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1		AN ACT concerning transportation.
2		Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3		represented in the General Assembly:
4		Section 1. Purpose. The General Assembly recognizes the
5		desire of many commendable civic organizations and causes to be
6		acknowledged by a special license plate and further recognizes
7		that the issuance of special license plates may raise funds
8		that will benefit these organizations and causes. However, the
9		General Assembly also recognizes that the proliferation of
10		special license plates in Illinois creates a significant
11		challenge to law enforcement officials who are required to be
12		familiar with, recognize, read, and record information from
13		more than 100 types of special license plates now being issued
14		in Illinois. To address this situation, the purpose of this
15		amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly is to authorize the
16		issuance of Universal special license plates.
17		Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by changing
18		Section 3-600 and by adding Section 3-699.14 as follows:
19		(625 ILCS 5/3-600) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-600)
20		Sec. 3-600. Requirements for issuance of special plates.
21		(a) The Secretary of State shall issue only special plates
22		that have been authorized by the General Assembly. Except as

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1		provided in subsection (a-5), the The Secretary of State shall
2		not issue a series of special plates, or Universal special
3		plates associated with an organization authorized to issue
4		decals for Universal special plates, unless applications, as
5		prescribed by the Secretary, have been received for 2,000
6		10,000 plates of that series; except that the Secretary of
7		State may prescribe some other required number of applications
8		if that number is sufficient to pay for the total cost of
9		designing, manufacturing and issuing the special license
10		plate. Where a special plate is authorized by law to raise
11		funds for a specific civic group, charitable entity, or other
12		identified organization, or when the civic group, charitable
13		entity, or organization is authorized to issue decals for
14		Universal special license plates, and where the Secretary of
15		State has not received the required number of applications to
16		issue that special plate within 2 years of the effective date
17		of the Public Act authorizing the special plate or decal, the
18		Secretary of State's authority to issue the special plate or a
19		Universal special plate associated with that decal is
20		nullified. All applications for special plates shall be on a
21		form designated by the Secretary and shall be accompanied by
22		any civic group's, charitable entity's, or other identified
23		fundraising organization's portion of the additional fee
24		associated with that plate or decal. All fees collected under
25		this Section are non-refundable and shall be deposited in the
26		special fund as designated in the enabling legislation,

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1		regardless of whether the plate or decal is produced. Upon the
2		adoption of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly,
3		no further special license plates shall be authorized by the
4		General Assembly unless that special license plate is
5		authorized under subsection (a-5) of this Section.
6		(a-5) If the General Assembly authorizes the issuance of a
7		special plate that recognizes the applicant's military service
8		or receipt of a military medal or award, the Secretary may
9		immediately begin issuing that special plate.
10		(b) The Secretary of State, upon issuing a new series of
11		special license plates, shall notify all law enforcement
12		officials of the design, color and other special features of
13		the special license plate series.
14		(c) This Section shall not apply to the Secretary of
15		State's discretion as established in Section 3-611.
16		(d) If a law authorizing a special license plate provides
17		that the sponsoring organization is to designate a charitable
18		entity as the recipient of the funds from the sale of that
19		license plate, the designated charitable entity must be in
20		compliance with the registration and reporting requirements of
21		the Charitable Trust Act and the Solicitation for Charity Act.
22		In addition, the charitable entity must annually provide the
23		Secretary of State's office a letter of compliance issued by
24		the Illinois Attorney General's office verifying the entity is
25		in compliance with the Acts.
26		In the case of a law in effect before the effective date of

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1		this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly, the name of
2		the charitable entity which is to receive the funds shall be
3		provided to the Secretary of State within one year after the
4		effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General
5		Assembly. In the case of a law that takes effect on or after
6		the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General
7		Assembly, the name of the charitable entity which is to receive
8		the funds shall be provided to the Secretary of State within
9		one year after the law takes effect. If the organization fails
10		to designate an appropriate charitable entity within the
11		one-year period, or if the designated charitable entity fails
12		to annually provide the Secretary of State a letter of
13		compliance issued by the Illinois Attorney General's office,
14		any funds collected from the sale of plates authorized for that
15		organization and not previously disbursed shall be transferred
16		to the General Revenue Fund, and the special plates shall be
17		discontinued.
18		(e) If fewer than 1,000 sets of any special license plate
19		authorized by law and issued by the Secretary of State are
20		actively registered for 2 consecutive calendar years, the
21		Secretary of State may discontinue the issuance of that special
22		license plate or require that special license plate to be
23		exchanged for Universal special plates with appropriate
24		decals.
25		(f) Where special license plates have been discontinued
26		pursuant to subsection (d) or (e) of this Section, or when the

