HB2127 - Department of transportation; special plates

House Engrossed bronze star medal license plates (now: department of transportation; special plates) State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026 HOUSE BILL 2127 AN ACT AMENDING SECTIONS 28-2351 AND 28-2403, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES; AMENDING TITLE 28, CHAPTER 7, ARTICLE 12, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTIONS 28-2470.40, 28-2470.41, 28-2470.42, 28-2470.43, 28-2470.44, 28-2470.45, 28-2470.46, 28-2470.47, 28-2470.48, 28-2470.49, 28-2470.50, 28-2470.51, 28-2470.52, 28-2470.53, 28-2470.54, 28-2470.55, 28-2470.56, 28-2470.57, 28-2470.58, 28-2470.59, 28-2470.60 AND 28-2470.61; AMENDING TITLE 28, CHAPTER 7, ARTICLE 13, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTIONS 28-2477 AND 28-2478; AMENDING SECTIONS 28-6501, 28-6991, 28-6993 AND 41-608, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES; RELATING TO SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE) Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Section 28-2351, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE 28-2351. License plate provided; design A. Notwithstanding any other law, the department shall provide to every owner one license plate for each vehicle registered. At the request of the owner and on payment of a fee in an amount prescribed by the director by rule, the department shall provide one additional license plate for a vehicle for which a special plate is requested pursuant to this chapter. B. The license plate shall display the number assigned to the vehicle and to the owner of the vehicle and the name of this state, which may be abbreviated. The director shall coat the license plate with a reflective material that is consistent with the determination of the department regarding the color and design of license plates and special plates. The director shall design the license plate and the letters and numerals on the license plate to be of sufficient size to be plainly readable during daylight from a distance of one hundred feet. In addition to the standard license plate issued for a trailer before August 12, 2005, the director shall issue a license plate for trailers that has a design that is similar to the standard size license plate for trailers but that is the same size as the license plate for motorcycles. The trailer owner shall notify the department which size license plate the owner wants for the trailer. C. In addition to the requirements prescribed in subsection B of this section, for all license plates, including all special plates, that are designed or redesigned on or after September 24, 2022: 1. The background color of the license plate shall contrast significantly with the color of the letters and numerals on the license plate and with the name of this state on the license plate. 2. The name of this state shall appear on the license plate in capital letters in sans serif font and be three-fourths of an inch in height. D. Notwithstanding any other law, the department shall not contract with a nongovernmental entity to purchase or secure reflective material for the plates issued by the department unless the department has made a reasonable effort to secure qualified bids or proposals from as many individual responsible respondents as possible. E. The department shall determine the color and design of the license plate subject to the requirements prescribed by subsections B and C of this section. All plates issued by the department, except the plates that are issued pursuant to sections 28-2404, 28-2412, 28-2413, 28-2414, 28-2416, 28-2416.01, 28-2417 through 28-2470.39 28-2470.61 , 28-2472, 28-2473, 28-2474, 28-2475, 28-2476 , 28-2477 , 28-2478 and 28-4533 and article 14 of this chapter, shall be the same color as and similar in design to the license plate as determined by the department. F. A passenger motor vehicle that is rented without a driver shall receive the same type of license plate as is issued for a private passenger motor vehicle. END_STATUTE Sec. 2. Section 28-2403, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE 28-2403. Special plates; transfers; violation; classification A. Except as otherwise provided in this article, the department shall issue or renew special plates in lieu of the regular license plates pursuant to the following conditions and procedures and only if the requirements prescribed by this article for the requested special plates are met: 1. Except as provided in sections 28-2416 and 28-2416.01, a person who is the registered owner of a vehicle registered with the department or who applies for an original or renewal registration of a vehicle may submit to the department a completed application form as prescribed by the department with the fee prescribed by section 28-2402 for special plates in addition to the registration fee prescribed by section 28-2003. 2. Except for plates issued pursuant to sections 28-2404, 28-2412, 28-2413, 28-2414, 28-2416, 28-2416.01, 28-2417 through 28-2470.39 28-2470.61 , 28-2472, 28-2473, 28-2474, 28-2475 , and 28-2476 , 28-2477 and 28-2478 and article 14 of this chapter, the special plates shall be the same color as and similar to the design of the regular license plates that is determined by the department. 3. Except as provided in section 28-2416, the department shall issue special plates only to the owner or lessee of a vehicle that is currently registered, including any vehicle that has a declared gross weight, as defined in section 28-5431, of twenty-six thousand pounds or less. 4. Except as provided in sections 28-2416 and 28-2416.01, the department shall charge the fee prescribed by section 28-2402 for each annual renewal of special plates in addition to the registration fee prescribed by section 28-2003. B. Except as provided in sections 28-2416 and 28-2416.01, on notification to the department and on payment of the transfer fee prescribed by section 28-2402, a person who is issued special plates may transfer the special plates to another vehicle the person owns or leases. Persons who are issued special plates for hearing impaired persons pursuant to section 28-2408 and international symbol of access special plates pursuant to section 28-2409 are exempt from the transfer fee. If a person who is issued special plates sells, trades or otherwise releases ownership of the vehicle on which the plates have been displayed, the person shall immediately report the transfer of the plates to the department or the person shall surrender the plates to the department as prescribed by the director. It is unlawful for a person to whom the plates have been issued to knowingly allow them to be displayed on a vehicle except the vehicle authorized by the department. C. The special plates shall be affixed to the vehicle for which registration is sought in lieu of the regular license plates. D. A person is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor who: 1. Violates subsection B of this section. 2. Fraudulently gives false or fictitious information in the application for or renewal of special plates or placards issued pursuant to this article. 