Rust, 102219 NDAGO, 2019-L-08

Case DateOctober 22, 2019
CourtNorth Dakota
The Honorable David Rust
AGO 2019-L-08
Letter Opinion 2019-L-08
North Dakota Attorney General Opinion
October 22, 2019
         The Honorable David Rust          State Senator          PO Box 1198          Tioga, ND 58852-1198          The Honorable Dan Ruby          State Representative          4620 46th Avenue N.W. Minot, ND 58703-8710          Dear Senator Rust and Representative Ruby:          Thank you for your letter requesting my opinion on whether Measure No. 4, which was approved by a vote of the people during the 2018 general election, was intended to provide free registration as well as a free set of license plates for one vehicle of a volunteer responder.          For the reasons indicated below, it is my opinion that the plain language of Measure No. 4 requires the Department of Transportation to provide one free set of special license plates for one vehicle of an eligible volunteer responder, and that, in order to provide the plates for free, the annual registration fee for one vehicle is waived.          ANALYSIS          Initiated Measure No. 4 was approved during the November 6, 2018, election, becoming effective December 6, 2018, and provides:          Special vehicle license plates for volunteer emergency responders.          Upon application, the director shall issue red personalized plates to volunteer emergency responders at no initial or annual cost to the volunteers. Volunteers shall include fire fighters and emergency medical responders. Qualified applicants are eligible to receive one set of plates.          Plates may not be displayed on a vehicle with a registered gross weight exceeding 20,000 pounds. The first three digits of the plates are the last three digits of the zip code where the volunteer’s department is located. The remaining space may contain up to three characters of the volunteer’s choosing. This plate serves as an entrance pass to all North Dakota state parks. In cooperation with the volunteer organizations, the director shall designate qualifications and verification procedures for the plates issued under this section.1          The language of the measure does not include or...

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