(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for profit Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. The plates shall be designed to reference Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc.
(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued, and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.
(c) The Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates, and shall be designed by the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with the design approved by the Rhode Island state police.
(d) The Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. plates shall be subject to a minimum pre-paid order of at least nine hundred (900) sets of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.). The Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order(s) requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc., and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) have been met, and the proper paperwork submitted to the division.
(e) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall develop application forms, pre-payment procedures, and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. plates shall be subject to a forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.
(g) The forty dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows:
Twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually to the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. to assist in the fiscal needs required to maintain and protect this historic site for all to enjoy, and to continue in the fostering of the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse's, Inc. presence as an asset to Rhode Island's economic growth and prosperity. The distribution to the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. shall be placed in a restricted account and shall be paid to the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc.
(h) An additional ten dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall apply to holders of the plate. All proceeds shall be distributed annually to the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc., to assist in the fiscal needs required to maintain and protect the iconic Plum Beach Lighthouse. The distribution to the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc., shall be placed in a restricted account and shall be paid to the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc.
(i) The Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.
(j) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, Inc. plates.
History of Section.
P.L. 2009, ch. 221, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 222, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 446, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 483, § 1; P.L. 2018, ch. 115, § 1; P.L. 2018, ch. 227, § 1.