SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2672

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: MAY 12, 2025

      The Senate Transportation Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 2672.

      As reported, this bill authorizes the Chief Administrator (chief administrator) of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (commission) to issue Ancient Order of Hibernians license plates (license plates).  The chief administrator is to select the design of the license plates, in consultation with the Ancient Order of Hibernians, New Jersey State Board (the organization).

     The bill provides that there is an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for the license plates, in addition to the required motor vehicle registration fees.  After deducting the cost of producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing the license plates, and any computer programming changes that are necessary to implement the license plate program, in an amount not to exceed $150,000, the additional fees are to be deposited into a special non-lapsing fund known as the “Ancient Order of Hibernians License Plate Fund.”  The proceeds of the fund are to be annually appropriated to the organization.

     The chief administrator is required to annually certify the average cost of producing, issuing, renewing, and publicizing each license plate.  The chief administrator may discontinue the license plates if the average cost exceeds $50 for two consecutive fiscal years.

     The bill provides that no State or other public funds may be used by the commission for the initial cost of producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of the license plates or any computer programming changes that may be necessary to implement the license plate program.

     The bill also requires that the organization, or other individual or entity designated by the organization, contribute 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 producing, issuing, and publicizing the availability of the license plates, and any computer programming that may be necessary to implement the program.

     The bill requires the organization to appoint a liaison to represent the organization in all communications with the commission regarding the license plates.  The bill prohibits the commission from designing, producing, issuing, or publicizing the availability of the license plates, or making any necessary computer programming changes, until:  (1) the organization, or its designee, has provided the commission with the money necessary to offset the commission’s initial costs incurred in establishing the license plate program; and (2) the organization’s liaison has provided the commission with at least 500 completed license plate applications.

     The chief administrator is responsible for publicizing the availability of the license plates on the commission’s website.  The organization, or any individual or entity designated by the organization, may also publicize the availability of the license plates as the organization deems appropriate.

     The provisions of the bill will remain inoperative until the first day of the seventh month following the date when appropriate applications and fees required to offset the initial costs incurred by the commission are provided by the organization or its designee.  The bill expires on the last day of the 12th month following the bill’s enactment if sufficient applications and fees to offset the initial costs are not received by that date.