2024 24LSO-0535
STATE OF WYOMING
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0144
Suicide awareness and prevention license plate.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Brown, Bear, Davis,
Harshman, Knapp, Obermueller and Olsen and Senator(s) Driskill and Nethercott
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to motor vehicle license plates;
2 authorizing specially designed license plates to be issued
3 to increase suicide awareness and prevention; specifying
4 requirements; authorizing fees; providing for the
5 termination of the issuance of the special plates;
6 requiring a report upon termination; authorizing
7 rulemaking; making a conforming amendment; specifying
8 availability; and providing for an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
11
12 Section 1. W.S. 31-2-234 is created to read:
13
14 31-2-234. Suicide awareness and prevention license
15 plates.
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1
2 (a) Any person required to register a vehicle in
3 Wyoming pursuant to this article may apply to the
4 department for a statement of eligibility for suicide
5 awareness and prevention license plates for any motor
6 vehicle that is not a commercial vehicle or multipurpose
7 vehicle owned or leased by that person upon registration of
8 the vehicle. The department may include as part of the
9 application the option for the applicant to donate one
10 dollar ($1.00) or more to promote suicide awareness and
11 prevention. Upon payment by the applicant of a fee of one
12 hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to the department, plus any
13 additional voluntary amount of one dollar ($1.00) or more,
14 the department shall issue a written statement of
15 eligibility for suicide awareness and prevention license
16 plates. The department shall assess an annual fee of fifty
17 dollars ($50.00) for a person to retain eligibility for
18 suicide awareness and prevention license plates, but this
19 annual fee shall not be charged in the year the person pays
20 the one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) eligibility fee.
21 The person may submit an additional voluntary amount of one
22 dollar ($1.00) or more in support of suicide awareness and
23 prevention when remitting the annual fee.
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2 (b) The fees collected under subsection (a) of this
3 section shall be payable to the department and shall be
4 accounted for separately. The fees collected under
5 subsection (a) of this section shall be distributed to the
6 988 system trust fund account created by W.S. 35-25-506 and
7 are continuously appropriated for deposit and use as
8 provided in W.S. 35-25-506.
9
10 (c) Applicants shall apply at least thirty (30) days
11 before registration is required for the vehicle for which
12 the plates are intended. Except as provided in this
13 section, application for, issuance and renewal of suicide
14 awareness and prevention license plates shall be subject to
15 the same requirements and fees as provided in this article
16 in addition to the fee collected under subsection (a) of
17 this section. The license plate fees required under W.S.
18 31-3-102(a)(viii) shall accompany each application. The
19 license plates under this section shall be issued by the
20 county treasurer of each county and shall be displayed only
21 upon the vehicle for which they are issued.
22
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1 (d) The department shall prescribe the design of the
2 suicide awareness and prevention license plates authorized
3 by this section, which may include using a historic license
4 plate. The suicide awareness and prevention license plates
5 shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle license
6 plates and need not include arabic numerals for the county
7 but shall include arabic numerals for the United States
8 national suicide prevention lifeline in the left-hand end
9 of the license plate followed by the distinctive number
10 assigned to the vehicle. The department shall include a
11 slogan and a distinctive symbol to increase suicide
12 awareness and prevention. The department shall arrange for
13 production of the license plates. Following initial
14 approval, suicide awareness and prevention license plates
15 shall be subject to redesign on the same schedule as all
16 license plates beginning with the 2033 reissuance.
17
18 (e) The department may prepare any special forms and
19 issue any rules and regulations necessary to carry out this
20 section.
21
22 (f) Unless five hundred (500) sets of license plates
23 are issued under this section before December 31, 2033, the
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1 plates authorized under this section shall be eliminated
2 from production and not later than January 15, 2035 the
3 department shall report the cessation of production to the
4 joint transportation, highways and military affairs interim
5 committee.
6
7 Section 2. W.S. 31-2-212 is amended to read:
8
9 31-2-212. Loss, mutilation or destruction of
10 registration, plates or validation stickers.
11
12 Upon loss, mutilation or destruction of a certificate of
13 registration, license plate, or validation sticker the
14 owner of a vehicle may obtain a duplicate certificate of
15 registration, new license plates or validation stickers
16 from any county treasurer or the department if the vehicle
17 was registered or plates or stickers were issued by the
18 department upon application showing the loss, mutilation or
19 destruction, return of mutilated plates or stickers and
20 payment of the duplicate registration, plate or sticker
21 fee. For those vehicles registered under the provisions of
22 W.S. 31-2-213(h), 31-2-215 through 31-2-223, 31-2-226,
23 31-2-227 or 31-2-229 through 31-2-233 31-2-234 replacement
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1 duplicate license plates may be obtained upon application
2 with the county treasurer from which the original plates
3 were purchased or the department if applicable, accompanied
4 by fees as provided by W.S. 31-3-102(a)(vi)(C). Duplicate
5 license plates obtained under this section to replace lost
6 or stolen plates shall not be displayed on the vehicle
7 until the validation stickers on the lost or stolen plates
8 have expired. Upon loss, mutilation or destruction of a
9 dealer plate or validation sticker the dealer may obtain a
10 replacement dealer plate or validation sticker from the
11 county treasurer from which he purchased the original plate
12 in the same manner as the owner of a vehicle and upon
13 payment of the appropriate fee under W.S. 31-3-102(a)(vi).
14 Obtaining a replacement plate is not the purchase of an
15 additional plate under W.S. 31-16-125(b)(i). Upon
16 application for new license plates or stickers the county
17 treasurer shall notify the department and the county
18 sheriff as soon as possible of the loss, mutilation or
19 destruction. The department shall notify the appropriate
20 law enforcement agencies of any loss, mutilation or
21 destruction of license plates or stickers.
22
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1 Section 3. The department of transportation shall
2 make suicide awareness and prevention license plates
3 available beginning on January 1, 2025.
4
5 Section 4. This act is effective July 1, 2024.
6
7 (END)
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Statutes affected: Introduced: 31-2-212