5151. (a) As used in this article, "state agency" means a state
office, officer, department, division, bureau, board, or commission,
or any other state body or agency.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that this article contain
the authority for specialized license plates for state agencies.
5152. A person described in Section 5101 may apply for a
specialized license plate under this article, in lieu of regular
license plates.
5154. Specialized license plates issued under this article shall
have a design or contain a message that publicizes or promotes a
state agency, or the official policy, mission, or work of a state
agency.
5155. The design criteria for a specialized license plate are as
follows:
(a) The license plate for a passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle,
or trailer shall provide a space not larger than two inches by three
inches to the left of the numerical series and a space not larger
than five-eighths of an inch in height below the numerical series for
a distinctive design, decal, or descriptive message as authorized by
this article. The license plates shall be issued in sequential
numerical order or, pursuant to Section 5103, in a combination of
numbers or letters.
(b) Specialized license plates authorized under this article may
be issued for use on a motorcycle. That license plate shall contain a
five-digit configuration issued in sequential numerical order or,
pursuant to Section 5103, in a combination of numbers or letters.
There shall be a space to the left of the numerical series for a
distinctive design or decal and the characters shall contrast sharply
with the uniform background color. A motorcycle plate containing a
full plate graphic design is not authorized.
(c) Specialized license plates may be issued as environmental
license plates, as defined in Section 5103.
5156. (a) (1) A state agency may apply to the department to sponsor
a specialized license plate program, and the department shall issue
specialized license plates for that program, if the agency complies
with all of the requirements of this article.
(2) The department shall not issue specialized license plates to a
state agency for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of
registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (d), the department shall
not establish a specialized license plate program for an agency until
the department has received not less than 7,500 applications for
that agency's specialized license plates. The agency shall collect
and hold applications for the plates. Once the agency has received at
least 7,500 applications, it shall submit the applications, along
with the necessary fees, to the department. The department shall not
issue a specialized license plate until the agency has received and
submitted to the department not less than 7,500 applications for that
particular specialized license plate within the time period
prescribed in this section. Advance payment to the department by the
agency representing the department's estimated or actual
administrative costs associated with the issuance of a particular
specialized license plate shall not constitute compliance with this
requirement. The agency shall have 12 months, following the date of
approval of the agency's initial application to sponsor a specialized
license plate program, to receive the required number of
applications. If, after that 12 months, 7,500 applications have not
been received, the agency shall immediately do either of the
following:
(1) Refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been
collected.
(2) Contact the department to indicate the agency's intent to
undertake collection of additional applications and fees or deposits
for an additional period, not to exceed 12 months, in order to obtain
the minimum 7,500 applications. If the agency elects to exercise the
option under this subparagraph, it shall contact each applicant who
has submitted an application with the appropriate fees or deposits to
determine if the applicant wishes a refund of fees or deposits or
requests the continuance of the holding of the application and fees
or deposits until that time that the agency has received 7,500
applications. The agency shall refund the fees or deposits to an
applicant so requesting. The agency shall not collect and hold
applications for a period exceeding 24 months following the date of
approval of the agency's initial application to sponsor a specialized
license plate program.
(c) (1) If the number of outstanding and valid specialized license
plates in a particular program, except as provided in subdivision
(d), provided for in this article is less than 7,500, the department
shall notify the sponsoring agency of that fact and shall inform the
agency that if that number is less than 7,500 one year from the date
of that notification, the department will no longer issue or replace
those specialized license plates.
(2) Those particular specialized license plates that were issued
prior to the discontinuation provided by paragraph (1) may continue
to be used and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and
may be renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.
(d) (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs may sponsor a Gold Star
Family specialized license plate program and the department may
establish this specialized license plate program in the absence of
7,500 paid applications as provided in subdivision (d) of Section
5157.
