AB997 - Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 997 Introduced by Assembly Member Stefani February 20, 2025 An act to amend, repeal, and add Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code, and to amend, repeal, and add Section 18285 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to license plate revenue. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 997, as introduced, Stefani. Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help our Kids” special license plates and imposes additional fees, as specified, for their issuance, renewal, replacement, and transfer. Existing law requires that those additional fees be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, less specified amounts. Existing law requires that 50% of the funds derived from “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services for administering various provisions related to childcare licensing, as specified. Existing law requires that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the balance be available, as described, for programs that address other categories of potential childhood injury, as specified. Existing law requires counties to create local childcare resource and referral programs to identify childcare resources and establish a referral process for parents, among other things. Existing law also creates the California Children and Families Commission, to promote, support, and improve early childhood development. Existing law provides for funding to county commissions that develop, adopt, promote, and implement local early childhood development programs consistent with specified goals and objectives. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, increase the fees for the initial issuance and renewal of the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates. The bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, allocate, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, 50% of the fees collected before July 1, 2027, to state and local childcare provider licensure, oversight, recruitment, training, and development, and the remainder to childcare safety and health, as specified. Of the fees collected on or after July 1, 2027, the bill would allocate 50% for programs that address specified child health and safety concerns and the remainder of the funding would be allocated for specified child abuse prevention purposes. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 5072. (a) Any person described in Section 5101 may also apply for a set of “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates, and the department shall issue those special license plates in lieu of the regular license plates. The “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” plates shall be distinct from other existing license plates by the inclusion of a well within the portion of the license plate that has the alpha-numeric sequence. The well may be placed in any position within that portion of the license plate. A heart shape, a five-pointed star, a hand shape, a plus-sign shape, shall be imprinted within the well itself. However, for purposes of processing the alpha-numeric sequence, the symbol within the well shall be read as a blank within the alpha-numeric sequence. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall cooperate with representatives of the California Highway Patrol and the Prison Industries Authority to design the final shape and dimension of the symbols for these license plates. (b) An applicant for a license plate described in subdivision (a) may choose to either accept a license plate character sequence assigned by the department that includes one of the four symbols or request a specialized license plate character sequence determined by the applicant that includes one of the four symbols, in accordance with instructions which that shall be provided by the department. (c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration, a renewal of registration, or a transfer of registration, the following “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate fees shall be paid: (1) Notwithstanding Section 5106, for those specialized license plates whose character sequence is determined by the license owner or applicant: (A) Fifty dollars ($50) for the initial issuance of the plates. These plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced. (B) Forty dollars ($40) for each renewal of registration which includes the continued display of the plates. (C) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle. (D) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for replacement plates, if the plates become damaged or unserviceable. (2) For those specialized license plates whose character sequence is assigned by the department: (A) Twenty dollars ($20) for the initial issuance of the plates. These plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced. (B) The legally allowed fee for renewal plus fifteen dollars ($15) for each renewal of registration, which includes the continued display of the plates. (C) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle. (D) Twenty dollars ($20) for replacement plates, if the plates become damaged or unserviceable. (d) When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in Section 4000, or when the person determines to retain the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates upon sale, trade, or other release of the vehicle upon which the plates have been displayed, the person shall notify the department and the person may retain the plates. (e) The revenue derived from the additional special fees provided in this section, less costs incurred by the department, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement for developing and administering this license plate program pursuant to this section, shall be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, created pursuant to Chapter 4.6 (commencing with Section 18285) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and, when appropriated by the Legislature shall be available for the purposes specified in that chapter. (f) It is the intent of the Legislature that the additional special fees specified in subdivision (e) are not used to replace existing appropriation levels in the 1991–92 Budget Act. (g) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2027, and, as of January 1, 2028, is repealed. SEC. 2. Section 5072 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read: 5072. (a) Any person described in Section 5101 may also apply for a set of “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates, and the department shall issue those special license plates in lieu of the regular license plates. The “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” plates shall be distinct from other existing license plates by the inclusion of a well within the portion of the license plate that has the alpha-numeric sequence. The well may be placed in any position within that portion of the license plate. A heart shape, a five-pointed star, a hand shape, a plus-sign shape, shall be imprinted within the well itself. However, for purposes of processing the alpha-numeric sequence, the symbol within the well shall be read as a blank within the alpha-numeric sequence. