S 3362Transportation

Motor and Other Vehicles - Registration of Vehicles

This bill creates special license plates for the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI to fund local charities.

Signed into law68 Yea0 Nay7 Not voting

Population
Affected

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Introduced Jun 5, 2026Committee Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs

Plain-English Summary

This bill authorizes the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles to issue special license plates featuring the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI. Anyone purchasing these plates will pay a $40 surcharge on top of regular registration fees. Half of this surcharge ($20) goes to the state's general fund, and the other half ($20) goes to the Committee. There is also a $10 surcharge for renewing the plates, which goes entirely to the Committee. The Committee must use these funds to support Rhode Island-based charitable organizations and submit an annual accounting report.

For younger readers

This bill allows the state to make special car license plates to celebrate the Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of Rhode Island. If someone wants this special plate for their car, they pay an extra $40. Half of that money goes to the state, and the other half goes to the Committee. When it's time to renew the plate, it costs an extra $10, which also goes to the Committee. The Committee has to use all of this extra money to help charities right here in Rhode Island.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Vehicle ownersDominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RIRhode Island charitable organizationsDivision of Motor VehiclesRhode Island State Police

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. The bill simply authorizes the creation of a specialty license plate and outlines the fee structure and distribution of funds. Specialty license plates are a well-established government function and do not generally implicate free speech, due process, or search and seizure concerns, provided the design approval process is applied neutrally.

Estimated cost

Vehicle Owners choosing the plate: $40 initial surcharge, $10 renewal surcharge

Estimated revenue

State General Fund: $20 per initial special plate issued; Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee of RI: $20 per initial plate and $10 per renewal

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Generates funding for local charitable organizations, which can help support the community and provide services to disadvantaged groups.
Celebrates and raises the visibility of the Dominican community and their heritage, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the state.
Ensures accountability by requiring the recipient committee to submit an annual accounting report before funds are distributed.
Relies on a regressive flat fee (surcharge) rather than a progressive funding mechanism, meaning lower-income individuals pay a larger share of their income if they want the plate.
Does not specify exactly which charities will receive the funds, leaving a lack of guarantee that the money will go toward critical social justice or poverty-relief programs.
Directs half of the initial surcharge to the state's general fund without earmarking it for specific social safety net programs or community welfare.

For Conservatives

Utilizes a voluntary funding mechanism (buying a special plate) rather than a mandatory tax increase to generate revenue for charities.
Increases revenue for the state's general fund by directing $20 from every initial plate purchase to the state without raising broad-based taxes.
Includes strict oversight and accountability measures by requiring the committee to submit an annual accounting report to receive the funds.
Uses state resources and government apparatus (the Division of Motor Vehicles) to collect funds for a specific, private non-profit organization.
Creates additional administrative burdens for the Division of Motor Vehicles to design, process, and manage a new niche license plate category.
Grants special privileges to a specific ethnic heritage group, which some conservatives may view as engaging in identity politics rather than promoting a unified national identity.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

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.