As Passed by the House

127th General Assembly
Regular Session
2007-2008
Sub. H. B. No. 293


Representative Goodwin 

Cosponsors: Representatives McGregor, J., Wachtmann, Yuko, Evans, Reinhard, Latta, Huffman, Peterson, Chandler, Dodd, Seitz, Stebelton, Fende, Sayre, Hughes, Aslanides, Combs, Domenick, Otterman, Bacon, Barrett, Batchelder, Beatty, Bolon, Celeste, Daniels, Dolan, Dyer, Flowers, Gardner, Gibbs, Goyal, Hagan, J., Harwood, Heard, Hite, Hottinger, Letson, Oelslager, Okey, Patton, Schindel, Schlichter, Setzer, Strahorn, Uecker, Wagner, Webster, Widener, Yates, Zehringer 

A BILL
To amend sections 4503.77 and 4503.78 and to enact 1
sections 901.90 and 4503.503 of the Revised Code 2
to create "Ohio Agriculture" license plates and 3
to create the Ohio Agriculture License Plate 4
Scholarship Program, and to establish a threshold 5
of 500 annual special license plate registrations 6
for those license plates whose contributions are 7
required to be used for educational or scholarship 8
purposes.9


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

       Section 1. That sections 4503.77 and 4503.78 be amended and 10
sections 901.90 and 4503.503 of the Revised Code be enacted to 11
read as follows:12

       Sec. 901.90. (A) There is hereby created in the state 13
treasury the Ohio agriculture license plate scholarship fund 14
consisting of the contributions the registrar of motor vehicles 15
receives pursuant to section 4503.503 of the Revised Code. Money 16
shall be expended from the fund only as provided in division (C) 17
of this section.18

       (B)(1) There is hereby created the Ohio agriculture license 19
plate scholarship fund board, consisting of the director of 20
agriculture or the director's designee and one representative 21
appointed by each of the following organizations:22

       (a) The Ohio agriculture council;23

       (b) The Ohio corngrowers association;24

       (c) The Ohio farm bureau federation;25

       (d) The Ohio soy association;26

       (e) The Ohio state university college of food, agricultural, 27
and environmental sciences;28

       (f) The Ohio young farmers association.29

       (2) All original appointments to the board shall be made not 30
later than ninety days after the effective date of this section, 31
and all vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the 32
original appointment. Members of the board shall serve without 33
compensation but shall be reimbursed for the actual expenses they 34
incur in performing their duties. The director of agriculture or 35
the director's designee shall serve as chairperson. The board 36
shall adopt rules governing their meetings and proceedings.37

       (C) There is hereby established the Ohio agriculture license 38
plate scholarship program to benefit students who attend an 39
institution of higher learning located in this state and are 40
enrolled in a program that is related to agricultural education. 41
The board shall adopt rules governing all aspects of the program, 42
including any additional eligibility requirements, the 43
application process, scholarship amounts, and any requirements a 44
student must meet in order to retain a scholarship.45

       All decisions of the board relating to the scholarship 46
program, including the decision to award, renew, not renew, or 47
revoke a scholarship, are final.48

       Sec. 4503.503. (A) The owner or lessee of any passenger car, 49
noncommercial motor vehicle, recreational vehicle, or other 50
vehicle of a class approved by the registrar of motor vehicles may 51
apply to the registrar for the registration of the vehicle and 52
issuance of "Ohio agriculture" license plates. The application for 53
"Ohio agriculture" license plates may be combined with a request 54
for a special reserved license plate under section 4503.40 or 55
4503.42 of the Revised Code. Upon receipt of the completed 56
application and compliance with division (B) of this section, the 57
registrar shall issue to the applicant the appropriate vehicle 58
registration and a set of "Ohio agriculture" license plates with a 59
validation sticker or a validation sticker alone when required by 60
section 4503.191 of the Revised Code.61

       In addition to the letters and numbers ordinarily inscribed 62
thereon, "Ohio agriculture" license plates shall be inscribed with 63
words and markings selected and designed by the Ohio farm bureau 64
federation, in consultation with representatives of agricultural 65
commodity organizations of this state. The registrar shall approve 66
the final design. "Ohio agriculture" license plates shall bear 67
county identification stickers that identify the county of 68
registration by name or number.69

       (B) "Ohio agriculture" license plates and validation stickers 70
shall be issued upon payment of the regular license tax as 71
prescribed under section 4503.04 of the Revised Code, any 72
applicable motor vehicle tax levied under Chapter 4504. of the 73
Revised Code, any applicable fee prescribed by section 4503.40 or 74
4503.42 of the Revised Code, a bureau of motor vehicles 75
administrative fee of ten dollars, the contribution specified 76
under division (C) of this section, and compliance with all other 77
applicable laws relating to the registration of motor vehicles.78

