An Act to Amend the Specialty License Plate Laws and Extend the Moratorium on Approval of Specialty License Plates and Remove the Authority of Municipalities to Issue Driver's Licenses
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1822
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: CHIPMAN, WILLIAMS
Amends: 29-A MRSA §201, 29-A MRSA §456-C, 29-A MRSA §456-D, 29-A MRSA §456-F, 29-A MRSA §468

Legislative Document
No. 1822
S.P. 738
In Senate, April 27, 2023
An Act to Amend the Specialty License Plate Laws and Extend the 
Moratorium on Approval of Specialty License Plates and Remove 
the Authority of Municipalities to Issue Driver's Licenses
(EMERGENCY)
Submitted by the Secretary of State pursuant to Joint Rule 204.
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator CHIPMAN of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative WILLIAMS of Bar Harbor.
Emergency preamble.  Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, the moratorium on the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of 
Motor Vehicles' approval of specialty license plates or recognition license plates expires 
July 14, 2023; and
Whereas, this legislation extends that moratorium until June 30, 2024; and
Whereas, without this legislation taking effect immediately, there will be a period of 
time when no moratorium is in effect, which is not the intended effect of this legislation; 
and
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  29-A MRSA §201, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2017, c. 229, §9, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Appointment of agents by Secretary of State; scope of authority.  With the 
approval of the municipal officers, the Secretary of State may appoint a municipal tax 
collector, or other persons designated by a municipality, to collect excise taxes on vehicles 
and to receive applications for noncommercial driver's license renewals and duplicates, 
nondriver identification card renewals and duplicates and new registrations and renewals 
of registrations of motor vehicles, trailers and semitrailers.  The Secretary of State may 
authorize a municipal agent to issue renewals and duplicates of noncommercial driver's 
licenses, nondriver identification cards, new registrations and renewals of registrations or 
may limit the agent's authority to the issuance of renewals only.
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §201, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2019, c. 255, §1, is further 
amended to read:
3.  Service fees.  Municipal agents appointed in accordance with subsection 1 may 
charge service fees for registrations and renewals of licenses and registrations as follows.
A.  A municipal agent may charge an applicant a fee not to exceed $3 over the required 
fee for each renewal of a noncommercial driver's license or nondriver identification 
card issued and a fee not to exceed $5 over the required fee for each renewal of a 
registration issued and a fee not to exceed $6 over the required fee for each new 
registration issued.
B.  In a municipality in which agents are authorized to issue registrations or renewals 
of noncommercial driver's licenses, nondriver identification cards or registrations for 
applicants from another municipality or from an unorganized territory, the agent may 
charge those applicants $1 in addition to the fees authorized by this subsection for each 
registration or renewal.
C.  A municipal agent authorized to issue temporary registration permits may charge 
an applicant a fee not to exceed $1 over the required permit fee.
D.  A municipal agent authorized to process permits and decals for vehicles with gross 
vehicle weight in excess of 6,000 pounds may charge a fee not to exceed $1 over the 
required fee for each permit or decal issued.
E.  A municipal agent may charge a fee not to exceed $1 over the required fee for the 
issuance of a duplicate registration, duplicate noncommercial driver's license or 
duplicate nondriver identification card.
G.  A municipal agent may charge an applicant a fee not to exceed $1 $2 over the 
required fee when an applicant is requesting issuance of a set of plates designated as 
specialty license plates by the Secretary of State to replace previously issued plates.
H.  The Secretary of State may authorize municipal agents to charge a fee not to exceed 
$1 over the required fee for other transactions that the municipal agent carries out on 
behalf of the Secretary of State and that are not listed in this subsection.
The municipality may retain all service fees authorized in this subsection.
Sec. 3.  29-A MRSA §456-C, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. LLLL, 
§2, is amended to read:
4.  Issuance.  The Secretary of State shall issue a sportsman registration plate in a 
number or letter sequence or a combination of a number and letter sequence.
Sec. 4.  29-A MRSA §456-D, sub-§4, as repealed and replaced by PL 2007, c. 703, 
§7, is amended to read:
4.  Design.  A sponsor must submit a design for the We Support Our Troops plates to 
the Secretary of State for approval or modification in accordance with section 468, 
subsection 5 1-B.  The design must include the shape of the boundaries of the State of 
Maine, with an image of a curled ribbon superimposed over the shape of the State, with the 
words "We Support Our Troops" printed along the bottom of the plate.  The Secretary of 
State shall provide the final design to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over transportation matters prior to manufacture of the plates. The Secretary of 
State shall issue upon request We Support Our Troops plates that are also vanity plates. We 
Support Our Troops plates are issued in accordance with the provisions of this section and 
section 453.
Sec. 5.  29-A MRSA §456-F, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2011, c. 556, §3, is further 
amended to read:
6.  Duplicate plates.  The Secretary of State shall issue an agriculture education plate 
in a 3-number and 3-letter combination sequence or in another sequence at the discretion 
of the Secretary of State.  Vanity plates may not duplicate vanity plates issued in another 
class of plate.
