Sen. Lombardi bill eliminates extra fee on vanity plates renewal

Posted 2/5/15

Specialty license plates, which are available to help various charitable organizations or groups, have an extra charge applied at renewal time so that funds can continue to support those …

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Sen. Lombardi bill eliminates extra fee on vanity plates renewal

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Specialty license plates, which are available to help various charitable organizations or groups, have an extra charge applied at renewal time so that funds can continue to support those groups.

Why, though, is there an extra fee, above the regular renewal cost, charged for vanity plates?

Sen. Frank S. Lombardi (D-Dist. 26, Cranston) said he can’t come up with a good reason, and no one he’s talked with has been able to either.

“In essence, your vanity plate – which may have your name on it, or some collection of letters with a special meaning to you – is no different from the ordinary, everyday letters and numbers plates distributed by the Division of Motor Vehicles,” said Lombardi. “Once the plate is made special for you, and you have paid the initial extra fee, I can’t see any reason to have to keep paying another extra fee at every renewal time.”

Lombardi has introduced legislation to eliminate the extra $60 fee that is charged every time a vanity plate is renewed. The $60 initial charge for the vanity plate will remain and, upon renewal, the motorist would be billed only the standard renewal rate. The bill would similarly eliminate the $34 fee charged for renewal of motorcycle vanity plates, although the initial $34 fee would still be collected.

“We seem to be able to find ways to get more money out of our residents. I think it’s time we find ways to give them a break,” said Lombardi.

According to the Senate Fiscal Office, Rhode Island derives about $1.6 million in additional revenue each year from extra fee that accompanies vanity plate registration renewals.

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