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1		special license plates are required to be exchanged for
2		Universal special plates under subsection (e) of this Section,
3		all previously issued plates of that type shall be recalled.
4		Owners of vehicles which were registered with recalled plates
5		shall not be charged a reclassification or registration sticker
6		replacement plate fee upon the issuance of new plates for those
7		vehicles.
8		(g) Any special plate that is authorized to be issued for
9		motorcycles may also be issued for autocycles.
10		(Source: P.A. 97-409, eff. 1-1-12; 98-777, eff. 1-1-15.)
11		(625 ILCS 5/3-699.14 new)
12		Sec. 3-699.14. Universal special license plates.
13		(a) In addition to any other special license plate, the
14		Secretary, upon receipt of all applicable fees and applications
15		made in the form prescribed by the Secretary, may issue
16		Universal special license plates to residents of Illinois on
17		behalf of organizations that have been authorized by the
18		General Assembly to issue decals for Universal special license
19		plates. Appropriate documentation, as determined by the
20		Secretary, shall accompany each application. Authorized
21		organizations shall be designated by amendment to this Section.
22		When applying for a Universal special license plate the
23		applicant shall inform the Secretary of the name of the
24		authorized organization from which the applicant will obtain a
25		decal to place on the plate. The Secretary shall make a record

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1		of that organization and that organization shall remain
2		affiliated with that plate until the plate is surrendered,
3		revoked, or otherwise cancelled. The authorized organization
4		may charge a fee to offset the cost of producing and
5		distributing the decal, but that fee shall be retained by the
6		authorized organization and shall be separate and distinct from
7		any registration fees charged by the Secretary. No decal,
8		sticker, or other material may be affixed to a Universal
9		special license plate other than a decal authorized by the
10		General Assembly in this Section or a registration renewal
11		sticker. The special plates issued under this Section shall be
12		affixed only to passenger vehicles of the first division,
13		including motorcycles and autocycles, or motor vehicles of the
14		second division weighing not more than 8,000 pounds. Plates
15		issued under this Section shall expire according to the
16		multi-year procedure under Section 3-414.1 of this Code.
17		(b) The design, color, and format of the Universal special
18		license plate shall be wholly within the discretion of the
19		Secretary. Universal special license plates are not required to
20		designate "Land of Lincoln", as prescribed in subsection (b) of
21		Section 3-412 of this Code. The design shall allow for the
22		application of a decal to the plate. Organizations authorized
23		by the General Assembly to issue decals for Universal special
24		license plates shall comply with rules adopted by the Secretary
25		governing the requirements for and approval of Universal
26		special license plate decals. The Secretary may, in his or her

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1		discretion, allow Universal special license plates to be issued
2		as vanity or personalized plates in accordance with Section
3		3-405.1 of this Code. The Secretary of State must make a
4		version of the special registration plates authorized under
5		this Section in a form appropriate for motorcycles and
6		autocycles.
7		(c) When authorizing a Universal special license plate, the
8		General Assembly shall set forth whether an additional fee is
9		to be charged for the plate and, if a fee is to be charged, the
10		amount of the fee and how the fee is to be distributed. When
11		necessary, the authorizing language shall create a special fund
12		in the State treasury into which fees may be deposited for an
13		authorized Universal special license plate. Additional fees
14		may only be charged if the fee is to be paid over to a State
15		agency or to a charitable entity that is in compliance with the
16		registration and reporting requirements of the Charitable
17		Trust Act and the Solicitation for Charity Act. Any charitable
18		entity receiving fees for the sale of Universal special license
19		plates shall annually provide the Secretary of State a letter
20		of compliance issued by the Attorney General verifying that the
21		entity is in compliance with the Charitable Trust Act and the
22		Solicitation for Charity Act.
23		(d) Upon original issuance and for each registration
24		renewal period, in addition to the appropriate registration
25		fee, if applicable, the Secretary shall collect any additional
26		fees, if required, for issuance of Universal special license

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1		plates. The fees shall be collected on behalf of the
2		organization designated by the applicant when applying for the
3		plate. All fees collected shall be transferred to the State
4		agency on whose behalf the fees were collected, or paid into
5		the special fund designated in the law authorizing the
6		organization to issue decals for Universal special license
7		plates. All money in the designated fund shall be distributed
8		by the Secretary subject to appropriation by the General
9		Assembly.
10		(625 ILCS 5/3-633 rep.)
11		Section 10. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by
12		repealing Section 3-633.