PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Establish an Agriculture Education Registration Plate
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §242  is enacted to read:
§ 242.  Agriculture Education Plate Fund
The Agriculture Education Plate Fund is created and established as a nonlapsing fund administered by the commissioner into which fees for the agriculture education plates are deposited pursuant to Title 29-A, section 456-D, subsections 2, 4 and 6 to fund programs of the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Association and other agricultural education efforts as approved by the assocition.
Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §456-D  is enacted to read:
§ 456-D.  Agriculture education registration plate
 
1.  Agriculture education plates.     The Secretary of State, upon receiving an application and evidence of payment of the excise tax required by Title 36, section 1482, the annual motor vehicle registration fee required by section 501 and the contribution provided for in subsection 2, shall issue a registration certificate and a set of agriculture education special registration plates to be used in lieu of regular registration plates. These plates must bear identification numbers and letters.
 
2.  Contribution; credit to Agriculture Education Plate Fund.     In addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee prescribed by law for the particular class of vehicle registered, the initial contribution for agriculture education plates is $20, which must be deposited with the Treasurer of State and credited as follows:
 
A.   Ten dollars to the Agriculture Education Plate Fund established in Title 7, section 242; and
 
B.   Ten dollars to the Highway Fund for administrative and production costs.
 
3.  Design; review; vanity plates.     The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Association, shall determine a design for the agriculture education special registration plates. The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters shall review the final design prior to manufacture of the plates. The Secretary of State shall issue upon request agriculture education plates that are also vanity plates. Agriculture education plates are issued in accordance with the provisions of this section and section 453.
 
4.  Renewal fee.     In addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee prescribed by law, the annual renewal contribution for agriculture education special registration plates is $15, which must be deposited with the Treasurer of State and credited as follows:
 
A.   Ten dollars to the Agriculture Education Plate Fund established in Title 7, section 242; and
 
B.   Five dollars to the Highway Fund for administrative and production costs.
 
5.  Reimbursement for production and issuance costs for first 2,000 plates.     The sponsor of the agriculture education plate pursuant to section 468, subsection 1 shall provide $40,000 to the Secretary of State for costs associated with the production and issuance of plates. The Secretary of State shall deposit these funds in the Highway Fund. After the production and issuance of the first 2,000 plates, the Treasurer of State shall reimburse the sponsor $20,000 of the original payment from the Highway Fund.
 
6.  Production and issuance costs for plates produced after first 2,000 plates.     After the first 2,000 plates issued, the Secretary of State shall deposit to the Highway Fund $20 for each initial set of agriculture education registration plates and $15 for each renewal of agricultural education registration plates. The Treasurer of State shall transfer quarterly from the Highway Fund to the Agriculture Education Plate Fund established in Title 7, section 242 $10 for each set of agriculture education registration plates issued and for each renewal of agriculture education registration plates.
 
7.  Duplicate plates.     The Secretary of State shall issue an agriculture education plate in a 3-number and 3-letter combination sequence. Vanity plates may not duplicate vanity plates issued in another class of plate.
 
8.  Weight limit.     An agriculture education plate may be issued for a motor vehicle that does not exceed 9,000 pounds. A motor vehicle that exceeds 6,000 pounds is subject to the fees in section 504.
 
9.  Date of first issue.     The Secretary of State shall issue the first agriculture education plate no later than October 1, 2007.
 
SUMMARY
This bill creates the Agriculture Education Plate Fund and establishes an agriculture education plate for motor vehicles that do not exceed 9,000 pounds. Ten dollars of each initial registration or renewal of registration of an agriculture education plate must be deposited in the fund to support agriculture education efforts.