(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs shall, upon receiving proof
of eligibility from an applicant, authorize the department to issue
Gold Star Family specialized license plates for a vehicle owned by an
eligible family member of a member of the Armed Forces of the United
States who was killed in the line of duty while on active duty
during wartime service, or during an international terrorist attack
that has been recognized by the United States Secretary of Defense as
an attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to
the United States, or during military operations while serving
outside the United States, including commonwealths, territories, and
possessions of the United States, or as part of a peacekeeping force,
which includes personnel assigned to a force engaged in a
peacekeeping operation authorized by the United Nations Security
Council. An eligible family member is defined as all of the
following:
(A) A person who is otherwise eligible under this article to
register a motor vehicle.
(B) A person who shows proof from the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense that the member who was
in the Armed Forces of the United States was killed in the line of
duty while on active duty in the military.
(C) A person who bears, and shows proof satisfactory to the
Department of Veterans Affairs of, one of the following relationships
to the member of the Armed Forces killed in the line of duty while
serving on active duty:
(i) Widow.
(ii) Widower.
(iii) Biological parent.
(iv) Adoptive parent.
(v) Stepparent.
(vi) Foster parent in loco parentis.
(vii) Biological child.
(viii) Adoptive child.
(ix) Stepchild.
(x) Sibling.
(xi) Half-sibling.
(xii) Grandparent.
(xiii) Grandchild.
(3) Upon the death of a person issued a Gold Star Family
specialized license plate, the license plate shall be transferred to
the surviving spouse, if he or she requests, or shall be returned to
the department within 60 days after the death of the plateholder or
upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs
first.
5157. (a) In addition to the regular fees for an original
registration or renewal of registration, the following additional
fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of the
specialized license plates:
(1) For the original issuance of the plates, fifty dollars ($50).
(2) For a renewal of registration with the plates, forty dollars
($40).
(3) For transfer of the plates to another vehicle, fifteen dollars
($15).
(4) For each substitute replacement plate, thirty-five dollars
($35).
(5) In addition, for the issuance of environmental license plates,
as defined in Section 5103, with a specialized license plate design,
the additional fees prescribed in Sections 5106 and 5108. The
additional fees prescribed in Sections 5106 and 5108 shall be
deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.
(b) The Gold Star Family specialized license plate program as
provided in subdivision (d) of Section 5156 shall not be subject to
the fees specified in paragraphs (1), (2), and (5) of subdivision (a)
and shall only be issued in a sequential series.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a), and
after deducting its administrative costs under this section, the
department shall deposit the additional revenue derived from the
issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of the specialized
license plates in the Specialized License Plate Fund, which is hereby
established in the State Treasury. Upon appropriation by the
Legislature, the moneys in that fund shall be allocated to each
sponsoring agency, in proportion to the amount in the fund that is
attributable to the agency's specialized license plate program.
Except as authorized under Section 5159, the sponsoring agency shall
expend all funds received under this section exclusively for projects
and programs that promote the state agency's official policy,
mission, or work.
(d) (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs may actively request
and receive donations for the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
which is hereby created in the Specialized License Plate Fund and
which may consist of donations from public and private entities.
Earnings generated by the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
shall be retained by the account.
(2) Upon the determination of the department that there are
sufficient funds in the Gold Star Family License Plate Account for
this purpose, moneys in the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the
department for the necessary administrative costs of establishing the
Gold Star Family specialized license plate program.
5158. When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in
Section 4000, or when a person determines to retain the specialized
license plate upon a sale, trade, or other release of the vehicle
upon which the plate has been displayed, the person shall notify the
department and the person may retain and use the plate as authorized
by departmental regulations.
5159. A state agency that is eligible to participate in a
specialized license plate program pursuant to this article and
receives funds from the additional fees collected from the sale of
specialized plates shall not expend annually more than 25 percent of
those funds on administrative costs, marketing, or other promotional
activities associated with encouraging application for, or renewal
of, the specialized plates.
5160. (a) A state agency authorized under this article to offer
specialized license plates shall prepare and submit an annual
accounting report to the department by June 30. The report shall
include an accounting of all revenues and expenditures associated
with the specialized license plate program.
