HB 1374 -- SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE

SPONSOR:  Crawford

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on
Transportation and Motor Vehicles by a vote of 15 to 3.

This bill allows for a special license plate.  The license plate
will bear the words "RESPECT LIFE" and an image of a single red
rose.

To obtain this plate, a person must get an emblem-use
authorization statement from the Missouri Alternatives to
Abortion Support Fund, which is created, and pay the fee of $25
per set of plates if annually registered or $50 if biennially
registered.  The authorization statement will be presented to the
Department of Revenue at the time of registration.  The fee
charged for personalized plates will not apply to this plate, and
there will be no limit on the number of sets of plates issued.

The General Assembly may appropriate moneys annually from the
Missouri Alternatives to Abortion Support Fund to the Department
of Revenue to offset costs incurred for collecting and
transferring contributions.  Until the amount in this fund
exceeds $1 million, not more than half of the money credited to
the fund plus all investment earnings credited to the fund during
the previous fiscal year will be available for disbursement.
When the State Treasurer certifies that assets in the fund exceed
$1 million, all earnings plus future credits to the fund from all
sources will be available for disbursement.  The bill specifies
how the fund will be used.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on General Revenue Fund in FY 2005, FY
2006, and FY 2007.  Estimated Effect on Other State Funds of an
income of $168,846 to a cost of Unknown in FY 2005, an income of
$232,423 to a cost of Unknown in FY 2006, and an income of
$231,965 to a cost of Unknown in FY 2007.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill will help fund
alternatives to abortion.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Crawford; Campaign
Life for Missouri; Missouri Catholic Conference; Open Arms Crisis
Pregnancy Center; and Missouri Right to Life.

OPPONENTS:  Those who oppose the bill say that first amendment
rights are at question, and political slogans do not belong on
license plates.

Testifying against the bill were Pro-Choice Missouri; American
Civil Liberties of Eastern Missouri; and Planned Parenthood of
the St. Louis Region.

OTHERS:  Others testifying on the bill gave informational
testimony.

Others testifying on the bill was Missouri Family Network.

Robert Triplett, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:15 am