Authorizes creation of New Jersey Maritime Museum license plates.

S3967

SENATE, No. 3967

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.

District 9 (Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Authorizes creation of New Jersey Maritime Museum
license plates.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

authorizing the creation of New Jersey Maritime
Museum 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 New Jersey Maritime Museum 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 words or a slogan and an emblem indicating support
for, or an interest in, the New Jersey Maritime Museum. The chief administrator
shall, in consultation with the New Jersey Maritime Museum, select the design
and color scheme of the New Jersey Maritime Museum license plates. New Jersey
Maritime Museum 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 New Jersey Maritime Museum 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 New Jersey Maritime Museum 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 �New Jersey Maritime Museum 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 �New
Jersey Maritime Museum 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. Monies
deposited in the fund shall be appropriated annually to the New Jersey Maritime
Museum to be used to support and maintain the museum. 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 P.L.���
, c.���� (C.�������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

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

���� (2)�� any computer programming
changes that may be initially necessary to implement the New Jersey Maritime
Museum 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 New Jersey Maritime
Museum 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 New
Jersey Maritime Museum license plates.

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

���� f.���� The chief administrator
and the New Jersey Maritime Museum 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.,���� (C.�������� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

���� g.��� The New Jersey Maritime
Museum shall appoint a representative who shall act as a liaison between the
New Jersey Maritime Museum and the commission. The liaison shall represent the
New Jersey Maritime Museum in any and all communications with the commission
regarding the New Jersey Maritime Museum license plates established by P.L.���
, c.��� (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 New Jersey Maritime Museum license
plates; or

���� (2) any computer programming
changes which may be necessary to implement the New Jersey Maritime Museum
license plate program established by P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).

���� b.��� The New Jersey Maritime
Museum or an individual or entity designated by the New Jersey Maritime Museum,
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 New Jersey Maritime Museum 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 Maritime Museum to be used to offset the initial costs incurred by the
commission for the New Jersey Maritime Museum license plates authorized by
P.L.��� , c.��� (C.�������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

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

���� (1)�� The New Jersey Maritime
Museum or an individual or entity designated by the New Jersey Maritime Museum,
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 New Jersey
Maritime Museum license plate program; and

���� (2)�� The liaison appointed by
the New Jersey Maritime Museum pursuant to subsection g. of section 1 of
P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) has
provided the commission with not less than 500 completed applications for New
Jersey Maritime Museum license plates. These applications shall constitute the
initial order for New Jersey Maritime Museum 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 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 Chief
Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue
special New Jersey Maritime Museum license plates.

���� The bill provides that the
design of the New Jersey Maritime Museum license plate is to display words or a
slogan and an emblem indicating support for, or an interest in, the New Jersey
Maritime Museum. The chief administrator, in consultation with the New Jersey
Maritime Museum, is to select the design and color scheme of the New Jersey
Maritime Museum license plates.

���� In addition to all fees
otherwise required by law for the registration of a motor vehicle, there is an
application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the New Jersey
Maritime Museum license plates. After the deduction of the cost of designing,
producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the plates and of any computer
programming changes that are necessary to implement the license plate program,
additional fees will be deposited into a special non-lapsing fund known as the
�New Jersey Maritime Museum License Plate Fund.� The proceeds of the fund are
to be annually appropriated to the New Jersey Maritime Museum to be used to
support and maintain the museum.

���� 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 New Jersey Maritime Museum license plate
program. The bill also requires that the New Jersey Maritime Museum appoint a
liaison to represent the museum in all communications with the commission
regarding the license plates.

���� The bill provides that State
or other public funds are not to be used by the commission for the initial cost
to implement the New Jersey Maritime Museum license plate program. The bill
requires the New Jersey Maritime Museum or an individual or entity designated
by the museum 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 computer programming changes which may be necessary to implement the
program. The bill authorizes the New Jersey Maritime Museum 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, until: (1) the New Jersey Maritime Museum or the individual or
entity designated by the New Jersey Maritime Museum has provided the commission
with the money necessary to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission
in establishing the license plate program; and (2) the New Jersey Maritime
Museum liaison has provided the commission with a minimum of 500 completed
applications for the license plates.

���� The provisions of the bill
will remain inoperative until the first day of the 13th month following
enactment to allow the New Jersey Maritime Museum time to provide the
commission with the completed applications and fees required pursuant to the
bill. 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.

���� In fulfillment of a lifelong
ambition of opening a museum free to the public promoting New Jersey�s vast
maritime history, Deborah Whitcraft founded the New Jersey Maritime Museum on
July 3, 2007. When it initially opened, the museum exhibited a sizable
collection of shipwreck files, documents, and artifacts. In the years since it
has opened, the New Jersey Maritime Museum has grown thanks to donations and
loans from the diving community and public. Located in Beach Haven, New Jersey,
the New Jersey Maritime Museum operates as a registered non-profit entity and
is open to the public, free of charge.