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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
Hopi Tribe special plates
Purpose
Establishes a Hopi Tribe special plate and transmits special plate donations to the Hopi Tribal Department of Public Safety and Emergency Services (DPSES).
Background
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Motor Vehicle Division provides one license plate to every motor vehicle owner for each vehicle registered (A.R.S. § 28-2351). ADOT must issue or renew special plates in lieu of regular license plates under specified conditions and procedures (A.R.S. § 28-2403). The fee for obtaining or renewing a special plate is $25 (A.R.S. § 28-2402). Of the $25 fee, $8 is an administration fee that ADOT deposits in the State Highway Fund (SHF) and $17 is a donation.
All license plates, including special plates, that are designed or redesigned on or after September 24, 2022, must have: 1) the state name, Arizona, in capital letters in sans serif font and three-fourths of an inch in height; and 2) a background color that contrasts significantly with the color of the letters, numbers and the state name (A.R.S. § 28-2351).
The Hopi Tribal DPSES is responsible for the development, implementation, operation, maintenance and control of essential business, communication, information and operational support systems pertaining to the public emergency operations and project activities within the tribal community (DPSES).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires ADOT to issue a Hopi Tribe special plate if, by December 31, 2025, a person pays the $32,000 implementation fee.
2. Requires the person that pays the $32,000 implementation fee to design the Hopi Tribe special plate.
3. Subjects the design and color of the Hopi Tribe special plate to the approval of ADOT.
4. Allows the Director of ADOT (Director) to combine a request for a Hopi Tribe special plate with a request for a personalized special plate.
5. Specifies that a combined request must be submitted in a form prescribed by the Director and is subject to the fees for both the Hopi Tribe special plate and the personalized special plate.
6. Specifies that, of the $25 fee required to obtain or renew a Hopi Tribe special plate, $8 is an administration fee and $17 is an annual donation.
7. Requires ADOT to deposit all special plate administration fees in the SHF and transmit all donations collected to the Hopi Tribal DPSES.
8. Requires the Hopi Tribe to use donated monies for:
a) road maintenance services; and
b) traffic control devices that conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices on highways on the Hopi Tribal Reservation that are located in Arizona and are not state highways.
9. Makes conforming changes.
10. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 17, 2025
KJA/AG/sdr