(b) If a state agency submits a report pursuant to subdivision (a)
indicating that the agency violated the expenditure restriction set
forth in Section 5159, the department shall immediately cease
depositing fees for that agency's specialized license plate program
in the Specialized License Plate Fund established under Section 5157
and, instead, shall deposit those fees that would have otherwise been
deposited in that fund in a separate fund created by the Controller,
which fund is subject to appropriation by the Legislature. The
department shall immediately notify the agency of this course of
action. The depositing of funds in the account established pursuant
to this subdivision shall continue until the agency demonstrates to
the satisfaction of the department that the agency is in compliance
or will comply with the requirements of Section 5159. If one year
from the date that the agency receives the notice described in this
subdivision, the agency is still unable to satisfactorily demonstrate
to the department that it is in compliance or will comply with
Section 5159, the department shall no longer issue or replace those
specialized license plates associated with that agency. Those
particular specialized license plates that were issued prior to the
discontinuation provided by this subdivision may continue to be used
and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and may be
renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.
(c) Upon receiving the reports required under subdivision (a),
notwithstanding Section 7550.5 of the Government Code, the department
shall prepare and transmit an annual consolidated report to the
Legislature containing the revenue and expenditure data.
5151. (a) As used in this article, "state agency" means a state
office, officer, department, division, bureau, board, or commission,
or any other state body or agency.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that this article contain
the authority for specialized license plates for state agencies.
5152. A person described in Section 5101 may apply for a
specialized license plate under this article, in lieu of regular
license plates.
5154. Specialized license plates issued under this article shall
have a design or contain a message that publicizes or promotes a
state agency, or the official policy, mission, or work of a state
agency.
5155. The design criteria for a specialized license plate are as
follows:
(a) The license plate for a passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle,
or trailer shall provide a space not larger than two inches by three
inches to the left of the numerical series and a space not larger
than five-eighths of an inch in height below the numerical series for
a distinctive design, decal, or descriptive message as authorized by
this article. The license plates shall be issued in sequential
numerical order or, pursuant to Section 5103, in a combination of
numbers or letters.
(b) Specialized license plates authorized under this article may
be issued for use on a motorcycle. That license plate shall contain a
five-digit configuration issued in sequential numerical order or,
pursuant to Section 5103, in a combination of numbers or letters.
There shall be a space to the left of the numerical series for a
distinctive design or decal and the characters shall contrast sharply
with the uniform background color. A motorcycle plate containing a
full plate graphic design is not authorized.
(c) Specialized license plates may be issued as environmental
license plates, as defined in Section 5103.
5156. (a) (1) A state agency may apply to the department to sponsor
a specialized license plate program, and the department shall issue
specialized license plates for that program, if the agency complies
with all of the requirements of this article.
(2) The department shall not issue specialized license plates to a
state agency for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of
registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (d), the department shall
not establish a specialized license plate program for an agency until
the department has received not less than 7,500 applications for
that agency's specialized license plates. The agency shall collect
and hold applications for the plates. Once the agency has received at
least 7,500 applications, it shall submit the applications, along
with the necessary fees, to the department. The department shall not
issue a specialized license plate until the agency has received and
submitted to the department not less than 7,500 applications for that
particular specialized license plate within the time period
prescribed in this section. Advance payment to the department by the
agency representing the department's estimated or actual
administrative costs associated with the issuance of a particular
specialized license plate shall not constitute compliance with this
requirement. The agency shall have 12 months, following the date of
approval of the agency's initial application to sponsor a specialized
license plate program, to receive the required number of
applications. If, after that 12 months, 7,500 applications have not
been received, the agency shall immediately do either of the
following:
(1) Refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been
collected.
