The bill amends the Ohio Revised Code to allow the registrar of motor vehicles to contract with a private vendor for the issuance of specialty license plates. It establishes a competitive selection process for the vendor, who will handle the design and marketing of the plates, while the registrar maintains authority over issuance and fee collection. The contract can last up to two years with possible extensions and must ensure electronic compatibility, information security, and compliance with copyright laws. Additionally, specialty plate designs must be approved by the controlling board. A new fund, the public safety license plate contract fund, will be created to collect fees from the vendor, and contributions from the specialty plate program will be directed to support drug task forces in Ohio.

The bill also introduces a priority funding system for drug task forces, prioritizing those that received funding from the division of criminal justice services in 2007 or are located in populous counties. Remaining funds will be allocated to new or less prioritized drug task forces. A cap of $250,000 per calendar year is set for funding any single task force, which must comply with grant requirements, including reporting through the El Paso intelligence center information technology systems. The legislation aims to enhance the specialty license plate program while providing additional resources for drug enforcement efforts, and it repeals existing sections of the Revised Code to streamline the funding framework.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 4503.038, 4503.19, 5502.68