SB 282: Create the American Motorcyclist Association license plate
The bill creates the "American Motorcyclist Association" license plate in the state of Ohio. The license plate will be issued to the owner or lessee of a passenger car, noncommercial motor vehicle, recreational vehicle, motorcycle, cab-enclosed motorcycle, or other vehicle approved by the registrar. The plate will display the American Motorcyclist Association logo and words selected by the organization, along with county identification stickers. To obtain the license plate, the applicant must pay the regular license tax, any applicable motor vehicle license tax, and an additional administrative fee. A contribution of $15 will be collected for each registration application and deposited into the state treasury to fund the "American Motorcyclist Association" license plate contribution fund. The bill also repeals the existing section 4501.21 of the revised code and presents the new section…
| Nov. 12, 2025 | Referred to committee: Transportation |
| Nov. 10, 2025 | Introduced |
| Nov. 05, 2025 | Passed |
| Oct. 29, 2025 | Reported: Transportation |
| Oct. 15, 2025 | Referred to committee: Transportation |
As Passed by the Senate
136th General Assembly
Regular Session
S. B. No. 282
2025-2026
Senator Schaffer
Cosponsors: Senators Antonio, Blessing, Cirino, Craig, DeMora, Hicks-Hudson, Johnson, Landis, Lang, O'Brien, Patton, Reineke, Roegner, Weinstein
A BILL
To amend section 4501.21 and to enact section 4503.912 of the Revised Code to create the "American Motorcyclist Association" license plate.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
That section 4501.21 be amended and section 4503.912 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
(A) There is hereby created in the state treasury the license plate contribution fund. The fund shall consist of all contributions for specialty license plates paid by motor vehicle registrants and collected by the registrar of motor vehicles pursuant to the Revised Code sections referenced in division (B) of this section.
(B) The registrar shall pay the contributions the registrar collects in the fund as follows:
1360
The registrar shall pay the contributions the registrar receives pursuant to section 4503.518 of the Revised Code to the Nationwide children's hospital, which shall use the contributions for the "On Our Sleeves" campaign.
(A) The owner or lessee of any passenger car, noncommercial motor vehicle, recreational vehicle, motorcycle, cab-enclosed motorcycle, or other vehicle of a class approved by the registrar of motor vehicles may apply to the registrar for the registration of the vehicle and issuance of "American Motorcyclist Association" license plates. The application may be combined with a request for a special reserved license plate under section 4503.40 or 4503.42 of the Revised Code. Upon receipt of the completed application and compliance by the applicant with divisions (B) and (C) of this section, the registrar shall issue to the applicant the appropriate vehicle registration and a set of "American Motorcyclist Association" license plates and a validation sticker, or a validation sticker alone when required by section 4503.191 of the Revised Code.
In addition to the letters and numbers ordinarily inscribed on the license plates, "American Motorcyclist Association" license plates shall display an appropriate logo and words that are selected by representatives of the American motorcyclist association and approved by the registrar. "American Motorcyclist Association" license plates shall display county identification stickers that identify the county of registration as required under section 4503.19 of the Revised Code.
(B) "American Motorcyclist Association" license plates and a validation sticker, or validation sticker alone, shall be issued upon receipt of an application for registration of a motor vehicle under this section; payment of the regular license tax as prescribed under section 4503.04 of the Revised Code, any applicable motor vehicle license tax levied under Chapter 4504. of the Revised Code, any applicable additional fee prescribed by section 4503.40 or 4503.42 of the Revised Code, an additional administrative fee of ten dollars, and a contribution as provided in division (C) (1) of this section; and compliance with all other applicable laws relating to the registration of motor vehicles.
(C) (1) For each application for registration and registration renewal notice the registrar receives under this section, the registrar shall collect a contribution of fifteen dollars. The registrar shall deposit this contribution into the state treasury to the credit of the license plate contribution fund created in section 4501.21 of the Revised Code.
(2) The registrar shall deposit the administrative fee of ten dollars, the purpose of which is to compensate the bureau of motor vehicles for additional services required in the issuing of "American Motorcyclist Association" license plates, into the state treasury to the credit of the public safety - highway purposes fund created in section 4501.06 of the Revised Code.
That existing section 4501.21 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.
Section 4501.21 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by both H.B. 315 and S.B. 163 of the 135th General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section in effect prior to the effective date of the section as presented in this act.