Authorizes creation of Juneteenth commemorative license plates.

A5109

ASSEMBLY, No. 5109

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 18, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Authorizes creation of Juneteenth commemorative
license plates.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
authorizing
the creation and issuance of Juneteenth commemorative 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 Juneteenth license plates for any motor vehicle owned or leased and
registered in this State.� In addition to the registration number and other markings
or identification otherwise prescribed by law, the license plates shall display
appropriate words or a slogan and emblem commemorating Juneteenth
.
� The chief administrator, in
consultation with the New Jersey Historical Commission, shall select the design
and color scheme of the Juneteenth license plates.� The Juneteenth license
plates shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of Title 39 of the
Revised Statutes, except as hereinafter otherwise provided.

���� b.��� Application for issuance
of the Juneteenth 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 New Jersey Motor Vehicle 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 Juneteenth 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 �Juneteenth 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
�Juneteenth 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
administrative costs pursuant to subsection d. of this section.� The monies
deposited in the fund shall be appropriated annually to the New Jersey
Historical Commission and shall be used by the New Jersey Historical Commission
to commemorate and celebrate Juneteenth.�

���� 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 securities approved by the State Treasurer.� Interest or other
income earned on monies deposited into the fund, and any monies which may be
appropriated or otherwise become available for purposes of the fund, shall be
credited to and deposited in the fund for use as set forth in this act.

���� d.��� Prior to the deposit of
the additional fees collected pursuant to subsection b. of this section into
the �Juneteenth 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 Juneteenth license
plates; and

���� (2)�� any computer programming
changes that may be initially necessary to implement the Juneteenth 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 Juneteenth 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 pursuant to subsection b. of this section in two
consecutive fiscal years, the chief administrator may discontinue the issuance
of the Juneteenth license plates.

���� e.���� The chief administrator
shall notify eligible motorists of the opportunity to obtain the Juneteenth
license plates by publicizing the availability of the license plates on the
commission�s website.� The New Jersey Historical Commission, and any other individual
or entity designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission, may publicize the
availability of the Juneteenth license plates in any manner that the New Jersey
Historical Commission deems appropriate.

���� f.���� The chief administrator
and the New Jersey Historical Commission shall develop and enter into a
memorandum of agreement setting forth the procedures to be followed in carrying
out their respective responsibilities under this act.

���� g.��� The New Jersey
Historical Commission shall appoint an individual to act as a liaison between
the New Jersey Historical Commission and the commission.� The liaison shall
represent the New Jersey Historical Commission in any and all communications
with the commission regarding the Juneteenth license plates established by this
act.

���� 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 the Juneteenth license plates; or

���� (2) any computer programming
changes which may be necessary to implement the Juneteenth license plate
program established by this act.

���� b.��� An individual or entity
designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission 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 the Juneteenth license plates, and any computer programming which may be
necessary to implement the program.� Concerned organizations and individual
donors may contribute monies to the New Jersey Historical Commission to be used
to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission for the Juneteenth
license plates authorized by this act.� Any amount remaining after the payment
of the initial cost shall be deposited in the �Juneteenth License Plate Fund�
established pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of this act.

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

���� (1)�� an individual or entity
designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission has provided the commission
with the non-public monies 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 Juneteenth license plate program; and

���� (2)�� the liaison appointed by
the New Jersey Historical Commission pursuant to subsection g. of section 1 of
this act has provided the commission with not less than 500 completed
applications for Juneteenth license plates.� These applications shall
constitute the initial order for Juneteenth 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 this act.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately but shall remain inoperative until the first day of the
seventh 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 anticipatory acts 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
creation of Juneteenth commemorative license plates by the New Jersey Motor
Vehicle Commission (MVC).� The license plates are to cost $50 for the initial
application and $10 annually thereafter for renewal, in addition to other registration
fees.� Monies collected from the license plate program are to be deposited in a
special fund called the �Juneteenth License Plate Fund.�� The monies deposited
in the fund are to be appropriated annually to the New Jersey Historical
Commission and are to be used by the New Jersey Historical Commission to
commemorate and celebrate Juneteenth.

���� The bill provides that public
funds are not to be used for the initial costs of establishing the Juneteenth
license plate program.� Prior to deposit in the Juneteenth License Plate Fund,
monies from the license plate program are to be provided to the MVC to offset
the costs of implementing the license plate program.� In addition, prior to
designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of Juneteenth
license plates, or making any necessary programming changes, the following
requirements are required to be met:

���� (1)�� an individual or entity
designated by the New Jersey Historical Commission must provide the MVC with
the non-public monies necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the MVC
in establishing the Juneteenth license plate program; and

���� (2)�� a liaison appointed by
the New Jersey Historical Commission pursuant to the bill is required to
provide the MVC with not less than 500 completed applications for Juneteenth
license plates.

���� Juneteenth is a State and
federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved
African-Americans and is often observed as a celebration of African-American
culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on
June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865.