(2) Contact the department to indicate the agency's intent to
undertake collection of additional applications and fees or deposits
for an additional period, not to exceed 12 months, in order to obtain
the minimum 7,500 applications. If the agency elects to exercise the
option under this subparagraph, it shall contact each applicant who
has submitted an application with the appropriate fees or deposits to
determine if the applicant wishes a refund of fees or deposits or
requests the continuance of the holding of the application and fees
or deposits until that time that the agency has received 7,500
applications. The agency shall refund the fees or deposits to an
applicant so requesting. The agency shall not collect and hold
applications for a period exceeding 24 months following the date of
approval of the agency's initial application to sponsor a specialized
license plate program.
(c) (1) If the number of outstanding and valid specialized license
plates in a particular program, except as provided in subdivision
(d), provided for in this article is less than 7,500, the department
shall notify the sponsoring agency of that fact and shall inform the
agency that if that number is less than 7,500 one year from the date
of that notification, the department will no longer issue or replace
those specialized license plates.
(2) Those particular specialized license plates that were issued
prior to the discontinuation provided by paragraph (1) may continue
to be used and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and
may be renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.
(d) (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs may sponsor a Gold Star
Family specialized license plate program and the department may
establish this specialized license plate program in the absence of
7,500 paid applications as provided in subdivision (d) of Section
5157.
(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs shall, upon receiving proof
of eligibility from an applicant, authorize the department to issue
Gold Star Family specialized license plates for a vehicle owned by an
eligible family member of a member of the Armed Forces of the United
States who was killed in the line of duty while on active duty
during wartime service, or during an international terrorist attack
that has been recognized by the United States Secretary of Defense as
an attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to
the United States, or during military operations while serving
outside the United States, including commonwealths, territories, and
possessions of the United States, or as part of a peacekeeping force,
which includes personnel assigned to a force engaged in a
peacekeeping operation authorized by the United Nations Security
Council. An eligible family member is defined as all of the
following:
(A) A person who is otherwise eligible under this article to
register a motor vehicle.
(B) A person who shows proof from the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense that the member who was
in the Armed Forces of the United States was killed in the line of
duty while on active duty in the military.
(C) A person who bears, and shows proof satisfactory to the
Department of Veterans Affairs of, one of the following relationships
to the member of the Armed Forces killed in the line of duty while
serving on active duty:
(i) Widow.
(ii) Widower.
(iii) Biological parent.
(iv) Adoptive parent.
(v) Stepparent.
(vi) Foster parent in loco parentis.
(vii) Biological child.
(viii) Adoptive child.
(ix) Stepchild.
(x) Sibling.
(xi) Half-sibling.
(xii) Grandparent.
(xiii) Grandchild.
(3) Upon the death of a person issued a Gold Star Family
specialized license plate, the license plate shall be transferred to
the surviving spouse, if he or she requests, or shall be returned to
the department within 60 days after the death of the plateholder or
upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs
first.
5157. (a) In addition to the regular fees for an original
registration or renewal of registration, the following additional
fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of the
specialized license plates:
(1) For the original issuance of the plates, fifty dollars ($50).
(2) For a renewal of registration with the plates, forty dollars
($40).
(3) For transfer of the plates to another vehicle, fifteen dollars
($15).
(4) For each substitute replacement plate, thirty-five dollars
($35).
(5) In addition, for the issuance of environmental license plates,
as defined in Section 5103, with a specialized license plate design,
the additional fees prescribed in Sections 5106 and 5108. The
additional fees prescribed in Sections 5106 and 5108 shall be
deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.
(b) The Gold Star Family specialized license plate program as
provided in subdivision (d) of Section 5156 shall not be subject to
the fees specified in paragraphs (1), (2), and (5) of subdivision (a)
and shall only be issued in a sequential series.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a), and
after deducting its administrative costs under this section, the
department shall deposit the additional revenue derived from the
issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of the specialized
license plates in the Specialized License Plate Fund, which is hereby
established in the State Treasury. Upon appropriation by the
Legislature, the moneys in that fund shall be allocated to each
sponsoring agency, in proportion to the amount in the fund that is
attributable to the agency's specialized license plate program.
