Georgia Senate - 1995/1996 Sessions

SB 649 - Civil War Historic Sites - DNR prog. for acquiring

Page Numbers - 1/ 2/ 3/ 4

Code Sections - 12-3-50.3/ 40-2-50

1. Clay  37th


Senate Comm: Nat R      /         House Comm: NatR       / MotV                                     
Senate Vote: Yeas 41    Nays 0                                                                      
           ---------------------------------------------                                            
              Senate          Action          House                                                 
           ---------------------------------------------                                            
             1/30/96   Read 1st time          2/14/96                                               
             2/8/96    Favorably Reported                                                           
             Sub       Committee Amend/Sub                                                          
             2/9/96    Read 2nd Time          2/15/96                                               
                       Committed              2/15/96*                                              
             2/13/96   Read 3rd Time                                                                
             2/13/96   Passed/Adopted                                                               
             CS        Comm/Floor Amend/Sub                                                         
           ---------------------------------------------                                            
*2/15/96  Withdrawn from Natural Resources & recommitted to Motor Vehicles                          
Committee in House.                                                                                 
                                                                                                    
Code Sections amended: 12-3-50.3, 40-2-50                                                           


SB 649                                             LC 9 8705S






                        A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                               AN ACT


  1- 1  To amend Part 1 of Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 12 of the
  1- 2  Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general
  1- 3  provisions relative to historic areas, so as to provide for
  1- 4  the establishment and operation by the Civil War Commission
  1- 5  of a program for the acquisition, preservation, maintenance,
  1- 6  and operation of Civil War historic sites; to provide for
  1- 7  the funding of such program; to create a special fund to be
  1- 8  known as the "Civil War Historic Sites Acquisition and
  1- 9  Preservation Fund"; to provide for the expenditure of moneys
  1-10  placed in such fund and the interest thereon; to provide for
  1-11  accounting and reports; to amend Article 2 of Chapter 2 of
  1-12  Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
  1-13  to registration and licensing of motor vehicles generally,
  1-14  so as to provide for the issuance of Civil War historic
  1-15  sites motor vehicle license plates; to provide for
  1-16  additional charges for such license plates and the
  1-17  distribution of the proceeds thereof; to provide for the
  1-18  design, issuance, and transfer of such license plates, the
  1-19  ownership and use of the designs therefor, and practices,
  1-20  procedures, and requirements relating thereto; to repeal
  1-21  conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

  1-22       BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

                         SECTION 1.

  1-23  Part 1 of Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 12 of the Official
  1-24  Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions
  1-25  relative to historic areas, is amended by adding, following
  1-26  Code Section 12-3-50.2, a new Code Section 12-3-50.3 to read
  1-27  as follows:

  1-28    "12-3-50.3. (Index)

  1-29    (a) The Civil War Commission, as established by Ga. L.
  1-30    1993, p. 1952, shall establish a program for the
  1-31    acquisition, preservation, maintenance, and operation of
  1-32    Civil War historic sites, including but not limited to
  1-33    battlefields, monuments, and other properties which are



                                 -1- (Index)

                                                  LC 9 8705S

  2- 1    historically significant or important as being the
  2- 2    location of events during the Civil War.  To support such
  2- 3    program, the Civil War Commission may, without limitation,
  2- 4    promote and solicit voluntary contributions for such
  2- 5    programs, is authorized to receive and administer funds
  2- 6    raised through the sale of Civil War historic sites motor
  2- 7    vehicle license plates as authorized by Code Section
  2- 8    40-2-50, or may employ any fund raising or other
  2- 9    promotional techniques deemed appropriate by the Civil War
  2-10    Commission.

  2-11    (b) There is established a special fund to be known as the
  2-12    'Civil War Historic Sites Acquisition and Preservation
  2-13    Fund.' This fund shall consist of all moneys contributed
  2-14    under subsection (a) of this Code section, all moneys
  2-15    transferred to the Civil War Commission under Code Section
  2-16    40-2-50, any moneys appropriated to this fund by the
  2-17    General Assembly, and all interest on any such moneys. All
  2-18    balances in the fund shall be deposited in an
  2-19    interest-bearing account identifying the fund and shall be
  2-20    carried forward each year so that no part thereof may be
  2-21    deposited in the general treasury. The Civil War
  2-22    Commission shall administer the fund and may expend moneys
  2-23    held in the fund in furtherance of its Civil War historic
  2-24    sites acquisition and preservation programs and related
  2-25    educational and promotional projects. Contributions to the
  2-26    fund shall be deemed supplemental to and shall in no way
  2-27    supplant funding that would otherwise be appropriated for
  2-28    these purposes. The Civil War Commission shall prepare by
  2-29    February 1 of each year an accounting of the funds
  2-30    received and expended from the fund. The report shall be
  2-31    made available to the members of the Board of Natural
  2-32    Resources and to members of the public on request."

