S-849                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5322

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senators West, Rasmussen and Patterson

Read first time 1/20/89 and referred to Committee on   Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to special license plates; and adding a new section to chapter 46.16 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 46.16 RCW to read as follows:

          (1) As used in this section "special plate" means a distinct, identifiable license plate issued to a member of a group by the department under this section.

          (2) Members of the following groups that meet the criteria of this subsection are eligible to be issued special plates:

          (a) Members of a nonprofit organization that qualifies under rule 501C of the federal internal revenue service and whose purposes are public or charitable, or both;

          (b) Members of a state-chartered organization or subdivision; or

          (c) Persons, who by nature of special contributions to the United States, the state of Washington, or the citizens of Washington, are identified by existing criteria, e.g. holders of purple heart medals.

          The organization or the cause it espouses or the design of its special plate shall not carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency or that would be misleading or a duplication of license plates otherwise provided for in this chapter.

          (3) Special plates shall be the same design as regular license plates and shall consist of numbers or letters or any combination not to exceed seven positions.  However, if the applicant group specifies the need for a special design, the department may propose the special design to the Washington state patrol for approval.

          (4) Every person applying for issuance of a special plate shall pay all original and renewal license fees and excise taxes, plus a surcharge of five dollars per plate for the original issuance to cover the costs incurred by the department.  Any exception or exemption may be established only on a case-by-case basis specifically approved by statute.

          (5) Groups qualifying under subsection (2) (a) or (b) of this section may also use the special plate program to raise funds for their programs.  Such groups may apply to the department for approval of an additional charge to be assessed on purchasers of the group's special plate.  If the department approves the application, it shall collect this amount from each registrant over and above the license fees and excise taxes and distribute the extra funds to the special group organization.  In addition, the department shall collect an additional surcharge of five dollars per original and renewal transaction to recover the costs of collection and distribution.

          (6) The surcharges collected under this section shall be placed in the motor vehicle fund and authorized for expenditure by the department.

          (7) The department shall issue special plates only to the registered owner of a vehicle on which they are to be displayed.