Except as authorized under Section 5159, the sponsoring agency shall
expend all funds received under this section exclusively for projects
and programs that promote the state agency's official policy,
mission, or work.
(d) (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs may actively request
and receive donations for the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
which is hereby created in the Specialized License Plate Fund and
which may consist of donations from public and private entities.
Earnings generated by the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
shall be retained by the account.
(2) Upon the determination of the department that there are
sufficient funds in the Gold Star Family License Plate Account for
this purpose, moneys in the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the
department for the necessary administrative costs of establishing the
Gold Star Family specialized license plate program.
5158. When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in
Section 4000, or when a person determines to retain the specialized
license plate upon a sale, trade, or other release of the vehicle
upon which the plate has been displayed, the person shall notify the
department and the person may retain and use the plate as authorized
by departmental regulations.
5159. A state agency that is eligible to participate in a
specialized license plate program pursuant to this article and
receives funds from the additional fees collected from the sale of
specialized plates shall not expend annually more than 25 percent of
those funds on administrative costs, marketing, or other promotional
activities associated with encouraging application for, or renewal
of, the specialized plates.
5160. (a) A state agency authorized under this article to offer
specialized license plates shall prepare and submit an annual
accounting report to the department by June 30. The report shall
include an accounting of all revenues and expenditures associated
with the specialized license plate program.
(b) If a state agency submits a report pursuant to subdivision (a)
indicating that the agency violated the expenditure restriction set
forth in Section 5159, the department shall immediately cease
depositing fees for that agency's specialized license plate program
in the Specialized License Plate Fund established under Section 5157
and, instead, shall deposit those fees that would have otherwise been
deposited in that fund in a separate fund created by the Controller,
which fund is subject to appropriation by the Legislature. The
department shall immediately notify the agency of this course of
action. The depositing of funds in the account established pursuant
to this subdivision shall continue until the agency demonstrates to
the satisfaction of the department that the agency is in compliance
or will comply with the requirements of Section 5159. If one year
from the date that the agency receives the notice described in this
subdivision, the agency is still unable to satisfactorily demonstrate
to the department that it is in compliance or will comply with
Section 5159, the department shall no longer issue or replace those
specialized license plates associated with that agency. Those
particular specialized license plates that were issued prior to the
discontinuation provided by this subdivision may continue to be used
and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and may be
renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.
(c) Upon receiving the reports required under subdivision (a),
notwithstanding Section 7550.5 of the Government Code, the department
shall prepare and transmit an annual consolidated report to the
Legislature containing the revenue and expenditure data.
5151. (a) As used in this article, "state agency" means a state
office, officer, department, division, bureau, board, or commission,
or any other state body or agency.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that this article contain
the authority for specialized license plates for state agencies.
5152. A person described in Section 5101 may apply for a
specialized license plate under this article, in lieu of regular
license plates.
5154. Specialized license plates issued under this article shall
have a design or contain a message that publicizes or promotes a
state agency, or the official policy, mission, or work of a state
agency.
5155. The design criteria for a specialized license plate are as
follows:
(a) The license plate for a passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle,
or trailer shall provide a space not larger than two inches by three
inches to the left of the numerical series and a space not larger
than five-eighths of an inch in height below the numerical series for
a distinctive design, decal, or descriptive message as authorized by
this article. The license plates shall be issued in sequential
numerical order or, pursuant to Section 5103, in a combination of
numbers or letters.
(b) Specialized license plates authorized under this article may
be issued for use on a motorcycle. That license plate shall contain a
five-digit configuration issued in sequential numerical order or,
pursuant to Section 5103, in a combination of numbers or letters.
There shall be a space to the left of the numerical series for a
distinctive design or decal and the characters shall contrast sharply
with the uniform background color. A motorcycle plate containing a
full plate graphic design is not authorized.
(c) Specialized license plates may be issued as environmental
license plates, as defined in Section 5103.
