S 3362

2026 -- S 3362
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LC006557
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  STATE  OF        RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
  ____________
  AN ACT
   RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES
  Introduced By: Senators Quezada, Vargas, and Acosta
  Date Introduced: June 05, 2026
  Referred To: Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
1SECTION 1. Chapter 31-3 of the General Laws entitled "Registration of Vehicles" is
2 hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
331-3-132. Special plate for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award
4 Committee of RI.
5(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available
6 special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit entity, the Dominican Independence
7 and Heritage Award Committee of RI. The plates shall be designed to reference the Dominican
8 Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI.
9(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the
10 vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the
11 registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be
12 removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration certificate
13 for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate
14 shall be in effect for the special plate.
15(c) The Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI motor vehicle
16 plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed by the Dominican
17 Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI in conjunction with the division of motor
18 vehicles, with the design approved by the Rhode Island state police.
19(d) The Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates shall be
1 subject to compliance with § 31-3-117 relating to the number of minimum prepaid orders of plates
2 per plate type (i.e., passenger, commercial, etc.) and any required payment. The Dominican
3 Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates shall not be issued unless the minimum
4 order requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Dominican Independence and
5 Heritage Award Committee of RI and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for
6 production until the minimum order(s) have been met and the proper paperwork submitted to the
7 division.
8(e) The administrator of motor vehicles shall develop prepayment procedures and any other
9 procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
10(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, the Dominican
11 Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates shall be subject to a forty-dollar
12 ($40.00) issuance surcharge.
13(g) The forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: twenty
14 dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00)
15 shall be distributed annually to the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI
16 to provide funding for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI.
17(h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated
18 to the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI.
19(i) In consideration of the receipt of funds from the registration of the Dominican
20 Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates, the Dominican Independence and
21 Heritage Award Committee of RI must use any Rhode Island-sourced funds in and for the benefit
22 of Rhode Island-based charitable organizations.
23(j) The Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI will be required to
24 submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.
25(k) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of the Dominican Independence and
26 Heritage Award Committee of RI plates.
27SECTION 2. This act shall take effect six (6) months after passage.
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  EXPLANATION
  BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
  OF
  AN ACT
  RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES
  ***
1This act would empower the division of motor vehicles to make available special motor
2 vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit entity, the Dominican Independence and Heritage
3 Award Committee of RI.
4This act would take effect six (6) months after passage.
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