ON APRIL 19, 2018, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #4, #5, #6, AND #7 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2693, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #4 rewrites this bill. This amendment authorizes the following new special license plates: (1) North Carolina State University, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the North Carolina State University Alumni Association; (2) Rakkasans, cultural/military plates, for active, retired, and honorably discharged members of Rakkasans, which is the moniker for the 187th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) of the United States Army. The fees for such plates will be the regular registration fee plus the cost of actually designing and manufacturing the plate. This amendment details the documentation required to be presented and also provides for such a members spouse or child or surviving spouse being issued such a plate. Funds from cultural plates are allocated 80 percent to the Tennessee arts commission and 20 percent to the state highway fund; (3) Mountain Tough, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the Mountain Tough Recovery Team to help residents of Sevier County who were affected by the wildfires in fall of 2016; (4) Historic Maury, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the Maury County Historical Society; (5) Boone Lake Association, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the Boone Lake Association; (6) Suicide Prevention, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee; (7) Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness, new specialty earmarked license plates, with proceeds allocated to the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, with 45 percent of such funds being divided by the coalition equally between the sexual assault centers and domestic violence centers; (8) Lung Cancer Awareness, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the Huff Project; (9) Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare to support community health initiatives in this state; (10) Cumberland University, cultural plates. Funds from cultural plates are allocated 80 percent to the Tennessee arts commission and 20 percent to the state highway fund; (11) Paratrooper, cultural/military plates. This amendment details the documentation an applicant for the plate must present. Applicants must pay the regular registration fee and the cost of actually designing and manufacturing the plate. Funds from cultural plates are allocated 80 percent to the Tennessee arts commission and 20 percent to the state highway fund; (12) Stand with Israel, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the Tennessee Holocaust Commission; (13) University of South Carolina, new specialty earmarked plates; with proceeds allocated to the Shady Valley Watershed District to maintain the drainage ditches and to make other repairs to control the water level of the Beaver Dam Creek in the Shady Valley community of Johnson City; (14) Kiwanis International, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to Children's Miracle Network to fund child life departments of the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals in this state; (15) TN Back the Blue, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the Tennessee chapters of Concerns of Police Survivors; and (16) Down Syndrome Awareness, new specialty earmarked plates, with proceeds allocated to the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee. This amendment changes references from "Tennessee Fraternal Order of Police" to "Fraternal Order of Police" in the provisions governing the special license plate for the organization. Under present law, to be eligible for the plate an applicant must present a statement from the Order certifying the applicant to be a member or associate member. This amendment adds as alternative documentation a copy of an active membership card. Funds from the plates will continue to be allocated to the Tennessee Fraternal Order of Police Charitable Foundation. This amendment adds to the provisions for plates for honorably discharged veterans, a "Cold War Era Veteran" plate. This amendment also provides for the redesign of the Disabled Veteran plate. The redesigned plates will be issued after the existing inventory of the current plates is exhausted. This amendment grants additional time, until July 1, 2019, for the minimum order requirement to be met for the following plates: (1) The Ohio State University; (2) Niswonger Children's Hospital; (3) Martin Luther King, Jr.; and (4) Save the Bees. AMENDMENT #5 adds a change to present law so that 50 percent of the revenue from the sale of Protecting Rivers and Clean Waters new specialty earmarked license plates will be distributed to the Harpeth Conservancy instead of the Harpeth River Watershed Association. The funds must continue to be used for restoring and protecting the ecological health of the Harpeth River and clean water in Tennessee. AMENDMENT #6 grants additional time, until July 1, 2019, for the minimum order requirement for the Mothers Against Drunk Driving special license plate to be met. AMENDMENT #7 revises certain present law provisions regarding special license plates, as discussed below, and reorganizes the special license plates statutes. Under present law, all cultural, specialty earmarked and new specialty earmarked motor vehicle registration plates, memorial motor vehicle registration plates and special purpose motor vehicle registration plates are issued and renewed subject to certain conditions. These conditions include minimum order requirements for initial issuance and renewal for plates authorized by statute on or after July 1, 1998, or initially issued on or after July 1, 2002. However, the minimum order requirements do not apply to the following issued plates: (1) Antique motor vehicle; (2) Dealer; (3) Disabled; (4) Emergency; (5) Firefighter; (6) General assembly; (7) Government service; (8) Honorary consular; (9) Judiciary; (10) Legislator Emeritus; (11) Memorial; (12) Metropolitan council; (13) Military; (14) National Guard; (15) Sheriff; (16) United States house of representatives; (17) United States judge; and (18) United States senate. This bill clarifies that the above-described plates authorized by statute on or after July 1, 2013, are also exempt from the minimum order requirements. This bill also reorganizes the special license plates statutes. ON APRIL 25, 2018, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 2693 FOR HOUSE BILL 1521, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2693, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #2 authorizes a Louisiana State University new specialty earmarked plate, with proceeds allocated to the Louisiana State University Alumni Association to be used exclusively to support academic enrichment for students, including scholarships and educational opportunities for students from Tennessee.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 55-10-101(b)(1), 55-10-101, 55-10-101(b)(2)(A)