5156. (a) (1) A state agency may apply to the department to sponsor
a specialized license plate program, and the department shall issue
specialized license plates for that program, if the agency complies
with all of the requirements of this article.
(2) The department shall not issue specialized license plates to a
state agency for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of
registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (d), the department shall
not establish a specialized license plate program for an agency until
the department has received not less than 7,500 applications for
that agency's specialized license plates. The agency shall collect
and hold applications for the plates. Once the agency has received at
least 7,500 applications, it shall submit the applications, along
with the necessary fees, to the department. The department shall not
issue a specialized license plate until the agency has received and
submitted to the department not less than 7,500 applications for that
particular specialized license plate within the time period
prescribed in this section. Advance payment to the department by the
agency representing the department's estimated or actual
administrative costs associated with the issuance of a particular
specialized license plate shall not constitute compliance with this
requirement. The agency shall have 12 months, following the date of
approval of the agency's initial application to sponsor a specialized
license plate program, to receive the required number of
applications. If, after that 12 months, 7,500 applications have not
been received, the agency shall immediately do either of the
following:
(1) Refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been
collected.
(2) Contact the department to indicate the agency's intent to
undertake collection of additional applications and fees or deposits
for an additional period, not to exceed 12 months, in order to obtain
the minimum 7,500 applications. If the agency elects to exercise the
option under this subparagraph, it shall contact each applicant who
has submitted an application with the appropriate fees or deposits to
determine if the applicant wishes a refund of fees or deposits or
requests the continuance of the holding of the application and fees
or deposits until that time that the agency has received 7,500
applications. The agency shall refund the fees or deposits to an
applicant so requesting. The agency shall not collect and hold
applications for a period exceeding 24 months following the date of
approval of the agency's initial application to sponsor a specialized
license plate program.
(c) (1) If the number of outstanding and valid specialized license
plates in a particular program, except as provided in subdivision
(d), provided for in this article is less than 7,500, the department
shall notify the sponsoring agency of that fact and shall inform the
agency that if that number is less than 7,500 one year from the date
of that notification, the department will no longer issue or replace
those specialized license plates.
(2) Those particular specialized license plates that were issued
prior to the discontinuation provided by paragraph (1) may continue
to be used and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and
may be renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.
(d) (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs may sponsor a Gold Star
Family specialized license plate program and the department may
establish this specialized license plate program in the absence of
7,500 paid applications as provided in subdivision (d) of Section
5157.
(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs shall, upon receiving proof
of eligibility from an applicant, authorize the department to issue
Gold Star Family specialized license plates for a vehicle owned by an
eligible family member of a member of the Armed Forces of the United
States who was killed in the line of duty while on active duty
during wartime service, or during an international terrorist attack
that has been recognized by the United States Secretary of Defense as
an attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to
the United States, or during military operations while serving
outside the United States, including commonwealths, territories, and
possessions of the United States, or as part of a peacekeeping force,
which includes personnel assigned to a force engaged in a
peacekeeping operation authorized by the United Nations Security
Council. An eligible family member is defined as all of the
following:
(A) A person who is otherwise eligible under this article to
register a motor vehicle.
(B) A person who shows proof from the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense that the member who was
in the Armed Forces of the United States was killed in the line of
duty while on active duty in the military.
(C) A person who bears, and shows proof satisfactory to the
Department of Veterans Affairs of, one of the following relationships
to the member of the Armed Forces killed in the line of duty while
serving on active duty:
(i) Widow.
(ii) Widower.
(iii) Biological parent.
(iv) Adoptive parent.
(v) Stepparent.
(vi) Foster parent in loco parentis.
(vii) Biological child.
(viii) Adoptive child.
(ix) Stepchild.
(x) Sibling.
(xi) Half-sibling.
(xii) Grandparent.
(xiii) Grandchild.
(3) Upon the death of a person issued a Gold Star Family
specialized license plate, the license plate shall be transferred to
the surviving spouse, if he or she requests, or shall be returned to
the department within 60 days after the death of the plateholder or
upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs
first.
