To amend section 4501.21 and to enact section 4503.897 of the Revised Code to create the "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." license plate.
Summary
HB760 would create a new Ohio specialty license plate honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The bill authorizes owners or lessees of eligible vehicles to apply for the plate, requires the plate to display a logo and wording selected by representatives of the King Arts Complex in consultation with the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission and approved by the registrar, and imposes the standard registration fees plus a $10 administrative fee. Applicants may also make a voluntary contribution, which would be deposited into the license plate contribution fund.
The bill also amends the state’s license plate contribution fund statute to add a new recipient for specialty plate contributions: the Martin Luther King breakfast committee, Inc., with the money split equally between that organization and the King Arts Complex. The bill preserves the existing structure under which specialty plate contributions are routed to designated nonprofit, educational, charitable, cultural, and public-service organizations, and it directs annual distribution of investment earnings from the fund to recipient entities in proportion to the amounts they received in the prior year.
Impact
HB760 would add section 4503.897 to the Revised Code and amend section 4501.21, thereby expanding Ohio’s specialty license plate program and the list of organizations eligible to receive plate-contribution revenue. It would create a new revenue stream for the Martin Luther King breakfast committee, Inc. and the King Arts Complex, while also requiring the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to collect and deposit voluntary contributions and a $10 administrative fee tied to issuance of the new plate. The bill would not alter general vehicle registration law beyond the specialty plate process, but it would affect the distribution of specialty plate funds and the entities that can benefit from them.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally favorable and commemorative in nature, with no recorded votes or committee testimony in the provided materials. Its introduction and referral to the House Transportation Committee suggest it was in an early stage of consideration. The broad pattern of the bill—creating a new specialty plate and directing proceeds to a culturally significant organization—indicates a positive, low-conflict policy proposal.
Contention
No formal contention is documented in the available record, but the bill’s structure could invite questions about the growing number of specialty plates and the administrative complexity of managing many designated recipients. The only clearly identifiable policy choice in the text is the selection of the Martin Luther King breakfast committee and the King Arts Complex as beneficiaries, which may be of interest to supporters of the commemorative purpose and to those concerned about whether specialty plate revenues should be directed to a particular nonprofit or cultural institution. Because there were no committee transcripts or votes, no opposing arguments are recorded.
To amend sections 3517.12, 3517.13, and 3517.155 of the Revised Code to modify the Campaign Finance Law regarding foreign nationals and statewide initiatives and referenda and to declare an emergency.
To amend sections 3517.12, 3517.13, and 3517.155 of the Revised Code to modify the Campaign Finance Law regarding foreign nationals and statewide initiatives and referenda and to declare an emergency.
To amend sections 3505.01 and 3505.10 of the Revised Code to modify the deadline for a political party to certify its nominees for President and Vice-President to the Secretary of State.
To delay the deadline for a major political party to certify its presidential and vice presidential candidates to the Secretary of State for the 2024 general election.