(1) Except as provided in subsection (7) of this section, the Department of Transportation shall provide for issuance of registration plates described in this section for nonprofit groups meeting the qualifications for tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and for institutions of higher education. Plates issued under this section may be issued to owners of motor vehicles registered under the provisions of ORS § 803.420 (6)(a). Plates issued under this section may not contain expressions of political opinion or religious belief. Rules adopted under this section shall include, but need not be limited to, rules that:

(a) Specify circumstances under which the department may cease to issue plates for any particular group.

(b) Require each group for which plates are issued to file an annual statement on a form designed by the department showing that the group is a nonprofit group or is an institution of higher education and that the group or institution otherwise meets the qualifications imposed for eligibility for plates issued under this section. The statement shall include names and addresses of current directors or officers of the group or institution or of other persons authorized to speak for the group or institution on matters affecting plates issued under this section.

(2)(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection, in addition to any other fee authorized by law, upon issuance of a plate under this section and upon renewal of registration for a vehicle that has plates issued under this section, the department shall collect a surcharge for each year of the registration period. The surcharge shall be determined by the department by rule and may not be less than $2.50 per plate or more than $16 per plate. In setting the amount of the surcharge, the department shall consult with the nonprofit group for which the plates are issued.

(b) In addition to any other fee authorized by law, upon issuance of a plate under this section that recognizes an institution of higher education in this state, and upon renewal of registration for a vehicle that has such plates, the department shall collect a surcharge of $8 per plate for each year of the registration period.

(c) In addition to any other fee authorized by law, upon issuance of a Share the Road registration plate the department shall collect a surcharge of $5 per year of registration.

(3) Plates issued under this section shall be from the current regular issue of plates except that:

(a) If the group requesting the plates is an institution of higher education, the plates shall, upon request, contain words that indicate the plates are issued to recognize the institution or shall contain the institution’s logo or an image of the institution’s mascot; or

(b) If the group requesting the plates is a group that recognizes fallen public safety officers, the plates shall, upon request, contain a decal that indicates the plates are issued to recognize fallen public safety officers.

(4) Except as otherwise required by the design chosen, the plates shall comply with the requirements of ORS § 803.535. The department shall determine how many sets of plates shall be manufactured for each group approved under this section. If the department does not sell or issue renewal for 500 sets of plates for a particular group in any one year, the department shall cease production of those plates.

(5) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (6) of this section, each group that is found by the department to be eligible for plates issued under this section may designate an account into which the net proceeds of the surcharge collected by the department under subsection (2) of this section are to be deposited. The department shall keep accurate records of the number of plates issued for each group that qualifies. After payment of administrative expenses of the department, moneys collected under this section for each group shall be deposited by the department into an account specified by that group. If any group does not specify an account for the moneys collected from the sale of plates issued under this section, the department shall deposit moneys collected for those plates into the Passenger Rail Transportation Account established under ORS § 802.100 to be used as other moneys in the account are used. Deposits under this subsection shall be made at least quarterly.

(6)(a) Each institution of higher education that requests a plate under this section shall designate an account in the general fund of the institution, and the proceeds in the account shall be used for the purpose of academic enrichment at the institution.

(b) Net proceeds of the surcharge collected by the department for Share the Road registration plates shall be deposited into two accounts designated by The Street Trust Community Fund and Cycle Oregon. The department shall evenly distribute the net proceeds to each account. Deposits under this paragraph shall be made at least quarterly. At any time that the department determines that the accounts designated by The Street Trust Community Fund and Cycle Oregon cease to exist, the department may deposit the proceeds into the Passenger Rail Transportation Account established under ORS § 802.100.

(c) Net proceeds of the surcharge collected by the department for Keep Kids Safe registration plates shall be deposited into an account designated by the Children’s Trust Fund of Oregon Foundation to fund strategies and approaches shown to prevent or reduce child abuse. Deposits made under this paragraph shall be made at least quarterly. At any time that the department determines that the account designated by the Children’s Trust Fund of Oregon Foundation ceases to exist, the department shall deposit the proceeds into the Keep Kids Safe Registration Plate Account established in ORS § 805.207. At the beginning of each biennium, the Department of Early Learning and Care shall evenly distribute the moneys in the Keep Kids Safe Registration Plate Account to the counties in this state, until each county receives $1,000. After each county has received $1,000, the Department of Early Learning and Care shall distribute any remaining moneys to each county in an amount equal to the percentage of Keep Kids Safe registration plates sold in that county. Each county shall use the moneys received under this paragraph solely for the purpose of funding strategies and approaches shown to prevent or reduce child abuse.

(7) The Department of Transportation may not accept applications to create new group registration plates on or after August 12, 2015. [1993 c.741 § 116; 1997 c.672 § 1; 2001 c.102 § 6; 2001 c.124 § 4; 2003 c.409 § 3; 2007 c.520 § 1; 2007 c.564 § 7; 2007 c.667 § 3; 2009 c.621 § 3; 2011 c.698 § 1; 2012 c.37 68,68a; 2015 c.806 § 15; 2017 c.750 § 39k; 2018 c.93 § 4; 2021 c.631 § 61]

[1997 c.672 § 3; 2003 c.409 § 4; 2007 c.564 § 8; repealed by 2015 c.806 § 14]