SB 1603 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - First Regular Session

America250 specialty plates

SB 1603 creates a new "America250" specialty license plate option in Arizona. To obtain this plate, an individual or organization must pay a one-time $32,000 fee to the state, which grants them design control (subject to state approval) and the ability to combine it with personalized plate features. The annual fee for the plate is $25, with $17 of that amount designated as a donation to the newly established "America250 special plate fund." This fund will support initiatives related to the America250 commemoration of the United States' 250th anniversary.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Feb 2025

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 10, 2025 Last action Mar 26, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Senate Engrossed Version · 5 edits · Feb 27, 2025

MODERATE

This bill establishes a new America250 specialty license plate program in Arizona, creating a dedicated fund to support America250 commemorative projects and events. The legislation adds a new section to the Arizona Revised Statutes authorizing the issuance of these plates, establishes a $32,000 implementation fee to be paid by the plate designer, and creates a fund that will allocate money to the Arizona America250 Commission through 2026 and then to the state library fund thereafter. The bill also updates related statutes to clarify how special plate fees and donations are categorized for highway user revenue purposes.

Scope change

The bill adds a new specialty plate program (America250) to Arizona's existing special plate system, expanding the scope of available commemorative plates and creating a new funding mechanism tied to the America250 celebration.

SCOPE

Added a new America250 specialty plate program with a $32,000 implementation fee requirement by December 31, 2025.

FISCAL

Created a new America250 special plate fund that receives $17 annual donations per plate and administers those funds for America250 projects through 2026, then transfers remaining funds to the state library fund.

Updated highway user revenue definitions to exclude special plate administration fees and donations from the state highway fund, redirecting them to their designated funds.

TIMELINE

Set specific allocation timeline: monthly allocations to America250 Commission through December 31, 2026, then annual allocations to state library fund thereafter.

TECHNICAL

Formatted and reorganized the bill text from introduced version to Senate engrossed version, including page numbering and section headers.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 27, 2025

How they voted

26–3

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 30

Feb 27, 2025

D Democratic13

10 Yea 2 Nay 1

76% Yea

R Republican17

16 Yea 1 Nay

94% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

DPA/SE

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

PASSED

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Upper · Passed

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors