An Act Concerning The Issuance Of "donate Life" Number Plates.
Summary
HB 5222 would require the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to issue special "Donate Life" license plates. The plates are intended to raise public awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation and transplantation. The bill directs that a fee be charged for the plates.
The fee would be used to cover the administrative costs of creating and issuing the plates and to provide funding to a Connecticut nonprofit organization focused on organ and tissue donation and transplantation. In effect, the bill creates a specialty plate program tied to a public-awareness campaign and a funding stream for a related charitable organization.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend chapter 246 of the general statutes to add a new specialty license plate category administered by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It would affect vehicle owners who choose to purchase the plates, the DMV’s plate-issuance process, and a qualifying in-state nonprofit that would receive funding from the program. The bill does not appear to change organ donation law directly, but it uses the motor vehicle registration system to support donation awareness and related nonprofit activity.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the overall sentiment appears supportive and noncontroversial. The proposal is framed as a public-awareness measure with a charitable funding component, which typically attracts favorable attention because it promotes organ and tissue donation. No opposing viewpoints are documented in the available materials.
Contention
No specific points of contention are reflected in the available transcripts or voting history, since none were provided. Potential issues that could arise in discussion include whether the plate fee is set appropriately, how much of the revenue goes to administrative costs versus the nonprofit, and which nonprofit would qualify to receive funds. Any debate would likely center on program administration rather than the underlying goal of promoting organ donation.