Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 97 (2020GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Escamilla, L.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/28/2020

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• allows the Motor Vehicle Division to refuse to issue a license plate if the Motor Vehicle Division determines that the combination of letters and numbers disparages a group of people based on certain protected classes; and
• prohibits the Motor Vehicle Division from denying a personalized license plate request if the requested letters, numbers, or combination of both refer to an official state symbol.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

PERSONAL LICENSE PLATE AMENDMENTS
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Luz Escamilla
House Sponsor: 
Marc K. Roberts
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends provisions related to the Motor Vehicle Division's authority to deny a
personalized license plate request.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ allows the Motor Vehicle Division to refuse to issue a license plate if the Motor
Vehicle Division determines that the combination of letters and numbers disparages
a group of people based on certain protected classes; and
▸ prohibits the Motor Vehicle Division from denying a personalized license plate
request if the requested letters, numbers, or combination of both refer to an official
state symbol.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
41-1a-411
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2016, Chapter 49
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
41-1a-411
 is amended to read:
41-1a-411.
Application for personalized plates -- Refusal authorized.
(1) An applicant for personalized license plates or renewal of the plates shall file an
application for the plates in the form and by the date the division requires, indicating the
combination of letters, numbers, or both requested as a registration number.
(2) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (3), the division may refuse to issue any
combination of letters, numbers, or both that
:
(i)
 may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency or that would be
misleading[
.
]
; or
(ii) disparages a group based on:
(A) race;
(B) color;
(C) national origin;
(D) religion;
(E) age;
(F) sex;
(G) gender identity;
(H) sexual orientation;
(I) citizenship status; or
(J) physical or mental disability.
(b) The division may refuse to issue a combination of letters, numbers, or both as a
registration number if that same combination is already in use as a registration number on an
existing license plate.
(3) (a) Except as provided in Subsection [
(2)(b)
] 
(2)
 or (3)(b), the division may not
refuse a combination of letters, numbers, or both as a registration number if:
(i) the license plate is an honor special group license plate as described in Section
41-1a-421
[
;
]
,
 and [
(ii)
] the combination of letters, numbers, or both refers to:
(A) a year related to military service;
(B) a military branch; or
(C) an official achievement, badge, or honor received for military service[
.
]
; or
(ii) the combination of letters, numbers, or both as a registration number refers to an
official state symbol described in Section 
63G-1-601
.
(b) If an applicant requests a combination containing only numbers, the division may
refuse the combination if the combination includes less than four numerical digits.