House Bill 4502 amends West Virginia’s vehicle registration law to authorize the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue a special registration plate for autism awareness. The bill allows qualified applicants to obtain the plate for vehicles titled in their name, with a $10 one-time initial application fee and a $15 annual fee, both in addition to other required registration costs. The bill also states that the special fee is to be deposited in the State Road Fund.
The measure is a targeted change to §17A-3-14 of the West Virginia Code, which governs registration plates generally. In addition to adding the autism awareness plate provision, the bill retains existing language on plate requirements, plate readability, suspension for damaged or illegible plates, handling of returned checks, and the DMV’s authority to accept electronic signatures. Its practical effect is to give the DMV explicit statutory authority to create and sell a specialty plate tied to autism awareness, while leaving the broader registration framework unchanged.
Impact
HB4502 would directly amend West Virginia’s motor vehicle registration statutes by adding a new special plate category under §17A-3-14. It would authorize the DMV to design and issue autism awareness plates, establish the fee structure for those plates, and direct the initial special fee revenue to the State Road Fund. The bill affects vehicle owners who choose specialty plates, the Division of Motor Vehicles as the issuing agency, and the state fund receiving the fee revenue.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill is generally positive and noncontroversial in tone, as it is framed as a specialty plate measure supporting autism awareness. The bill’s caption and purpose statement are straightforward and supportive, and there is no recorded committee debate, vote history, or opposition in the provided materials. Based on the text alone, the measure appears to be a symbolic and administrative change rather than a policy dispute.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided committee or voting materials. Potential areas of discussion, if raised, would likely concern the appropriateness of creating another specialty plate, the fee amounts, or whether the revenue should go to the State Road Fund rather than a dedicated autism-related program. However, none of those concerns appear in the available record, and no named opponents or supporters are identified beyond the bill’s sponsors.
To waive the one-time $10 fee for a Veterans license plate to any first-time applicants who have an Honorable Discharge from any branch of the United States Military