       (C) For each application for registration and registration 79
renewal received under this section, the registrar shall collect a 80
contribution of twenty dollars. The registrar shall transmit this 81
contribution to the treasurer of state for deposit in the Ohio 82
agriculture license plate scholarship fund created in section 83
901.90 of the Revised Code.84

       (D) The registrar shall deposit the bureau administrative fee 85
of ten dollars specified in division (B) of this section, the 86
purpose of which is to compensate the bureau for the additional 87
services required in the issuing of the applicant's "Ohio 88
agriculture" license plates, into the state bureau of motor 89
vehicles fund created in section 4501.25 of the Revised Code.90

       (E) Sections 4503.77 and 4503.78 of the Revised Code apply to 91
"Ohio agriculture" license plates, except that the number "one 92
thousand" specified in divisions (B)(1) and (2) of section 4503.77 93
of the Revised Code and in divisions (A) and (B) of section 94
4503.78 of the Revised Code is reduced to "five hundred" in each 95
instance regarding "Ohio agriculture" license plates.96

       Sec. 4503.77.  (A) As used in this section, "nonstandard:97

       (1) "Nonstandard license plate" means all of the following:98

       (1)(a) A license plate issued under sections 4503.52, 99
4503.55, 4503.56, 4503.57, 4503.70, 4503.71, 4503.72, and 4503.75 100
of the Revised Code;101

       (2)(b) A license plate issued under a program that is 102
reestablished under division (D) of this section and that meets 103
the requirements contained in division (B) of section 4503.78 of 104
the Revised Code;105

       (3)(c) Except as may otherwise be specifically provided by 106
law, any license plate created after the effective date of this 107
sectionAugust 21, 1997.108

       (2) "Nonstandard educational license plate" means a 109
nonstandard license plate issued to a motor vehicle registrant 110
upon payment of a contribution that the registrar of motor 111
vehicles deposits into the license plate contribution fund created 112
in section 4501.21 of the Revised Code and that the sponsor of the 113
license plate is required by that section to use for educational 114
or scholarship purposes.115

       (B)(1) If, during any calendar year commencing with 1998, the116
total number of motor vehicle registrations involving a particular 117
type of nonstandard license plate other than a nonstandard 118
educational license plate is less than one thousand, including 119
both new registrations and registration renewals, the registrar of 120
motor vehicles, on or after the first day of January, but not 121
later than the fifteenth day of January of the following year, 122
shall send a written notice to the sponsor of that type of 123
nonstandard license plate, if a sponsor exists, informing the 124
sponsor of this fact. The registrar also shall inform the sponsor 125
that if, during the calendar year in which the written notice is 126
sent, the total number of motor vehicle registrations involving 127
the sponsor's nonstandard license plate again is less than one 128
thousand, the program involving that type of nonstandard license 129
plate will be terminated on the thirty-first day of December of 130
the calendar year in which the written notice is sent and, except 131
as provided in division (C) of this section, no motor vehicle132
registration application involving either the actual issuance of 133
that type of nonstandard license plate or the registration renewal 134
of a motor vehicle displaying that type of nonstandard license135
plate will be accepted by the registrar or a deputy registrar 136
beginning the first day of January of the next calendar year. The137
registrar also shall inform the sponsor that if the program 138
involving the sponsor's nonstandard license plate is terminated 139
under this section, it may be reestablished pursuant to division 140
(D) of this section.141

       (2) If, during any calendar year commencing with 1998, the 142
total number of motor vehicle registrations involving a particular 143
type of nonstandard license plate is less than one thousand, 144
including both new registrations and registration renewals, and no 145
sponsor exists for that license plate, the registrar shall issue a 146
public notice on or after the first day of January, but not later 147
than the fifteenth day of January of the following year, stating 148
that fact. The notice also shall inform the public that if, during 149
the calendar year in which the registrar issues the public notice, 150
the total number of motor vehicle registrations for that type of 151
nonstandard license plate, including both new registrations and 152
registration renewals, again is less than one thousand, the 153
program involving that type of nonstandard license plate will be 154
terminated on the thirty-first day of December of the calendar 155
year in which the registrar issues the public notice and, except 156
as provided in division (C) of this section, no motor vehicle 157
registration application involving either the actual issuance of 158
that type of nonstandard license plate or the registration renewal 159
of a motor vehicle displaying that type of nonstandard license 160
plate will be accepted by the registrar or a deputy registrar 161
beginning on the first day of January of the next calendar year.162

