
and the Detachment Commander of the Sons of the American Legion Detachment of
New Jersey shall develop and enter into a memorandum of agreement setting forth
the procedures to be followed in carrying out their respective responsibilities
under P.L. ,
(C. ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill).

���� g.��� The Detachment Commander
of the Sons of the American Legion Detachment of New Jersey shall appoint a
representative who shall act as a liaison between the organization and the
commission. �The liaison shall represent the organization in any and all
communications with the commission regarding the license plates established by P.L. ,
(C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

���� 2.��� a.�� State or public
funds shall not be used by the commission for the initial cost of:

���� (1)�� designing, producing,
issuing, and publicizing the availability of Sons of the American Legion
license plates; or

���� (2)�� any computer programming
changes which may be necessary to implement the Sons of the American Legion
license plate program established by P.L. ,
(C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

���� b.��� The Sons of the American
Legion Detachment of New Jersey, or an individual or entity designated by the organization,
shall contribute non-public monies in an amount to be determined by the chief
administrator, not to exceed a total of $25,000, to be used to offset the
initial costs incurred by the commission for designing, producing, issuing, and
publicizing the availability of Sons of the American Legion license plates, and
any computer programming which may be necessary to implement the program.�
Concerned organizations and individual donors may contribute monies to the organization
to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for the Sons
of the American Legion license plates authorized by P.L. ,
(C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).� Any amount remaining after the payment
of the initial cost shall be deposited in the �Sons of the American Legion
License Plate Fund� established pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of P.L. ,
(C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

���� c.���� The commission shall
not begin designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of Sons
of the American Legion license plates, or making any necessary programming
changes, until the following requirements have been met:�

���� (1)�� The Sons of the American
Legion Detachment of New Jersey, or the individual or entity designated by the organization,
has provided the commission with the money necessary, as determined by the
chief administrator pursuant to subsection b. of this section, to offset the
initial costs incurred by the commission in establishing the Sons of the
American Legion license plate program; and

���� (2)�� The liaison appointed by
the Detachment Commander of the Sons of the American Legion Detachment of New
Jersey pursuant to subsection g. of section 1 of P.L. ,
(C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill) has provided the commission with not less
than 500 completed applications for Sons of the American Legion license
plates.� These applications shall constitute the initial order for Sons of the
American Legion license plates and shall be accompanied by a fee representing
the total cost of the initial order.� The fee shall be determined by
multiplying the number of sets of license plates being ordered by the
applicable initial fee for each set of license plates as set forth in
subsection b. of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately, but shall remain inoperative until the first day of the
13th month following the date on which the conditions set forth in paragraphs
(1) and (2) of subsection c. of section 2 of this act� have been satisfied.�
The chief administrator may take such anticipatory actions in advance of that
date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of this act.� This act
shall expire if the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of
subsection c. of section 2 of this act are not satisfied by the last day of the
12th month following enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill authorizes the Chief
Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
(MVC) to issue Sons of the American Legion license plates. �The design of the
license plate is to be chosen by the chief administrator, in consultation with
the Sons of the American Legion Detachment of New Jersey (SALNJ).

���� In addition to the required
motor vehicle registration fees, there is an application fee of $50 and an
annual renewal fee of $10 for the license plates.� After deducting the costs to
implement the plates, the additional fees collected are to be deposited into
the �Sons of the American Legion License Plate Fund.�� The proceeds of the fund
are to be appropriated annually to the SALNJ.

���� The chief administrator is
required to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing, renewing, and
publicizing the availability of the specialty license plates.� If the average
cost per plate exceeds $50 in two consecutive fiscal years, the chief
administrator may discontinue the license plate program.� The bill also
requires that the Detachment Commander of the SALNJ appoint a liaison to
represent the SALNJ in all communications with the MVC regarding the license
plates.�

���� The bill provides that State
or other public funds may not be used by the MVC for the initial cost to
implement the license plate program.� The bill requires the SALNJ, or an
individual or entity designated by the SALNJ, to contribute non-public monies,
not to exceed $25,000, to offset the initial costs to design, produce, issue,
and publicize the license plates and for any computer programming necessary to
implement the program.� The bill authorizes the SALNJ to receive funds from
private sources to be used to offset the initial costs.�

���� The chief administrator is not
required to design, produce, issue, or publicize the availability of the
license plates, or make any necessary programming changes, until: (1) the
SALNJ, or an individual or entity designated by the SALNJ, has provided the MVC
with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the MVC in
establishing the license plate program; and (2) the SALNJ, or its designee, has
provided the MVC with a minimum of 500 completed applications for the license
plates, upon the availability for purchase of those license plates.

���� The provisions of the bill
will remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month following the
date when appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial
costs incurred by the MVC are provided by the SALNJ or its designee. �The bill
expires on the last day of the 12th month following enactment if sufficient
applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received by that date.

���� The Sons of the American
Legion is a program of the American Legion that was established in 1932.� With approximately
150 squadrons located in American Legion Posts throughout New Jersey, members
of the SALNJ work to achieve the goals of the American Legion, which include
service to the community, State, and the nation through service to United
States veterans.