3. Conceals a material fact or otherwise commits fraud in the application for or renewal of special plates or placards issued pursuant to this article. END_STATUTE Sec. 3. Title 28, chapter 7, article 12, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding sections 28-2470.40, 28-2470.41, 28-2470.42, 28-2470.43, 28-2470.44, 28-2470.45, 28-2470.46, 28-2470.47, 28-2470.48, 28-2470.49, 28-2470.50, 28-2470.51, 28-2470.52, 28-2470.53, 28-2470.54, 28-2470.55, 28-2470.56, 28-2470.57, 28-2470.58, 28-2470.59, 28-2470.60 and 28-2470.61, to read: START_STATUTE 28-2470.40. Skin cancer prevention special plates; fund A. If, by December 31, 2026, a person pays $32,000 to the department for the implementation of this section, the department shall issue skin cancer prevention special plates. The person that provides the $32,000 shall design the skin cancer prevention special plates. The design and color of the skin cancer prevention special plates are subject to approval of the department. The director may allow a request for skin cancer prevention special plates to be combined with a request for personalized special plates. If the director allows such a combination, the request shall be in a form prescribed by the director and is subject to the fees for the personalized special plates in addition to the fees required for the skin cancer prevention special plates. B. Of the $25 fee required by section 28-2402 for the original special plates and for the renewal of the special plates, $8 is a special plate administration fee and $17 is an annual donation. C. The department shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, all special plate administration fees in the state highway fund established by section 28-6991 and shall transmit all donations collected pursuant to this section to the skin cancer prevention special plate fund established by this section. D. The skin cancer prevention special plate fund is established consisting of monies deposited pursuant to this section. The director shall administer the fund. The first $32,000 in the fund shall be reimbursed to the person that paid the implementation fee to the department pursuant to subsection a of this section. Not more than ten percent of the monies deposited in the fund annually shall be used for the cost of administering the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated. E. The director shall annually allocate monies from the fund to an entity that is qualified under section 501( c )(3) of the United States internal revenue code for federal income tax purposes. The entity must: 1. Be headquartered in this state and been INCORPORATED in this state since 2011. 2. Provide skin cancer prevention education, preventative EXAMINATIONS, sun protection and HYGIENE products to promote skin cancer prevention awareness and education in this state, including: ( a ) at school resource fairs for low-income students and families. ( b ) to persons with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses, including persons with transportation barriers. ( c ) to persons living in shelters and affordable housing developments. ( d ) at churches. ( e ) at businesses. ( f ) for municipal entities. ( g ) at community events. 3. Arrange for the construction of permanent sun shade structures at schools, churches and community parks for protection from heat and from sun DAMAGE. 4. Have a mission to ORGANIZE volunteer medical professionals and medical residents and other community volunteers and medical school, COLLEGE and high school students to promote skin cancer prevention awareness and education at community events and to improve the quality of life in both urban and rural areas in this state. F. On notice from the director, the state treasurer shall invest and divest monies in the fund as provided by section 35-313, and monies earned from investment shall be credited to the fund. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE 28-2470.41. Diabetes awareness special plates; fund A. If, by December 31, 2026, a person pays $32,000 to the department for the implementation of this section, the department shall issue diabetes awareness special plates. The person that provides the $32,000 shall design the diabetes awareness special plates. The design and color of the diabetes awareness special plates are subject to approval of the department. The director may allow a request for diabetes awareness special plates to be combined with a request for personalized special plates. If the director allows such a combination, the request shall be in a form prescribed by the director and is subject to the fees for the personalized special plates in addition to the fees required for the diabetes awareness special plates. B. Of the $25 fee required by section 28-2402 for the original special plates and for the renewal of the special plates, $8 is a special plate administration fee and $17 is an annual donation. C. The department shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, all special plate administration fees in the state highway fund established by section 28-6991 and shall transmit all donations collected pursuant to this section to the diabetes awareness special plate fund established by this section. D. The diabetes awareness special plate fund is established consisting of monies deposited pursuant to this section. The director shall administer the fund. The first $32,000 in the fund shall be reimbursed to the person that paid the implementation fee to the department pursuant to subsection a of this section. Not more than ten percent of the monies deposited in the fund annually shall be used for the cost of administering the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated. E. The director shall annually allocate monies from the fund to an entity that is qualified under section 501( c )(3) of the United States internal revenue code for federal income tax purposes. The entity must: 1. have been founded in 2022 and be headquartered in this state. 2. Support persons who are living with diabetes and their families through a support NETWORK crafted by diabetics. 3. Provide education and resources to inform the general public about diabetes. F. On notice from the director, the state treasurer shall invest and divest monies in the fund as provided by section 35-313, and monies earned from investment shall be credited to the fund. END_STATUTE START_STATUTE 28-2470.42. Small business advocate special plates; fund A. If, by December 31, 2026, a person pays $32,000 to the department for the implementation of this section, the department shall issue small business advocate special plates. The person that provides the $32,000 shall design the small business advocate special plates. The design and color of the small business advocate special plates are subject to approval of the department. The director may allow a request for small business advocate special plates to be combined with a request for personalized special plates. If the director allows such a combination, the request shall be in a form prescribed by the director and is subject to the fees for the personalized special plates in addition to the fees required for the small business advocate special plates. B. Of the $25 fee required by section 28-2402 for the original special plates and for the renewal of the special plates, $8 is a special plate administration fee and $17 is an annual donation. C. The department shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, all special plate administration fees in the state highway fund established by section 28-6991 and shall transmit all donations collected pursuant to this section to the small business advocate special plate fund established by this section. D. The small business advocate special plate fund is established consisting of monies deposited pursuant to this section. The director shall administer the fund. The first $32,000 in the fund shall be reimbursed to the person tha [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]