AB1634 - Child health and safety: “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate program.

Amended IN Assembly April 09, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 1634 Introduced by Assembly Member Davies (Coauthor: Assembly Member Stefani) January 26, 2026 An act to amend amend, repeal, and add Sections 5004.3 and 5072 of the Vehicle Code, and to amend amend, repeal, and add Section 18285 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to license plate revenue. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1634, as amended, Davies. 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 establish the California Legacy License Plate Program, and to create and issue a series of specialized license plates, consisting of one or more of 3 specified designs that replicate license plates from the state’s past. Existing law imposes additional fees for the issuance, renewal, replacement, and transfer of these license plates and requires that those additional fees be deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help our Kids” special license plates that include specified shapes 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, as specified. This bill would authorize authorize, commencing July 1, 2027, an applicant for a California Legacy License Plate to apply to use a shape from the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help our Kids” special license plates for an additional fee. The bill fee, and would require that funds from the fees generated be deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund and the Child Health and Safety Fund, as specified. The bill would additionally increase the fees fees, commencing July 1, 2027, for the initial issuance and renewal of the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates. Existing law requires that 50% of the funds derived from the “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 remaining 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. The bill would 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 This bill would require moneys allocated to the Child Health and Safety Fund from the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plates and the California Legacy License Plates to be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, as specified, including allocating 25% to the State Department of Social Services for administering various provisions related to childcare licensing, as specified. The bill would allocate 50% the remaining 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. The bill would also include provisions that would permit a portion of these funds, allocated to the Emergency Medical Services Authority, to be expended for the preparation of a specified report to the Legislature required by AB 1639 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, and would make those provisions operative contingent upon the enactment of that bill, as specified. 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 5004.3 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 5004.3. (a) Subject to subdivision (d), the department shall establish the California Legacy License Plate Program and create and issue a series of specialized license plates known as California Legacy License Plates that replicate the look of California license plates from the state’s past. The design of the plates shall be identical, to the extent the department determines it to be reasonably feasible under current manufacturing processes, to a regular license plate, except as provided in subdivision (b). (b) The California Legacy License Plates shall consist of one or more of the following designs: (1) Yellow background with black lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1956 to 1962, inclusive. (2) Black background with yellow lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1965 to 1968, inclusive. (3) Blue background with yellow lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1969 to 1986, inclusive. (c) An applicant for the specialized license plates described in subdivision (a), who shall be the owner or lessee of the vehicle on which the plates will be displayed, may choose to either accept a license plate character sequence assigned by the department or request a combination of letters or numbers or both, subject to Section 5105. (d) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, retention, or transfer of the specialized license plates: (1) Fifty dollars ($50) for the original issuance of the plates. (2) Forty dollars ($40) for a renewal of registration with the plates. (3) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle. (4) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for each substitute replacement plate. (5) Thirty-eight dollars ($38), when the payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in Section 4000 and the holder of the specialized license plates retains the plates. The fee shall be due at the expiration of the registration year of the vehicle to which the specialized license plates were assigned. This paragraph shall not apply when a plate character sequence is assigned by the department pursuant to subdivision (c). (e) Sections 5106 and 5108 do not apply to the specialized license plates issued pursuant to this section. (f) The department shall not issue California Legacy License Plates for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103. (g) (1) The department shall not establish the California Legacy License Plate Program until the department has received not less than 7,500 paid applications for plates. The department shall collect and hold applications for the plates. The department shall not issue a specialized license plate until it has received not less than 7,500 paid applications for any one of the particular plates within the time period prescribed in this section. (2) The department shall have until January 1, 2015, to receive the required number of applications. If, after that date, 7,500 paid applications have not been received for any one of the three plates described in subdivision (b), the department shall immediately refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been collected. (h) (1) Upon