Sec. 6.  29-A MRSA §468, as amended by PL 2021, c. 216, §12, is further amended 
to read:
§468.  Specialty license plate
The Secretary of State may not issue a specialty license plate until the sponsor has met 
all of the requirements of this section and the proposed specialty license plate legislation 
as required in subsection 7 is reviewed by the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over transportation matters and approved by the Legislature.  For the 
purposes of this subchapter, "specialty license plate" means a specially designed 
registration plate that may be used in place of the regular plate and registration for 
fundraising purposes.  The Secretary of State shall administer a specialty license plate in 
accordance with the following provisions.
1.  Sponsor.  A person must register with the Secretary of State and receive approval 
from the Secretary of State as the sponsor of a specialty license plate.
1-A.  Sponsor affiliation.  A sponsor must be affiliated with a state department that is 
responsible for oversight of the collection and distribution of the contributions collected 
under subsection 2, paragraph B and not returned pursuant to subsection 2, paragraph C, 
which, except as provided by subsection 2, must be deposited in an other special revenue 
account to provide essential services to the public. To obtain preliminary approval in 
subsection 1-B, the sponsor shall provide documentation to the Secretary of State 
identifying the state department providing oversight and that department shall submit in 
writing on departmental letterhead to the Secretary of State that it agrees to oversee the 
collection and distribution of the contributions.
1-B.  Plate design approval.  This subsection governs the plate design approval 
process.
A.  A sponsor shall submit the documentation under subsection 1-A to the Secretary of 
State and obtain from the Secretary of State preliminary approval of the proposed 
specialty license plate design before proceeding with subsection 2.
B.  Before preliminarily approving the proposed specialty license plate design, the 
Secretary of State shall obtain the services of a professional designer, paid by the 
sponsor, to format the plate to meet the Secretary of State's design requirements and 
standards. The Secretary of State shall consult with the Maine State Police and the 
Maine Turnpike Authority to evaluate the human and electronic readability of the plate 
design.
C.  Before manufacturing the specialty license plate, the Secretary of State shall provide 
the final design for a specialty license plate to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters for review.
2.  Names, signatures and payment.  The Secretary of State may not manufacture an 
authorized specialty license plate unless the sponsor:
A.  Provides to the Secretary of State a list with 2,000 4,000 names, dated signatures 
and current plate numbers of supporters who have physically signed a statement on 
paper declaring they intend to purchase and display the specialty license plate; and
B.  Collects from each supporter who signs the statement an amount of $25 for each 
set of plates and provides to the Secretary of State the sum of these contributions in the 
amount of $50,000 $100,000, which is nonrefundable.; and
C.  Informs each supporter that the $25 contribution will be returned to the supporter 
within 90 days if the requirements in subsection 7 are not met within one year.
The Secretary of State shall deposit the $50,000 $100,000 provided under paragraph B in 
the Specialty License Plate Fund established under section 469.
3-A.  Credit receipts voucher.  The Secretary of State shall provide 2,000 credit 
receipts to the sponsor to provide to each supporter a voucher to each of the 4,000 
supporters that contributed $25.  The credit receipt voucher may be used only to obtain one 
set of specialty license plates.
3-B.  Registration fee.  The fee for the specialty license plate is in addition to the 
regular motor vehicle registration fee required by section 501 and the excise tax required 
by Title 36, section 1482.
3-C.  Fee; credit to funds.  This subsection governs the funding distribution for 
specialty license plates approved for issuance after June 30, 2024. In addition to the regular 
motor vehicle registration fee prescribed by law for the particular class of vehicle 
registered, the initial fee for the specialty license plates is $20, which must be deposited 
with the Treasurer of State and credited as follows:
A.  Ten dollars to the other special revenue account under subsection 1-A for purposes 
specified in the account description;
B.  Nine dollars to the Highway Fund for administrative and production costs; and
C.  One dollar to the Specialty License Plate Fund established under section 469.
3-D.  Renewal fee.  This subsection governs the funding distribution for renewals of 
specialty license plates after June 30, 2024. In addition to the regular motor vehicle 
registration fee prescribed by law for the particular class of vehicle registered, the annual 
renewal fee for the specialty license plates is $15, which must be deposited with the 
Treasurer of State and credited as follows:
A.  Ten dollars to the other special revenue account under subsection 1-A for purposes 
specified in the account description;
B.  Four dollars to the Highway Fund for administrative and production costs; and
C.  One dollar to the Specialty License Plate Fund established under section 469.
4.  Minimum number manufactured.  The Secretary of State shall manufacture a 
minimum of 2,000 4,000 specialty license plates for each specialty license plate authorized 
under this section.
5.  Design approval.  A sponsor must submit a proposed design for a specialty license 
plate for approval or modification by the Secretary of State.  The joint standing committee 
of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters shall review the final 
design for a specialty license plate prior to manufacture of the plate.
