AN ACT CONCERNING COLLEGIATE LICENSE PLATES, GRADUATE PROGRAMS AT CHARTER OAK STATE COLLEGE AND REPORTS BY THE COMMISSIONER OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

AN ACT CONCERNING COLLEGIATE LICENSE PLATES, GRADUATE PROGRAMS AT CHARTER OAK STATE COLLEGE AND REPORTS BY THE COMMISSIONER OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

This bill revises the Department of Motor Vehicles' (DMV) collegiate special number plate program. It eliminates the requirement that an individual make a donation to the college's scholarship fund or account prior to obtaining or renewing the plate. The bill instead requires DMV to charge certain fees for the plates, retain a portion to cover its administrative costs, and transfer the remainder to the institutions for need-based scholarships and alumni outreach efforts. The DMV commissioner must (1) establish a separate account for each institution for which he establishes a commemorative plate and (2) distribute the funds on a quarterly basis (see COMMENT).

The bill explicitly authorizes the Board for State Academic Awards to award undergraduate and graduate credits and degrees and allows it to do so though courses offered by Charter Oak State College.

The bill also requires the Department of Higher Education (DHE) commissioner to report on issues concerning (1) remediation programs in higher education institutions and (2) racial and ethnic disparities among students in higher education institutions. The commissioner must submit the reports to the Higher Education Committee by January 1, 2010.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2009, except for the provision concerning the Board for State Academic Awards, which is effective July 1, 2009 and the DHE reporting provisions, which are effective upon passage.

The bill aligns the collegiate plate program with the DMV's other special interest plate programs. It authorizes the DMV commissioner to issue, beginning January 1, 2010, collegiate commemorative number plates with a Connecticut college's logo or emblem, as the college determines. It requires the college to demonstrate demand for at least 400 of the plates, which conforms to current DMV regulations concerning collegiate plates. It allows the commissioner to adopt regulations for issuing collegiate plates for colleges unable to demonstrate demand for at least 400 of them.

This bill eliminates the requirement that the DMV commissioner adopt regulations to govern the existing collegiate special number plate program and instead requires the commissioner to adopt regulations for collegiate plates as part of the regulations governing special number plates for qualifying institutions. The regulations must include (1) standards for issuing number plates containing a higher education institution's logo or emblem, (2) standards for renewing a vehicle's registration certificate for which it has issued such a plate, and (3) qualifications for higher education institutions requesting the plates.

In eliminating the regulations, the bill eliminates the requirement that the regulations require an individual applying for or renewing a collegiate plate to provide a form certified by the college that he or she has contributed at least $ 50 to the college's scholarship fund or account.

The bill requires that any DMV regulations in force on January 1, 2010 that allow the commissioner to issue collegiate special number plates remain in force and effect for such plates issued before January 1, 2010.

As with the existing special number plate program, the bill allows the commissioner to discontinue the collegiate plate program at any time if he determines that demand for the plates is insufficient to support production costs and he notifies the qualified organization in writing of his intent.

The bill requires a one-time $ 55 fee for the collegiate plates in addition to any normally required registration fees. It requires DMV to retain $ 15 of the fee for administrative costs associated with the plate program. The commissioner selects the plates' numbers and letters. And DMV may collect additional fees, as it does by law, for (1) plates containing a requested combination of letters or numbers (“vanity” plates) and (2) low-number plates designated by statute.

The bill adds a $ 55 collegiate commemorative number plate fee to the biennial registration renewal fee for a vehicle issued a collegiate plate. The fee applies for each renewal year following the year the plate was issued. DMV retains $ 5 of the $ 55 fee for administrative costs. The bill prohibits any additional fee for (1) vanity plates or (2) low-number plates. It also prohibits any additional fee for transferring an existing registration to or from a collegiate plate registration.

The bill requires the commissioner to establish a separate, nonlapsing account in the General Fund for each college for which he establishes a collegiate plate for (see COMMENT). Except for fees designated for DMV's administrative costs, the commissioner must deposit into the account all fees established and collected for the college's plate. The bill requires that (1) the account contain any money the bill requires and (2) the commissioner distribute the funds quarterly to each respective college. Colleges must use the funds (1) to provide need-based scholarships and (2) for alumni outreach efforts. Current law requires that the contributions individuals make directly to the institutions prior to applying for or renewing a collegiate plate be distributed as need-based scholarships.

Under current law, the Board for State Academic Awards can (1) award credits and degrees based on examinations and other types of learning evaluation and validation, including credit transfers, and (2) appoint adjunct faculty as consulting examiners to make recommendations on requirements and standards for the board's programs, credits, and degrees.

The bill authorizes the board to award undergraduate and graduate credits and degrees and allows it to do so though courses offered by Charter Oak State College. It also allows the consulting examiners to make recommendations for awarding undergraduate and graduate credits and degrees.

The bill requires the commissioner to establish the collegiate plate accounts in the General Fund and perform other related functions, including distributing the funds directly to the colleges. By law, the comptroller is authorized to establish and maintain the state's accounts (CGS § 3-112). The DMV commissioner has no authority to do so.

Yea

Nay

(03/12/2009)