Senate Bill No. 360

(By Senators Helmick and Ross)

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[Introduced February 15, 1995; referred to the Committee
on Transportation; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section twenty-three, article three, chapter seventeen-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to requiring the department of motor vehicles to issue designated registration plates for law-enforcement vehicles of the county sheriff's departments with black on grey colors, a sheriff's department badge to the left of the registration numbers and with registration plate numbers designating the county and the vehicle.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section twenty-three, article three, chapter seventeen-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 3. ORIGINAL AND RENEWAL OF REGISTRATION; ISSUANCE OF
CERTIFICATES OF TITLE.

§17A-3-23. Registration plates to state, county, municipal and
other governmental vehicles.

Any motor vehicle designed to carry passengers, owned or leased by the state of West Virginia, or any of its departments, bureaus, commissions or institutions, except vehicles used by the governor, treasurer, vehicles operated by the department of public safety, not to exceed six vehicles operated by conservation officers of the division of natural resources, not to exceed ten vehicles operated by the arson investigators of the office of state fire marshal, and not to exceed sixteen vehicles operated by inspectors of the office of the alcohol beverage control commissioner, shall not be operated or driven by any person unless it shall have displayed and attached to the front thereof, in the same manner as regular motor vehicle registration plates are attached, a plate of the same size as the regular registration plate, with white lettering on a green background bearing the words "West Virginia" in one line and the words "State Car" in another line, and the lettering for the words "State Car" shall be of sufficient size to be plainly readable from a distance of one hundred feet during daylight.
Such vehicle shall also have attached to the rear a plate bearing a number and such other words and figures as the commissioner of motor vehicles shall prescribe. The rear plate shall also be green with the number in white.
On registration plates issued to vehicles owned by counties, except for those vehicles issued to the county sheriff's department, the color shall be white on red with the word "County" on top of the plate and the words "West Virginia" on the bottom. On any registration plates issued to a city or municipality, the color shall be white on blue with the word "City" on top, and the words "West Virginia" on the bottom. The colors may not be reversed and shall be of reflectorized material. On registration plates issued to vehicles issued to county sheriff's departments, the registration number shall be in black and the background in grey, and an emblem of a sheriff's badge shall be imprinted to the left of the registration number. The registration numbers shall be designed such that the first two numbers represent the county that the registration plate was issued and the other numbers represent the car that it is affixed to. The commissioner is hereby authorized to designate the colors and design of any other registration plates that are issued without charge to any other agency in accordance with the motor vehicle laws. The registration plates issued to counties, municipalities and other governmental agencies authorized to receive colored plates hereunder shall be affixed to both the front and rear of such vehicles: Provided, That upon application and payment of fees, the commissioner is hereby authorized to issue a maximum of five Class A license plates per applicant to be used by county sheriffs and municipalities on law-enforcement vehicles while engaged in undercover investigations.
No other registration plate shall be issued for, or attached to, any such state-owned vehicle.
The commissioner of motor vehicles shall have a sufficient number of both front and rear plates produced to attach to all state-owned cars. Not including vehicles issued to county sheriff's departments, the numbered registration plates for such vehicles shall start with the number "five hundred" and the commissioner shall issue consecutive numbers for all state-owned cars.
It shall be the duty of each office, department, bureau, commission or institution furnished any such vehicle to have such plates affixed thereto prior to the operation of such vehicle by any official or employee.
Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than fifty dollars nor more than one hundred dollars.
Magistrates shall have concurrent jurisdiction with circuit and criminal courts for the enforcement of this section.



NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the department of motor vehicles to issue designated registration plates for law-enforcement vehicles of the county sheriff departments with black on grey colors, a sheriff's badge to the left of the registration number, and a number that designates the county and the car.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.