6.  Numbering, lettering and duplicate plates.  Except as provided in section 456‑C, 
the The Secretary of State shall issue a specialty license plate in a 3-number and 3-letter 
combination sequence. Plate numbers may not duplicate plates issued in another class of 
plate. Vanity plates may not duplicate vanity plates issued in another class of plate.
6-A.  Certain duplicate plate numbers grandfathered.  A person that holds a 
specialty license plate with duplicate numbers in another class of plate or a duplicate vanity 
plate in another class of plate issued in accordance with section 453 is grandfathered 
provided that the person maintains a valid registration with that plate.
7.  Deadline for Secretary of State approval.  The sponsor must submit to the 
Secretary of State the names, signatures, payment and proposed design for the specialty 
license plate by September 1st.  The signatures must have been collected in-person within 
years one year of submission to the Secretary of State. Electronically collected signatures 
may not be accepted. If the design is approved pursuant to subsection 5 requirements of 
subsections 1, 1-A, 1-B and 2 are met, the Secretary of State shall submit proposed 
legislation seeking authorization of the specialty license plate to the following regular 
session of the Legislature.
8.  Weight limit.  Except as provided under section 456‑F, subsection 7, paragraph B, 
a specialty license plate under this subchapter may be issued for an automobile or truck 
that does not exceed 26,000 pounds registered weight. After June 30, 2024, an automobile 
or truck that is issued a specialty license plate may not exceed 10,000 pounds registered 
weight.
9.  Limit on authorization.  The Secretary of State shall retire and cease to issue any 
plate authorized after January 1, 2007 if the number of registrations falls below 4,000 for 
more than one year manage the number of approved specialty license plates in accordance 
with this subsection.
C.  When a specialty license plate falls to 4,500 registrations, the Secretary of State 
shall notify the sponsor and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over transportation matters of the Secretary of State's intent to retire and 
cease to issue the specialty license plate if the number of registrations falls below 4,000 
for one year. The Secretary of State shall provide the sponsor with monthly updates.
D.  The Secretary of State shall retire, cease to issue and replace upon renewal a 
specialty license plate if the number of registrations falls below 4,000 for more than 
one year.
E.  The Secretary of State shall retire, cease to issue and replace upon renewal a 
specialty license plate if the sponsor ceases to operate or does not comply with this 
section.
F.  When the total number of approved specialty license plates reaches 15, the Secretary 
of State may not approve a specialty license plate sponsor under subsection 1. The 
sponsor's name and affiliated state department identified pursuant to subsection 1-A 
must be added to a waiting list in the order of the received requests.
10.  Additional versions or classes of the specialty license plate.  The Secretary of 
State may not issue a specialty license plate in a motorcycle, trailer or commercial vehicle 
class if: class other than passenger plates.
A.  At least 10,000 sets of the specialty plate have been issued for automobiles and 
pickup trucks;
B.  The sponsor of the specialty plate under this subsection provides a list of 500 names 
for each class requested, dated signatures and current plate numbers of supporters who 
have signed a statement declaring they intend to purchase and display the motorcycle, 
trailer or commercial vehicle class of specialty license plate; and
C.  The sponsor collects from each supporter who signs the statement under paragraph 
B a contribution of $25 for each set of plates and provides to the Secretary of State the 
sum of these contributions in the amount of $12,500, which is nonrefundable.
Upon receipt of the $12,500 provided under paragraph C, the Secretary of State shall 
prepare enabling legislation and a proposed plate design for submission to the Legislature 
and shall deposit the $12,500 in the Specialty License Plate Fund established under section 
469.
Commercial plates issued under sections 455 and 456-F are grandfathered.
11.  Affiliated state department.  A sponsor shall provide to the affiliated state 
department identified pursuant to subsection 1-A an annual independent audit of the other 
special revenue account. The affiliated state department shall provide to the Secretary of 
State an annual audit report and an accounting of the contributions received and distributed 
during that reporting period. The Secretary of State shall provide the report to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters.
Sec. 7. Resolve 2021, c. 108, §1 is repealed.
Sec. 8. Moratorium. The Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor 
Vehicles, notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 29-A, sections 468 and 468-A, 
may not approve any specialty license plate or recognition license plate sponsor to begin 
the specialty license plate or recognition license plate signature gathering process, bring 
forth enabling legislation or otherwise initiate any new designs, redesigns or additional 
specialty license plates or recognition license plates, other than those already approved and 
enacted, until June 30, 2024.
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation 
takes effect when approved.
SUMMARY
This bill:
1. Removes language that anticipated that municipal offices would issue driver's 
licenses and nondriver identification cards;
2. Amends the laws regarding specialty license plates regarding fees, duplicate 
numbers, the preliminary approval process and mechanisms for limiting the number of 
specialty license plates issued; and
3. Extends the moratorium on the approvals of specialty license plate or recognition 
license plate until June 30, 2024.