       (3) If, during any calendar year commencing with 2008, the 163
total number of motor vehicle registrations involving a 164
nonstandard educational license plate is less than five hundred, 165
including both new registrations and registration renewals, the 166
registrar, on or after the first day of January, but not later 167
than the fifteenth day of January of the following year, shall 168
send a written notice to the sponsor of that type of nonstandard 169
license educational plate informing the sponsor of this fact. The 170
registrar also shall inform the sponsor that if, during the 171
calendar year in which the written notice is sent, the total 172
number of motor vehicle registrations involving the sponsor's 173
nonstandard educational license plate again is less than five 174
hundred, the program involving that type of nonstandard 175
educational license plate will be terminated on the thirty-first 176
day of December of the calendar year in which the written notice 177
is sent and, except as provided in division (C) of this section, 178
no motor vehicle registration application involving either the 179
actual issuance of that type of nonstandard educational license 180
plate or the registration renewal of a motor vehicle displaying 181
that type of nonstandard educational license plate will be 182
accepted by the registrar or a deputy registrar beginning the 183
first day of January of the next calendar year. The registrar also 184
shall inform the sponsor that if the program involving the 185
sponsor's nonstandard educational license plate is terminated 186
under this section, it may be reestablished pursuant to division 187
(D) of this section.188

       (C) If the program involving a type of nonstandard license 189
plate is terminated under division (B) of this section, the 190
registration of any motor vehicle displaying that type of 191
nonstandard license plate at the time of termination may be 192
renewed so long as the nonstandard license plates remain193
serviceable. If the nonstandard license plates of such a motor 194
vehicle become unfit for service, the owner of the motor vehicle 195
may apply for the issuance of nonstandard license plates of that 196
same type, but the registrar or deputy registrar shall issue such 197
nonstandard license plates only if at the time of application the 198
stock of the bureau contains license plates of that type of199
nonstandard license plate. If, at the time of such application, 200
the stock of the bureau does not contain license plates of that 201
type of nonstandard license plate, the registrar or deputy 202
registrar shall inform the owner of that fact, and the application 203
shall be refused.204

       If the program involving a type of nonstandard license plate 205
is terminated under division (B) of this section and the 206
registration of motor vehicles displaying such license plates 207
continues as permitted by this division, the registrar, for as 208
long as such registrations continue to be issued, shall continue 209
to collect and distribute any contribution that was required to be 210
collected and distributed prior to the termination of that 211
program.212

       (D) If the program involving a nonstandard license plate is 213
terminated under division (B)(1) or (3) of this section, the 214
sponsor of that license plate may apply to the registrar for the 215
reestablishment of the program. If the program involving that 216
nonstandard license plate is reestablished, the reestablishment is 217
subject to division (B) of section 4503.78 of the Revised Code.218

       Sec. 4503.78.  (A) Except as may otherwise be specifically219
provided by law, after the effective date of this section, the 220
registrar of motor vehicles shall not be required to implement any 221
legislation that creates a license plate and provides for its 222
issuance until the registrar receives written statements from not 223
less than one thousand persons, indicating that they intend to 224
apply for and obtain such license plates for their motor vehicles. 225
The registrar may require such statements to be made on a form the226
registrar provides.227

       (B) If a program involving a nonstandard license plate is 228
terminated under division (B)(1) or (3) of section 4503.77 of the 229
Revised Code, the sponsor of that license plate may apply to the 230
registrar for the reestablishment of that program, as permitted by 231
division (D) of that section. The registrar shall not reestablish 232
the program involving that nonstandard license plate until the233
registrar receives written statements from not less than one 234
thousand persons, indicating that they intend to apply for and 235
obtain such license plates for their motor vehicles. The registrar 236
may require such statements to be made on a form approved by the 237
registrar.238

       In determining whether one thousand persons have so indicated 239
their intentions, the registrar shall include in the total the 240
number of motor vehicles that continue to display the nonstandard 241
license plate of the terminated program, as permitted by division 242
(C) of section 4503.77 of the Revised Code.243

       Section 2. That existing sections 4503.77 and 4503.78 of the 244
Revised Code are hereby repealed.245

       Section 3.  Notwithstanding division (B)(1) of section 246
4503.77 of the Revised Code, the Registrar of Motor Vehicles shall 247
not send the notice otherwise required by that section or 248
terminate a program involving a nonstandard educational license 249
plate unless the total number of motor vehicle registrations 250
involving the nonstandard educational license plate during 251
calendar year 2007 is less than five hundred.252