a determination by the department that there are sufficient funds for the program, moneys shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the necessary administrative costs of establishing the California Legacy License Plate Program. (2) After deducting its administrative costs under this subdivision, the department shall deposit any additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, retention, and substitution of the specialized license plates into the California Environmental License Plate Fund, for appropriation by the Legislature pursuant to existing law. For purposes of this paragraph, “administrative costs” includes the costs of including the California Legacy License Plates in materials that promote special license plates authorized by this chapter. (i) This section shall remain in effect only until July 1, 2027, and as of that date is repealed. SEC. 2. Section 5004.3 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read: 5004.3. (a) Subject to subdivision (d), the department shall establish the California Legacy License Plate Program and create and issue a series of specialized license plates known as California Legacy License Plates that replicate the look of California license plates from the state’s past. The design of the plates shall be identical, to the extent the department determines it to be reasonably feasible under current manufacturing processes, to a regular license plate, except as provided in subdivision (b). (b) The California Legacy License Plates shall consist of one or more of the following designs: (1) Yellow background with black lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1956 to 1962, inclusive. (2) Black background with yellow lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1965 to 1968, inclusive. (3) Blue background with yellow lettering per the appearance of California license plates issued by the department from 1969 to 1986, inclusive. (c) An applicant for the specialized license plates described in subdivision (a), who shall be the owner or lessee of the vehicle on which the plates will be displayed, may choose to either accept a license plate character sequence assigned by the department or request a combination of letters or numbers or both, subject to Section 5105. (d) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration or renewal of registration, the following additional fees shall be paid for the issuance, renewal, retention, or transfer of the specialized license plates: (1) Fifty dollars ($50) for the original issuance of the plates. (2) Forty dollars ($40) for a renewal of registration with the plates. (3) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle. (4) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for each substitute replacement plate. (5) Thirty-eight dollars ($38), when the payment of renewal fees is not required as specified in Section 4000 and the holder of the specialized license plates retains the plates. The fee shall be due at the expiration of the registration year of the vehicle to which the specialized license plates were assigned. This paragraph shall not apply when a plate character sequence is assigned by the department pursuant to subdivision (c). (e) Sections 5106 and 5108 do not apply to the specialized license plates issued pursuant to this section. (f) The department shall not issue California Legacy License Plates for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103. (g) (1) The department shall not establish the California Legacy License Plate Program until the department has received not less than 7,500 paid applications for plates. The department shall collect and hold applications for the plates. The department shall not issue a specialized license plate until it has received not less than 7,500 paid applications for any one of the particular plates within the time period prescribed in this section. (2) The department shall have until January 1, 2015, to receive the required number of applications. If, after that date, 7,500 paid applications have not been received for any one of the three plates described in subdivision (b), the department shall immediately refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been collected. (h) (1) Upon a determination by the department that there are sufficient funds for the program, moneys shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the necessary administrative costs of establishing the California Legacy License Plate Program. (2) After deducting its administrative costs under this subdivision, the department shall deposit any additional revenue derived from the issuance, renewal, transfer, retention, and substitution of the specialized license plates into the California Environmental License Plate Fund, for appropriation by the Legislature pursuant to existing law. For purposes of this paragraph, “administrative costs” includes the costs of including the California Legacy License Plates in materials that promote special license plates authorized by this chapter. (i) (1) An applicant for a specialized license plate described in subdivision (a) may apply to use one of the four symbols allowed in the alphanumeric sequence from the “Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids” license plate, pursuant to Section 5072, to personalize their legacy plate. (2) The applicant shall pay a fifty dollar ($50) fee for the specialized license plate in addition to the fees described in subdivision (d). (3) Fees generated pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be deposited equally into 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 the California Environmental License Plate Fund. (4) It is the intent of the Legislature that the specialized license plate pursuant to this subdivision be considered a specialized license plate within the California Legacy License Plate Program pursuant to this section. The specialized license plate pursuant to this subdivision does not constitute the creation of a new type of specialized license plate. (j) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2027. SEC. 3. 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, th [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]