CHAPTER 311
H.P. 207 - L.D. 260
An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Task Force on Production and Issuance of Registration Plates
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §451, sub-§4-A is enacted to read:
4-A. New general issue design. Notwithstanding subsection 4, the design of registration plates issued pursuant to subsection 1-A is governed by this subsection.
A. Registration plates must bear the year of issue or the last 2 numerals of that year and the word "Maine" or the abbreviation "ME" in letters of at least 3/4 inch in height centered at the top of the registration plate.
B. Except on motorcycle plates, registration numbers may not be substantially less than 3 inches high.
C. On registration plates issued for private use and trucks, the word "Vacationland" must be centered at the bottom in letters not less than 3/4 inch in height, except, when the Secretary of State determines that for other than passenger vehicles, that space may be used for class codes.
D. A new registration plate must have:
(1) A green shaded background;
(2) Identification numbers, letters and the border distinctly black; and
(3) An illustration of a chickadee, pine cone and tassel.
E. The Secretary of State shall devise, with the advice of the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters, a numbering system suitable for a new general issue of registration plates.
Sec. 2. PL 1995, c. 645, Pt. C, §15 is amended to read:
Sec. C-15. Task force on production and issuance of license plates. The Secretary of State shall convene a task force to study the production and issuance of license plates. The task force shall convene no later than May 15, 1996 and conclude its work no later than November 1, 1996 December 1, 1998.
1. Membership. The task force consists of 11 members selected as follows.
The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House shall each appoint 2 members to serve as task force members. Members may continue to serve after their legislative term of office has expired. At the request of one of their appointees, the appointing authority may appoint another member of the committee to replace the requesting member on the task force.
The Secretary of State shall appoint 2 members representing law enforcement: one representing county sheriffs' departments and one representing municipal police departments.
The Chief of the State Police shall designate a state police officer to serve as a member.
The business manager for the bureau; the director of the public services division within the Bureau of Motor Vehicles; the director of the commercial vehicles division within the bureau; and an assistant deputy secretary of state serve as ex officio members of the task force.
The Chairs of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation and the Secretary of State shall send a list of the people appointed to serve on the task force to the Executive Director of the Legislative Council no later than May 1, 1996.
2. Convening of first meeting; election of chair. The Secretary of State or a designee of the Secretary of State shall convene the first meeting of the task force no later than May 15, 1996. The task force shall select a chair from among its members.
3. Staff and resource consultants to the task force. The Secretary of State shall provide staff assistance to the task force. The supervisor of the Maine State Prison plate shop shall serve as a consultant to the task force. The task force may request assistance with the preparation of any recommended legislation from the Legislative Council.
4. Purpose of task force. The task force shall study issues relating to the design and production of license plates and make recommendations to the Legislature for the new general plate issue beginning July 1, 1999. In conducting the study the task force shall examine the following.
A. The task force shall evaluate the existing equipment at the Warren prison facility, its adequacy for meeting plate production demand and the costs of overhauling that equipment prior to a new general issue. The task force shall examine state-of-the-art technology for in-house graphics creation and production of specialty plates. The task force shall consider costs of new equipment and the impact of various types of equipment on production capabilities and on jobs at the prison facility.
B. The task force shall consider methods of assigning unique identifiers to license plates. The task force shall consider use of a stacked letter system to allow duplication of numbers among different types of plates. The task force shall make recommendations as to the use of a single numbering system or a system that allows duplication.
C. The Until November 1, 1996, the task force shall consider designs for a new general issue plate to replace the lobster plate design. The task force shall use the plate design standards of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators in developing or evaluating designs. The task force shall present design alternatives to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation before making a recommendation, on or by November 1, 1996, on plate design.
D. The task force may consider any other issues related to the production of license plates.
5. Reimbursement for travel expenses. Members of the task force who are Legislators or were Legislators at the time of appointment are entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses for meetings of the task force. Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation who participated in meetings initiated by the Secretary of State to study license plate production issues during the period of September 1, 1995 to December 31, 1995 are entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses upon submitting the appropriate expense forms to the Executive Director of the Legislative Council.
6. Initial recommendation. The task force shall submit a an initial report including findings, recommendations and proposed legislation to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation and to the Executive Director of the Legislative Council no later than November 1, 1996. The task force shall submit legislation to implement its recommendations to the Revisor of Statutes no later than January 1, 1997. The report must include a proposed plate design for the new general issue, recommendations for the registration classes required to display the new general issue plates and for the specialty plates to remain in use concurrent with the new general issue.
7. Final recommendations. The task force shall submit its final recommendations regarding the use of a single numbering system or a system that allows duplication to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation and to the Executive Director of the Legislative Council during the Second Regular Session of the 118th Legislature.
Sec. 3. Transition; retroactivity. Those members of the task force to study the production and issuance of license plates who were appointed pursuant to Public Law 1995, chapter 645, Part C, section 15 continue to serve as members of the task force, except that the 2 legislative members of the task force whose legislative terms have expired must be replaced with new appointees who are members of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.
This section and those sections of this Act that amend Public Law 1995, chapter 645, Part C, section 15 apply retroactively to November 1, 1996.
Effective September 19, 1997, unless otherwise indicated.
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