HB 1999 — An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in registration of vehicles, providing for Smokey Bear license plate.

PRINTER'S NO.   2538

                      THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                          HOUSE BILL
                          No. 1999
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY BENNINGHOFF, ANDERSON, BURGOS, FEE, FLICK, GILLEN,
        GREEN, GREINER, HADDOCK, K.HARRIS, KULIK, McNEILL, OLSOMMER,
        PASHINSKI, RIVERA, ROWE, SHAFFER, SHUSTERMAN, STAMBAUGH,
        STENDER AND TWARDZIK, OCTOBER 28, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, OCTOBER 28, 2025


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 2      Statutes, in registration of vehicles, providing for Smokey
 3      Bear license plate.
 4      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5   hereby enacts as follows:
 6      Section 1.      Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 7   Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
 8   § 1352.3.      Smokey Bear license plate.
 9      (a)   Design.--The department, in consultation with the
10   Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, shall design a
11   special Smokey Bear registration plate that:
12            (1)    features a depiction of Smokey Bear based on
13      iconography used by the Forest Service within the United
14      States Department of Agriculture relating to Smokey Bear; and
15            (2)    includes the phrase "Only you can prevent
16      wildfires."
17      (b)   Application.--Upon application by any person and payment
 1   of a $43 fee, which shall be in addition to the registration
 2   fee, the department shall issue a Smokey Bear registration plate
 3   to the person.
 4      (c)   Limitation on gross weight.--The special registration
 5   plate may be used only on a passenger car or truck with a
 6   registered gross weight of not more than 14,000 pounds.
 7      (d)   Fee allocation.--
 8            (1)   The amount of $14 of each fee collected under
 9      subsection (b) shall be deposited into the Wild Resource
10      Conservation Fund established under 27 Pa.C.S. § 6108
11      (relating to Wild Resource Conservation Fund and duties of
12      Department of Conservation and Natural Resources).
13            (2)   The money deposited under paragraph (1) shall be
14      used by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
15      for wildfire mitigation.
16      (e)   Federal authorization.--
17            (1)   The department shall request, in accordance with
18      Federal law, authorization from the Chief of the Forest
19      Service within the United States Department of Agriculture,
20      or a designee of the chief, for the rights to use the
21      depiction of Smokey Bear for registration plates in
22      accordance with this section.
23            (2)   The duties of the department under this section are
24      contingent upon the department obtaining the authorization
25      under paragraph (1).
26      Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 120 days.




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