                         SECTION 2.

  2-33  Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Title 40 of the Official Code of
  2-34  Georgia Annotated, relating to registration and licensing of
  2-35  motor vehicles generally, is amended by adding at the end
  2-36  thereof a new Code Section 40-2-50 to read as follows:

  2-37    "40-2-50. (Index)

  2-38    (a) In order to promote and financially benefit the
  2-39    acquisition, preservation, maintenance, and operation of
  2-40    Civil War historic sites by the Civil War Commission,
  2-41    there shall be issued beginning January 1, 1997, special
  2-42    license plates promoting the Civil War historic sites



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                                                  LC 9 8705S

  3- 1    program of the Department of Natural Resources established
  3- 2    pursuant to Code Section 12-3-50.3.

  3- 3    (b) The Civil War Commission shall design special
  3- 4    distinctive license plates appropriate to promote Civil
  3- 5    War historic sites in this state.  The Civil War historic
  3- 6    sites plate must be of the same size and general design of
  3- 7    general issue motor vehicle license plates; such plates
  3- 8    shall include a unique identifying number, whereby the
  3- 9    total characters do not exceed the sum of six, provided
  3-10    that no two recipients shall receive identical plates.
  3-11    Such design shall not provide space in which to indicate
  3-12    the name of the county of issuance.

  3-13    (c) The design of the initial edition of the Civil War
  3-14    historic sites license plate, as well as the design of
  3-15    subsequent editions and excepting only any part or parts
  3-16    of the designs owned by others and licensed to the state,
  3-17    shall be owned solely by the State of Georgia for its
  3-18    exclusive use and control, except as authorized by the
  3-19    commissioner. The commissioner may take such steps as may
  3-20    be necessary to give notice of and protect such right,
  3-21    including the copyright or copyrights. However, such steps
  3-22    shall be cumulative of the ownership and exclusive use and
  3-23    control established by this subsection as a matter of law,
  3-24    and no person shall reproduce or otherwise use such design
  3-25    or designs, except as authorized by the commissioner.

  3-26    (d) Beginning in calendar year 1997, any Georgia resident
  3-27    who is the owner of a motor vehicle, except a vehicle
  3-28    registered under the international registration plan, upon
  3-29    complying with the motor vehicle laws relating to
  3-30    registration and licensing of motor vehicles and upon the
  3-31    payment of a fee of not more than $25.00 in addition to
  3-32    the regular motor vehicle registration fee, shall be
  3-33    issued a Civil War historic sites license plate.
  3-34    Revalidation decals shall, upon payment of fees required
  3-35    by law and collected by the county tag agent and remitted
  3-36    to the state as provided in Code Section 40-2-34, be
  3-37    issued for Civil War historic sites license plates in the
  3-38    same manner as provided for general issue license plates.

  3-39    (e) The funds derived from the sale of Civil War historic
  3-40    sites license plates, less a $1.00 processing fee which
  3-41    shall be granted to county tag offices per plate sold,
  3-42    shall be transferred to the Civil War Commission and shall
  3-43    be deposited in the Civil War Historic Sites Acquisition
  3-44    and Preservation Fund established by Code Section


                                 -3- (Index)

                                                  LC 9 8705S

  4- 1    12-3-50.3.  Such funds shall be expended only for the
  4- 2    purposes enumerated in Code Section 12-3-50.3.

  4- 3    (f) An applicant may request a Civil War historic sites
  4- 4    license plate any time during the applicant's registration
  4- 5    period. If a Civil War historic sites license plate is to
  4- 6    replace a current valid license plate, the department
  4- 7    shall issue the Civil War historic sites license plate
  4- 8    with appropriate decals attached. When an applicant
  4- 9    requests a Civil War historic sites license plate at the
  4-10    beginning of the registration period, the applicant shall
  4-11    pay the tax together with all applicable fees.

  4-12    (g) If a vehicle owner to whom the department has issued a
  4-13    Civil War historic sites license plate acquires a
  4-14    replacement vehicle within the owner's registration
  4-15    period, the department shall authorize a transfer of the
  4-16    license plate to the replacement vehicle in accordance
  4-17    with the provisions of Code Section 40-2-42.

  4-18    (h) Civil War historic sites license plates shall be
  4-19    issued within 30 days of application."

                         SECTION 3.

  4-20  All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are
  4-21  repealed.
























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