On April 1st of last year both Rep. Knopp and Sen. Westlund returned our phone call and offered thir support. See our Newsletter and Home Page for details.
Choose Life Florida Co-Founder Russ Amerling, his wife Jill, myself, and Patricia, our Co-Chair, met with Senator Charles Starr and other supporters in Portland on the 19th of Sep., 2004. Now, we have the support of three House Reps., and two Senators for what is now HB2809; and upon approval, the bill will be set to have plates available to Oregon motorists January of 2006. April 29 was the first public hearing for HB2809, which was met by both discenters and supporters. Here is a copy of HB2809:
73rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2005 Regular Session
NOTE: Matter within { + braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within { - braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
{ + braces and plus signs + } .
LC 1289
House Bill 2809
Sponsored by Representative SUMNER, Senator C STARR;
Representatives BOQUIST, FLORES, THATCHER, Senator B STARR
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
Creates choose life special registration plate. Imposes $30
surcharge for registration plate. Directs that moneys from
surcharge on registration plate be transferred to counties for
distribution to organizations that provide services to pregnant
women committed to placing their children for adoption.
Appropriates to Department of Transportation funds for purpose
of initiating choose life registration plate program.
Authorizes department to offer four special registration plates
at one time.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to special registration plates; creating new provisions;
amending ORS 805.202; and appropriating money.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. { + Sections 2 and 3 of this 2005 Act are added to
and made a part of the Oregon Vehicle Code. + }
SECTION 2. { + (1) The Department of Transportation shall
establish a choose life registration plate program to issue
special registration plates called 'choose life registration
plates' upon request to owners of motor vehicles registered under
the provisions of ORS 803.420 (1) to observe the importance of
adoption services in Oregon. In addition, the department may
adopt rules for issuance of choose life registration plates for
vehicles not registered under the provisions of ORS 803.420 (1).
(2) In addition to any other fee authorized by law, for each
choose life registration plate issued under subsection (1) of
this section, the department shall collect a surcharge of $30
payable when the plate is issued and upon each subsequent renewal
of registration of a vehicle bearing the plate. The department
shall distribute the surcharge as provided in section 3 of this
2005 Act.
(3) Notwithstanding ORS 803.530, choose life registration
plates may be transferred from vehicle to vehicle if the
department stops issuing the plates, as long as the plates are
not so old, damaged, mutilated or otherwise rendered illegible as
to be not useful for purposes of identification. + }
SECTION 3. { + (1) After deduction of the cost of
administration of the choose life registration plate program, the
Department of Transportation shall transfer moneys from the
surcharge imposed by section 2 of this 2005 Act to each county in
proportion to the amount of the surcharge that the county
collected.
(2) A county that receives moneys under subsection (1) of this
section shall distribute the moneys to one or more
nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations that are in the county
and that only provide services to pregnant women committed to
placing their children for adoption. A county may not distribute
moneys received under subsection (1) of this section to an
organization that charges women for services received or to an
organization that is involved in or associated with abortion
activities, including counseling for or referrals to abortion
clinics, providing abortion-related medical procedures or
advertising for abortion activities.
(3) An organization that receives moneys under subsection (2)
of this section shall submit an annual report to the county
showing that:
(a) At least 70 percent of the moneys received under subsection
(2) of this section were used to provide adoption placement fees,
clothing, housing, medical care, food, utilities or
transportation for pregnant women committed to placing their
children for adoption.
(b) Moneys not expended as described in paragraph (a) of this
subsection were used only for adoption, counseling, training or
advertising expenses.
(4) As used in this section, 'the cost of administration of the
choose life registration plate program' is the sum of all
department expenses for the issuance or transfer of choose life
registration plates under section 2 of this 2005 Act that are
above the normal costs of issuing, renewing and transferring
registration plates in the normal course of business in the
department. These expenses include, but are not limited to, the
costs of collecting the choose life registration plate surcharge
and transferring choose life registration plates. + }
SECTION 4. { + (1) The Department of Transportation shall
design the choose life registration plate established in section
2 of this 2005 Act.
(2) Except as otherwise required by the design chosen, choose
life registration plates shall comply with the requirements of
ORS 803.535. + }
SECTION 5. { + (1) There is appropriated to the Department of
Transportation out of the General Fund, for the biennium
beginning July 1, 2005, the amount of $___ for the purpose of
initiating the choose life registration plate program established
in section 2 of this 2005 Act, including but not limited to the
choose life registration plate design, computer programming and
choose life registration plate production setup. Any portion of
the appropriation not used for initiating the choose life
registration plate program shall be transferred to the account
established under subsection (2) of this section.
(2) Notwithstanding section 3 of this 2005 Act, after deduction
of the cost of administration of the choose life registration
plate program, the department shall transfer the moneys from the
surcharge imposed by section 2 of this 2005 Act to an account in
the General Fund until sufficient funds have accumulated for the
purpose of subsection (3) of this section. + }
{ + (3) When the department determines that moneys in
sufficient amount are available in the account established under
subsection (2) of this section, but no later than June 30, 2007,
the department shall reimburse the General Fund, without
interest, in an amount equal to the amount appropriated from the
General Fund under subsection (1) of this section. The moneys
used to reimburse the General Fund under this subsection may not
be considered a budget item on which a limitation is otherwise
fixed by law, but shall be in addition to any specific biennial
appropriation or amount authorized to be expended from
continuously appropriated moneys for any biennial period.
(4) Any moneys remaining in the account established under
subsection (2) of this section after the reimbursement required
under subsection (3) of this section shall be transferred to
counties as provided in section 3 of this 2005 Act. + }
SECTION 6. ORS 805.202 is amended to read:
805.202. (1) As used in this section, 'special registration
plate' means a registration plate issued by the Department of
Transportation:
(a) For which a surcharge is imposed in order to raise money
for an entity other than the department;
(b) That is not a group plate issued under ORS 805.205;
(c) That is not an elected official plate issued under ORS
805.220; and
(d) That is not a customized plate issued under ORS 805.240.
(2) The Legislative Assembly may not require the Department of
Transportation to offer more than { - three - } { + four + }
kinds of special registration plates at any one time. At any time
the department is offering { - three - } { + four + } kinds
of special registration plates, any bill enacted by the
Legislative Assembly that requires the department to issue a new
kind of special registration plate shall include a provision
requiring the department to eliminate at least one kind of
special registration plate.
(3) When the department eliminates a kind of special
registration plate in accordance with the provisions of a law
described in subsection (2) of this section, the department shall
continue to issue the plate until the new plate is available.
When the new plate is available, the department shall destroy the
remaining stock of the eliminated plate.
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We really are greatful for the support within the Oregon legislative body for Choose Life Oregon adoption efforts.
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Revised: May 2, 2005
