AN ACT to amend and reenact section 39-04-10 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to special plates for amateur radio station licenseholders.
House Bill 1327 amends North Dakota law governing special motor vehicle license plates for amateur radio station licenseholders. The bill authorizes eligible vehicle owners who hold a valid, unrevoked FCC amateur radio license to apply for special plates bearing their official call letters and the words “AMATEUR RADIO.” Applicants must still comply with ordinary vehicle registration requirements and pay the regular license fee.
The bill also allows an applicant to obtain up to five plates with the same call letters, with the Department of Transportation adding a sequential number from 2 through 5 to distinguish additional plates issued to the same person. In effect, the measure updates and clarifies the existing personalized plate program for amateur radio operators while leaving the underlying registration framework in place.
HB1327 amends section 39-04-10 of the North Dakota Century Code, expanding and clarifying the state’s special-plate provisions for amateur radio licenseholders. It affects the Department of Transportation’s plate issuance process and the class of vehicle owners eligible to receive these plates, but it does not change general vehicle registration law or create a new fee structure beyond the regular license fee already required.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House unanimously and the Senate by a comfortable margin, indicating general agreement with the measure’s limited, administrative nature and its accommodation of amateur radio operators. No committee transcripts were provided, and the voting record suggests little organized opposition.
No specific points of contention are evident in the available record. The only potentially notable policy detail is the allowance for up to five plates with the same call letters, which may have been intended to accommodate multiple vehicles owned by the same amateur radio licenseholder. However, the vote totals show that this provision did not generate significant opposition in either chamber.