Bill
LB 343
LB343 lowers specialty plate fees from $70 to $40 starting Oct 1, 2025, preserves issuance/delivery rules, transfers, and fund split: 60% DMV Cash Fund, 40% Highway Trust Fund.
LB 343 — Change the fee for specialty license plates
Overview
- Purpose: To reduce the cost of specialty license plates, aligning the fee for specialty plates with other plate types.
- Introduced: January 16, 2025
- Primary sponsor: Senator Brandt (with Senator Dorn as a co-sponsor)
- Committee: Transportation and Telecommunications
- Hearing: February 4, 2025
- Current status: Provisions/portions of LB343 amended into LB398 by AM842 (as of June 6, 2025)
What the bill would do
- Change the fee for initial issuance and renewal of specialty license plates from $70 to $40, effective October 1, 2025.
- Maintain the ability for specialty plates to be issued in place of standard plates for most motor vehicles, with specific rules for certain vehicle types (farm trucks >16 tons gross weight or commercial vehicles >5 tons gross weight require a tonnage decal).
- Preserve existing fee receipt handling and distribution, with 60% credited to the DMV Cash Fund and 40% to the Highway Trust Fund.
- Allow the department to deliver plates and registration certificates by mail, with potential postage/handling fees tied to county costs (subject to department rules and restrictions).
- Allow temporary license stickers to be issued under certain conditions, at no additional charge beyond the standard registration fee, and governed by department rules.
- Provide for transfer of specialty plates between vehicles owned by the same person, including a transfer fee and a partial credit mechanism for the unused portion of the specialty plate fee.
- Transfer fee: $3
- Credit for unused portion: 8 1/3% per full month remaining in the registration period
Key provisions and details
- Fee schedule (Section 60-3,104.01):
- Initial issuance or renewal fees: before October 1, 2025 = $70; beginning October 1, 2025 = $40
- Fee distributions: 60% to the DMV Cash Fund; 40% to the Highway Trust Fund
- Delivery and postage:
- Optional mail delivery of plates/registration; postage/handling fee not to exceed costs (designated by the director) and remitted to the DMV Cash Fund
- Temporary licenses:
- Temporary license stickers may be issued by the county treasurer or department, at no extra charge beyond the registration fee, with rules to be set by the department
- Plate transfers:
- Owner-initiated transfer to another vehicle owned by the same person
- Fee for transfer: $3
- Credit for unused portion: determined monthly at 8 1/3% per full month remaining in the period
Implications and who is affected
- Individuals and entities purchasing or renewing specialty license plates would see the fee decrease from $70 to $40 starting Oct 1, 2025.
- Revenue flows from specialty plate fees would still be split between the DMV Cash Fund (60%) and the Highway Trust Fund (40%).
- Vehicle owners with farm trucks or commercial vehicles with applicable tonnage would continue to follow existing decal requirements for tonnage.
- County treasurers and the Department of Motor Vehicles would administer mail delivery, temporary stickers, and transfer processes under the new framework.
Procedural/timeline notes
- If enacted through the normal process, the lower fee would take effect Oct. 1, 2025.
- Part of LB343’s provisions were later amended into LB398 via AM842 (June 6, 2025), suggesting related changes may be addressed in LB398 as the primary vehicle for enactment.
Sponsor and contact points
- Introduced by Senator Brandt (primary) and Senator Dorn (co-sponsor)
- Committee hearing by Transportation and Telecommunications
- Intent statement indicates alignment of specialty plate cost with other plate categories
Summary
LB 343 seeks to lower the cost of specialty license plates from $70 to $40 beginning October 1, 2025, while preserving the existing framework for issuance, delivery, temporary stickers, and plate transfers, and maintaining designated fund allocations. The bill’s provisions were subsequently incorporated into LB398 via AM842.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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