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25LSO-0359
ORIGINAL House
ENGROSSED
Bill No
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HB0226
ENROLLED ACT NO. 30,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 General Session
AN ACT relating to motor vehicle license plates; authorizing specially designed license plates to be issued to benefit search and rescue efforts; specifying requirements; authorizing fees; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1
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W.S. 31
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2
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234 is created to read:
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2
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234.
Search and rescue license plates.
(a)
Any person required to register a vehicle in Wyoming pursuant to this article may apply to the department or county treasurer for a statement of eligibility for search and rescue license plates for any motor vehicle that is not a commercial vehicle owned or leased by that person upon registration of the vehicle. The department or county treasurer may include as part of the application the option for the applicant to donate an additional amount in support of search and rescue activities. Upon payment by the applicant of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to the department or county treasurer, plus any additional voluntary amount, the department or county treasurer shall issue a written statement of eligibility for search and rescue license plates. The department or county treasurer shall assess an annual fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) for a person to retain eligibility for search and rescue license plates, but this annual fee shall not be charged in the year the person pays the one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) eligibility fee. The person may submit an additional voluntary amount in support of search and rescue activities when remitting the annual fee.
(b)
The fees collected under subsection (a) of this section shall be payable to the department or county treasurer and shall be accounted for separately. Except as otherwise provided by law, the fees collected under subsection (a) of this section shall be distributed to the search and rescue account within the office of homeland security as created in W.S. 19
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301. Funds distributed to the search and rescue account under this section shall be administered in accordance with the following:
(i)
The funds deposited in the search and rescue account under this section are continuously appropriated to the office of homeland security and shall only be used for the purposes provided in W.S. 19
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301(b) and 19
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301(c);
(ii)
The office of homeland security may establish methods to accept voluntary contributions in support of search and rescue activities for deposit into the search and rescue account. The office of homeland security may suggest and solicit specific contribution amounts;
(iii)
The department, in consultation with the Wyoming office of homeland security, is authorized to receive and credit to the search and rescue account, any money or property of any kind or character donated, granted or bequeathed to Wyoming search and rescue activities. The office of homeland security shall have the authority to carry out the terms, if any, of the grant, donation or bequest, or in the absence of any terms or limitations, to expend the money or the proceeds of the property as it may deem advisable for search and rescue activities under the provisions of this section and W.S. 19
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301.
(c)
Applicants shall apply at least thirty (30) days before registration is required for the vehicle for which the plates are intended. Except as provided in this section, application for, issuance and renewal of the search and rescue license plates under this section shall be subject to the same requirements and fees as provided in this article in addition to the fee collected under subsection (a) of this section. The license plate fees required under W.S. 31
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102(a)(viii) shall accompany each application. The license plates under this section shall be issued by the county treasurer of each county and shall be displayed only upon the vehicle for which they are issued.
(d)
The department shall prescribe the design of the search and rescue license plates authorized by this section in consultation with the public and other interested parties, which shall include an image of the bucking horse and rider described in W.S. 8
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117. License plates authorized by this section need not include Arabic numerals designating the county. The department shall arrange for production of the license plates. Following initial approval, search and rescue license plates shall be subject to redesign on the same schedule as all license plates beginning with the year 2033 reissuance.
(e)
The department may prepare any special forms and promulgate any rules necessary to carry out this section.
(f)
Unless one thousand (1,000) sets of license plates are issued under this section before December 31, 2032, the plates authorized under this section shall be eliminated from production and the department shall report the cessation of production to the legislature not later than January 15, 2033.
Section 2
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W.S. 19
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301(a) and by creating a new subsection (d), 31
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212, 31
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225(a) by creating a new paragraph (vii) and 31
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101 by creating a new subsection (k) are amended to read:
19
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301.
Search and rescue account; created; expenditures.
(a)
The search and rescue account is created. Fees identified in W.S. 23
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101, 23
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201,
31
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234,
31
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404, 31
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2
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409, 31
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2
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703, 41
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109 and 41
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110 shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of this account.
(d)
The state treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to receive and credit to the search and rescue account any grant, donation or bequest that is made to the search and rescue account for the purposes provided by W.S. 31
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234. The state treasurer shall invest any money received under this subsection in accordance with law and the investment earnings received thereon shall be deposited into the search and rescue account.
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212.
Loss, mutilation or destruction of registration, plates or validation stickers.
Upon loss, mutilation or destruction of a certificate of registration, license plate, or validation sticker the owner of a vehicle may obtain a duplicate certificate of registration, new license plates or validation stickers from any county treasurer or the department if the vehicle was registered or plates or stickers were issued by the department upon application showing the loss, mutilation or destruction, return of mutilated plates or stickers and payment of the duplicate registration, plate or sticker fee. For those vehicles registered under the provisions of W.S. 31
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213(h), 31
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215 through 31
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223, 31
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2
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226, 31
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2
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227 or 31
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2
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229 through
31
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2
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233
31
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2
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234
replacement duplicate license plates may be obtained upon application with the county treasurer from which the original plates were purchased or the department if applicable, accompanied by fees as provided by W.S. 31
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102(a)(vi)(C). Duplicate license plates obtained under this section to replace lost or stolen plates shall not be displayed on the vehicle until the validation stickers on the lost or stolen plates have expired. Upon loss, mutilation or destruction of a dealer plate or validation sticker the dealer may obtain a replacement dealer plate or validation sticker from the county treasurer from which he purchased the original plate in the same manner as the owner of a vehicle and upon payment of the appropriate fee under W.S. 31
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102(a)(vi). Obtaining a replacement plate is not the purchase of an additional plate under W.S. 31
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125(b)(i). Upon application for new license plates or stickers the county treasurer shall notify the department and the county sheriff as soon as possible of the loss, mutilation or destruction. The department shall notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies of any loss, mutilation or destruction of license plates or stickers.
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225.
Application requirements; contents; weight certificate; title requirement; liability.
(a)
Applications for registration of vehicles shall be filed in the office of the county treasurer in person, by regular mail, or if available, electronically, in the county in which the owner of the vehicle resides or in any county in any other case and contain:
(vii)
The option for the owner to donate an additional amount to support search and rescue operations under W.S. 31
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234.
31
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101.
Registration fees; exemptions.
(k)
Any owner of a vehicle who wishes to donate money to provide for search and rescue efforts under W.S. 31
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234 shall be provided space on the registration form to do so pursuant to W.S. 31
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225(a)(vii). Revenues collected under this subsection shall be forwarded by the county treasurer to the state treasurer to be deposited into the search and rescue account created by W.S. 19
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301.
Section 3.
The department of transportation shall make search and rescue account license plates available beginning on January 1, 2026.
Section 4.
This act is effective July 1, 2025
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(END)
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
Governor
TIME APPROVED: _________
DATE APPROVED: _________
I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.
Chief Clerk
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