House Bill 407, titled the Divine Nine Special Registration Plate Act, would add a new North Carolina special license plate for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority and update the state’s special plate statutes to reflect that addition. It also revises the fee schedule and revenue distribution rules for several existing Divine Nine-related plates, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. The bill directs that the plates bear the relevant organization’s symbol and name, and in the case of Sigma Gamma Rho, the phrase “Greater Service, Greater Progress.”
The bill amends G.S. 20-79.4, G.S. 20-79.7, and G.S. 20-81.12 to place the new plate into the state’s special registration plate system and to specify how surcharge revenue is split among the Special Registration Plate Account, the Collegiate and Cultural Attraction Plate Account, and, for some plates, the North Carolina Land and Water Fund and the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. It also requires quarterly transfers of the Collegiate and Cultural Attraction Plate Account proceeds from certain Divine Nine plates to designated affiliated nonprofit foundations, such as the Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation, the Delta Research and Educational Foundation, the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation, the PBS Impact Foundation, and the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority National Education Fund, Inc. The Revisor of Statutes is authorized to renumber and alphabetize the plate listings.
The bill’s impact is primarily administrative and fiscal rather than regulatory: it expands the menu of available specialty plates, changes how certain plate fees are allocated, and creates a direct revenue stream from plate sales to affiliated educational and charitable organizations. It does not alter driver licensing rules or vehicle registration eligibility generally, but it does affect the Highway Fund accounts and the statutory list of special plates administered by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
There is no recorded committee testimony or vote history in the provided materials, so the overall sentiment cannot be measured from debate or roll call data. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be a targeted, supportive update for historically Black Greek-letter organizations and their associated foundations, with no obvious policy controversy in the text itself. The absence of transcripts or votes means no specific opposition or support arguments are documented here.
The main point of contention, if any, would likely concern the creation and expansion of specialty plates and the allocation of public fee revenue to private nonprofit entities, though no such objection is shown in the available record. The bill also includes technical cleanup authority for the Revisor of Statutes, suggesting it is intended to be a straightforward update to an existing specialty plate framework rather than a broader policy change.
HB407 amends North Carolina’s motor vehicle special registration plate statutes by adding a Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority plate, updating fee amounts for several Divine Nine plates, and revising how surcharge revenue is distributed among state accounts and designated nonprofit foundations. It affects G.S. 20-79.4, G.S. 20-79.7, and G.S. 20-81.12, and it authorizes statutory renumbering and alphabetizing of plate listings. The bill primarily impacts the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Highway Fund accounts, and the named sorority/fraternity organizations and their affiliated foundations.
No committee transcripts or votes were provided, so there is no documented debate record to gauge legislative sentiment. From the bill text alone, the measure appears largely favorable and noncontroversial, aimed at expanding specialty plate options and supporting affiliated educational foundations tied to the Divine Nine organizations.
The only plausible areas of contention are the creation of a new specialty plate and the use of plate surcharge revenue to fund private nonprofit foundations, which could raise questions about state fee policy and the propriety of directing public-collected funds to outside organizations. However, the provided materials do not show any recorded opposition, amendments, or disputed testimony, so no specific member, committee, or stakeholder objections can be identified.