5157. (a) In addition to the regular fees for an original
registration or renewal of registration, the following additional
fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, or transfer of the
specialized license plates:
(1) For the original issuance of the plates, fifty dollars ($50).
(2) For a renewal of registration with the plates, forty dollars
($40).
(3) For transfer of the plates to another vehicle, fifteen dollars
($15).
(4) For each substitute replacement plate, thirty-five dollars
($35).
(5) In addition, for the issuance of environmental license plates,
as defined in Section 5103, with a specialized license plate design,
the additional fees prescribed in Sections 5106 and 5108. The
additional fees prescribed in Sections 5106 and 5108 shall be
deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.
(b) The Gold Star Family specialized license plate program as
provided in subdivision (d) of Section 5156 shall not be subject to
the fees specified in paragraphs (1), (2), and (5) of subdivision (a)
and shall only be issued in a sequential series.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a), and
after deducting its administrative costs under this section, the
department shall deposit the additional revenue derived from the
issuance, renewal, transfer, and substitution of the specialized
license plates in the Specialized License Plate Fund, which is hereby
established in the State Treasury. Upon appropriation by the
Legislature, the moneys in that fund shall be allocated to each
sponsoring agency, in proportion to the amount in the fund that is
attributable to the agency's specialized license plate program.
Except as authorized under Section 5159, the sponsoring agency shall
expend all funds received under this section exclusively for projects
and programs that promote the state agency's official policy,
mission, or work.
(d) (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs may actively request
and receive donations for the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
which is hereby created in the Specialized License Plate Fund and
which may consist of donations from public and private entities.
Earnings generated by the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
shall be retained by the account.
(2) Upon the determination of the department that there are
sufficient funds in the Gold Star Family License Plate Account for
this purpose, moneys in the Gold Star Family License Plate Account
shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the
department for the necessary administrative costs of establishing the
Gold Star Family specialized license plate program.
5158. When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in
Section 4000, or when a person determines to retain the specialized
license plate upon a sale, trade, or other release of the vehicle
upon which the plate has been displayed, the person shall notify the
department and the person may retain and use the plate as authorized
by departmental regulations.
5159. A state agency that is eligible to participate in a
specialized license plate program pursuant to this article and
receives funds from the additional fees collected from the sale of
specialized plates shall not expend annually more than 25 percent of
those funds on administrative costs, marketing, or other promotional
activities associated with encouraging application for, or renewal
of, the specialized plates.
5160. (a) A state agency authorized under this article to offer
specialized license plates shall prepare and submit an annual
accounting report to the department by June 30. The report shall
include an accounting of all revenues and expenditures associated
with the specialized license plate program.
(b) If a state agency submits a report pursuant to subdivision (a)
indicating that the agency violated the expenditure restriction set
forth in Section 5159, the department shall immediately cease
depositing fees for that agency's specialized license plate program
in the Specialized License Plate Fund established under Section 5157
and, instead, shall deposit those fees that would have otherwise been
deposited in that fund in a separate fund created by the Controller,
which fund is subject to appropriation by the Legislature. The
department shall immediately notify the agency of this course of
action. The depositing of funds in the account established pursuant
to this subdivision shall continue until the agency demonstrates to
the satisfaction of the department that the agency is in compliance
or will comply with the requirements of Section 5159. If one year
from the date that the agency receives the notice described in this
subdivision, the agency is still unable to satisfactorily demonstrate
to the department that it is in compliance or will comply with
Section 5159, the department shall no longer issue or replace those
specialized license plates associated with that agency. Those
particular specialized license plates that were issued prior to the
discontinuation provided by this subdivision may continue to be used
and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and may be
renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.
(c) Upon receiving the reports required under subdivision (a),
notwithstanding Section 7550.5 of the Government Code, the department
shall prepare and transmit an annual consolidated report to the
Legislature containing the revenue and expenditure data.
