BILL REQ. #:  S-1088.1 

Read first time 02/04/2003.   Referred to Committee on Highways & Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to digitally printed license plates; amending RCW 46.16.230, 46.16.233, and 46.16.0621; and adding new sections to chapter 46.16 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 46.16.230 and 1992 c 7 s 41 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The director shall furnish to all persons making satisfactory application for vehicle license as provided by law, two identical vehicle license number plates each containing the vehicle license number to be displayed on such vehicle as by law required: PROVIDED, That if the vehicle to be licensed is a trailer, semitrailer or motorcycle only one vehicle license number plate shall be issued for each thereof. The number and plate shall be of such size and color and shall contain such symbols indicative of the registration period for which the same is issued and of the state of Washington, as shall be determined and prescribed by the director. Any vehicle license number plate or plates issued to a dealer shall contain thereon a sufficient and satisfactory indication that such plates have been issued to a dealer in vehicles. All vehicle license number plates may be obtained by the director from the metal working plant of a state correctional facility or from any source in accordance with existing state of Washington purchasing procedures.
     (2) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the director may, in his discretion and under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe, adopt a type of vehicle license number plates whereby the same shall be used as long as legible on the vehicle for which issued, with provision for tabs or emblems to be attached thereto or elsewhere on the vehicle to signify renewals, in which event the term "vehicle license number plate" as used in any enactment shall be deemed to include in addition to such plate the tab or emblem signifying renewal except when such plate contains the designation of the current year without reference to any tab or emblem. Renewals shall be effected by the issuance and display of such tab or emblem.
     (3) The department shall implement a flat, digitally printed license plate system that must be used to manufacture all license plates issued under this chapter. This system must be in place and operational by January 1, 2004, and the system must be used to produce all license plates issued under this chapter by no later than July 1, 2011. The digitally printed license plates may also include bar codes to facilitate distribution and inventory control.

Sec. 2   RCW 46.16.233 and 2000 c 37 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Except for those license plates issued under RCW 46.16.305(1) before January 1, 1987, under RCW 46.16.305(3), and to commercial vehicles with a gross weight in excess of twenty-six thousand pounds, effective with vehicle registrations due or to become due on January 1, 2001, all vehicle license plates must be issued on a standard background, as designated by the department.
     (2) Additionally, to ensure maximum legibility and reflectivity, the department shall periodically provide for the replacement of license plates, except for commercial vehicles with a gross weight in excess of twenty-six thousand pounds. Frequency of replacement shall be established in accordance with empirical studies documenting the longevity of the reflective materials used to make license plates.
     (3) In providing for the periodic replacement of license plates, the department shall offer the vehicle's owner the option of retaining the current license plate number. The department shall charge a retention fee of twenty dollars if this option is exercised. Revenue generated from the retention fee will be deposited into the multimodal transportation account.

Sec. 3   RCW 46.16.0621 and 2002 c 352 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) License tab fees shall be thirty dollars and twenty-five cents per year for all vehicles.
     (2) For the purposes of this section, "license tab fees" are defined as the general fees paid annually for licensing motor vehicles and trailers as defined in RCW 46.04.620 and 46.04.623. Trailers licensed under RCW 46.16.068 or 46.16.085 and campers licensed under RCW 46.16.505 are not required to pay license tab fees under this section.
     (3) Twenty-five cents of the fee collected under subsection (1) of this section must be deposited into the license plate technology account created under section 4 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 46.16 RCW to read as follows:
     The license plate technology account is created in the state treasury. All receipts collected under RCW 46.16.0621(3) must be deposited into this account. Expenditures from this account must support current and future license plate technology and systems integration upgrades. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 46.16 RCW to read as follows:
     The department shall offer license plate design services to organizations who are sponsoring a new special license plate series or who are seeking to redesign the appearance of an existing special license plate series that they sponsored. In providing this service, the department must work with the requesting organization in determining the specific qualities of the new plate design and must provide full design services to the organization. The department shall collect from the requesting organization a fee of one thousand five hundred dollars for providing license plate design services. This fee includes one original license plate design and up to five additional renditions of the original design. If the organization requests the department to provide further renditions, in addition to the five renditions provided for under the original fee, the department shall collect an additional fee of five hundred dollars per rendition. All revenue collected under this section must be deposited into the multimodal transportation account.