Relating to special license plates

HB 5455 Text

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House Bill 5455 History

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WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
2026
REGULAR SESSION
Introduced
House Bill 5455
By Delegates Sheedy, Cooper, Worrell, Horst, Mallow, Hornby, Akers, and Dittman
(By Request)
[Introduced February 11, 2026; referred to the Committee on Energy and Public Works]
A BILL amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, by adding a new section, designated §17A-10-18, relating to special license plates; directing registration fees from all special license plates to the State Road Fund; authorizing voluntary donations at the time of registration or renewal; requiring donation options to correspond with the theme of the license plate; establishing deposit and administration of donated funds; and providing legislative findings and intent.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 10. FEES FOR REGISTRATION, LICENSING, ETC.

§17A-10-18. Special license plate fees and voluntary donations; Road Fund; themed contributions
.

(a)
Legislative findings and purpose
. The Legislature finds that the State Road Fund is critical to the maintenance, repair, and improvement of West Virginia’s transportation infrastructure and should be the primary beneficiary of registration fees associated with motor vehicle licensing. The Legislature further finds that citizens should be afforded a voluntary and transparent opportunity to support causes associated with special license plates without diverting mandatory registration fees. The purpose of this section is to ensure that all required special license plate registration fees are deposited into the State Road Fund while authorizing optional, donor-directed contributions aligned with the theme of each plate.

(b)
Deposit of registration fees
. Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, all registration and renewal fees collected for special license plates issued under this article shall be deposited in their entirety into the State Road Fund.
(c)
Voluntary donation option
. At the time of application for issuance or renewal of a special license plate, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall provide applicants with the option to make a voluntary monetary donation, which shall be clearly identified as optional and separate from required registration fees.
(d)
Themed donation selection
. The voluntary donation option shall include a selection box or similar mechanism allowing the applicant to designate a donation to a fund or program that is reasonably related to the theme, purpose, or subject matter of the selected special license plate, including but not limited to:
Military or veterans-related plates
— veterans programs or services;
First responder or public safety plates
— emergency
services or responder support programs;
Education-related plates
— scholarships or educational programs;
Conservation or environmental plates
— conservation or environmental protection programs;
Organizational or charitable plates
— the associated nonprofit or charitable purpose approved by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
(e)
Deposit and administration of donations
. Voluntary donations collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the appropriate special revenue account or fund designated for the selected purpose and shall be administered by the appropriate state agency or authorized entity.
(f)
Transparency and disclosure
. The Division of Motor Vehicles shall ensure that all application materials clearly disclose that:
Donations are voluntary and not required for issuance or renewal of a special license plate;
Registration fees are deposited into the State Road Fund; and
Donations are distributed solely to the designated fund or program selected by the applicant.
(g)
Rulemaking authority
. The Division of Motor Vehicles, in coordination with applicable administering agencies, may propose legislative rules in accordance with §29A-3-1
et seq
. of this code to implement the provisions of this section, including donation amounts, collection procedures, and eligible themed funds.
(h)
Non-supplantation
. Voluntary donations collected pursuant to this section shall supplement and not supplant existing appropriations or funding sources for any designated program or purpose.
(i)
Reporting requirement
. Beginning July 1 following enactment, and annually thereafter, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall submit a report to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance detailing:
(1) Total special license plate registration fees deposited into the State Road Fund;
(2) Total voluntary donations collected;
(3) Distribution of donations by themed category; and
(4) Administrative costs associated with the program, if any
.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to direct registration fees from all special license plates to the State Road Fund; authorizing voluntary donations at the time of registration or renewal; requiring donation options to correspond with the theme of the license plate; establishing deposit and administration of donated funds; and providing legislative findings and intent.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

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