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Motor and Other Vehicles - Registration of Vehicles

This bill creates a special license plate for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of Rhode Island.

Introduced67 Yea0 Nay8 Not voting
Population
Affected
5
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 20, 2026Committee House Special Legislation

Plain-English Summary

This bill allows the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles to create a special license plate for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI. People who choose to buy this plate will pay an extra $40 fee when they first get it. Half of this fee goes to the state, and the other half goes to the Committee. There is also a $10 fee when renewing the plate, which goes entirely to the Committee. The Committee must use this money for Rhode Island-based charities and must provide an annual report showing how the money was spent.

For younger readers

This bill lets the state make a special license plate for cars to celebrate the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of Rhode Island. If someone wants this special plate for their car, they have to pay a little extra money. Some of that extra money goes to the state, and the rest goes to the Committee. The Committee then has to use that money to help charities right here in Rhode Island. They also have to show a report every year proving they spent the money correctly.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Car ownersDominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RIRhode Island-based charitable organizationsDivision of Motor VehiclesRhode Island state police
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. The bill simply authorizes a specialty license plate for a specific non-profit organization. It does not mandate speech, infringe on due process, or authorize unreasonable searches. It is a standard administrative function of the state's motor vehicle division.

Estimated cost
Purchasers of special plates: $40 issuance surcharge, $10 renewal surcharge
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Generates funding for local Rhode Island charitable organizations, which can improve community welfare and provide social services for disadvantaged groups.
  • Promotes cultural visibility and celebrates the heritage of the Dominican community, supporting diversity and social inclusion within the state.
  • Requires an annual accounting report to ensure the funds are used ethically and transparently for the benefit of local charities.
  • The added costs for the special plates ($40 initial, $10 renewal) may make them unaffordable for lower-income individuals who wish to celebrate their heritage.
  • Creates a reliance on voluntary fees for charitable funding rather than establishing robust, government-funded social safety nets.
  • Requires state police approval for the plate design, which some progressives might view as unnecessary law enforcement involvement in cultural expression.
For Conservatives
  • Encourages voluntary, private funding for charitable organizations rather than relying on mandatory taxpayer-funded government assistance programs.
  • Generates additional revenue for the state's general fund through a voluntary $20 surcharge without broadly raising taxes on all citizens.
  • Includes strict oversight mechanisms, such as mandatory annual accounting reports, ensuring financial accountability and respect for the rule of law.
  • Expands the administrative duties of the Division of Motor Vehicles, slightly growing the size and scope of state government operations.
  • Grants state-sanctioned fundraising mechanisms to a specific cultural organization, which some conservatives might view as identity politics or preferential treatment.
  • Diverts $20 of the initial surcharge and 100% of the renewal surcharge away from state coffers and into a private entity, rather than using all plate fees for road maintenance.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 43 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 31-3 of the General Laws entitled "Registration of Vehicles" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 31-3-132. Special plate for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI.

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit entity, the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI. The plates shall be designed to reference the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI.

(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 Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed by the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with the design approved by the Rhode Island state police.

(d) The Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates shall be subject to compliance with § 31-3-117 relating to the number of minimum prepaid orders of plates per plate type (i.e., passenger, commercial, etc.) and any required payment. The Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI 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 motor vehicles shall develop prepayment 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 Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI 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 Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI to provide funding for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI.

(h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated to the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI.

(i) In consideration of the receipt of funds from the registration of the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates, the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI must use any Rhode Island-sourced funds in and for the benefit of Rhode Island-based charitable organizations.

(j) The Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.

(k) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI plates.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect six (6) months after passage.