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall cooperate with representatives of the California Highway Patrol and the Prison Industries Authority to design the final shape and dimension of the symbols for these license plates. (b) An applicant for a license plate described in subdivision (a) may choose to either accept a license plate character sequence assigned by the department that includes one of the four symbols or request a specialized license plate character sequence determined by the applicant that includes one of the four symbols, in accordance with instructions that shall be provided by the department. (c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration, a renewal of registration, or a transfer of registration, the following “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate fees shall be paid: (1) Notwithstanding Section 5106, for those specialized license plates whose character sequence is determined by the license owner or applicant: (A) Ninety dollars ($90) for the initial issuance of the plates. These plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced. (B) Eighty dollars ($80) for each renewal of registration that includes the continued display of the plates. (C) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle. (D) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for replacement plates, if the plates become damaged or unserviceable. (2) For those specialized license plates whose character sequence is assigned by the department: (A) Forty dollars ($40) for the initial issuance of the plates. These plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced. (B) The legally allowed fee for renewal plus thirty dollars ($30) for each renewal of registration, which includes the continued display of the plates. (C) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle. (D) Twenty dollars ($20) for replacement plates, if the plates become damaged or unserviceable. (d) When payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in Section 4000, or when the person determines to retain the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates upon sale, trade, or other release of the vehicle upon which the plates have been displayed, the person shall notify the department and the person may retain the plates. (e) The revenue derived from the additional special fees provided in this section, less costs incurred by the department, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement for developing and administering this license plate program pursuant to this section, shall be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, created pursuant to Chapter 4.6 (commencing with Section 18285) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and, when appropriated by the Legislature shall be available for the purposes specified in that chapter. (f) It is the intent of the Legislature that the additional special fees specified in subdivision (e) are not used to replace existing appropriation levels in the 1991–92 Budget Act. (g) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2027. SEC. 3. Section 18285 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read: 18285. (a) There is hereby created in the State Treasury the Child Health and Safety Fund for the purposes specified in this section. (b) Moneys for this fund shall be derived from the license plate program provided for pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code and from civil penalties on child daycare facility providers. (c) Moneys in the fund shall be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes specified in subdivisions (d), (e), and (f). (d) Fifty percent of moneys derived from the license plate program pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code shall be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services for the purpose of administering provisions of Sections 1596.816, 1596.87, 1596.872b, 1596.893b 1596.895, 1596.95, 1597.091, 1597.54, 1597.541, 1597.542, 1597.55b and 1597.62 of the Health and Safety Code. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, an additional five hundred one thousand dollars ($501,000), in excess of the 50 percent derived from the license plate program, also shall be made available for these purposes. The State Department of Social Services shall allocate these special funds according to the following priorities: (1) Site visits performed pursuant to Sections 1597.091 and 1597.55b of the Health and Safety Code. (2) The monitoring responsibility of the childcare advocate program. (3) Training for investigative and licensing field staff. (4) Other aspects of the childcare advocate program performed pursuant to Section 1596.872b of the Health and Safety Code. (5) The salary of the chief of the childcare licensing branch. In order to implement the list of priorities set forth in this subdivision, and to complete implementation of subdivision (a) of Section 1596.816 of the Health and Safety Code, the State Department of Social Services may, as necessary, fund appropriate administrative support costs. (e) The balance of funds remaining after the appropriations specified in subdivision (d) derived from the license plate program pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code shall be available, upon appropriation, for programs that address any of the following child health and safety concerns and that are either to be carried out within a two-year period or whose implementation is dependent upon one-time initial funding: (1) Child abuse prevention, except that not more than 25 percent of the moneys in this fund shall be used for this purpose. Ninety percent of the 25 percent shall be deposited in the county children’s trust fund, established pursuant to Section 18966 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, for the support of child abuse prevention services in the community, and 10 percent of the 25 percent shall be deposited in the State Children’s Trust Fund, established pursuant to Section 18969, for public education, training, and technical assistance. (2) Vehicular safety, including restraint, warnings, and education programs. (3) Drowning prevention. (4) Playground safety standards. (5) Pedestrian Safety. (6) Bicycle safety. (7) Gun safety. (8) Fire safety. (9) Poison control and safety. (10) In-home safety. (11) Childhood poisoning, including from prescription medications, lead, and other toxic substances. (12) Sleep suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome. (13) Children left in parked cars and children run over by cars moving forward or backward. (14) Sports-related concussions, heat stroke, and spinal injury safety. (f) Moneys derived from civil penalties imposed on daycare facility providers shall be made available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services exclusively for the technical assistance, orientation, training, and education of child daycare facility providers. (g) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2027, and, as of January 1, 2028, is repealed. SEC. 4. Section 18285 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read: 18285. (a) There is hereby created in the State Treasury the Child Health and Safety Fund for the purposes specified in this section. (b) Moneys for this fund shall be derived from the license plate program provided for pursuant to Section 5072 of the Vehicle Code and from civil penalties on child daycare facility providers. (c) Moneys allocated to the Child Health and Safety Fund from the speci [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]