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

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

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

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

(a) The Ohio agriculture council;

(b) The Ohio corngrowers association;

(c) The Ohio farm bureau federation;

(d) The Ohio soy association;

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

(f) The Ohio young farmers association.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(3)(c) Except as may otherwise be specifically provided by law, any license plate created after the effective date of this section August 21, 1997.

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

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

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

(3) If, during any calendar year commencing with 2008, the total number of motor vehicle registrations involving a nonstandard educational license plate is less than five hundred, including both new registrations and registration renewals, the registrar, on or after the first day of January, but not later than the fifteenth day of January of the following year, shall send a written notice to the sponsor of that type of nonstandard license educational plate informing the sponsor of this fact. The registrar also shall inform the sponsor that if, during the calendar year in which the written notice is sent, the total number of motor vehicle registrations involving the sponsor's nonstandard educational license plate again is less than five hundred, the program involving that type of nonstandard educational license plate will be terminated on the thirty-first day of December of the calendar year in which the written notice is sent and, except as provided in division (C) of this section, no motor vehicle registration application involving either the actual issuance of that type of nonstandard educational license plate or the registration renewal of a motor vehicle displaying that type of nonstandard educational license plate will be accepted by the registrar or a deputy registrar beginning the first day of January of the next calendar year. The registrar also shall inform the sponsor that if the program involving the sponsor's nonstandard educational license plate is terminated under this section, it may be reestablished pursuant to division (D) of this section.

(C) If the program involving a type of nonstandard license plate is terminated under division (B) of this section, the registration of any motor vehicle displaying that type of nonstandard license plate at the time of termination may be renewed so long as the nonstandard license plates remain serviceable. If the nonstandard license plates of such a motor vehicle become unfit for service, the owner of the motor vehicle may apply for the issuance of nonstandard license plates of that same type, but the registrar or deputy registrar shall issue such nonstandard license plates only if at the time of application the stock of the bureau contains license plates of that type of nonstandard license plate. If, at the time of such application, the stock of the bureau does not contain license plates of that type of nonstandard license plate, the registrar or deputy registrar shall inform the owner of that fact, and the application shall be refused.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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