Bill > S1716

This bill establishes a special fund called the "Massachusetts Support Our Schools Fund" to help cities and towns cover costs related to public schools, such as their development, upkeep, and operation. This fund will be financed by revenue generated from the sale of distinctive motor vehicle registration plates that feature a design celebrating Massachusetts Public Schools as "The Spirit of Massachusetts." The bill also amends existing law to allow the registrar to issue these special plates to owners of private passenger vehicles. There will be an additional biennial fee of at least $40 for these plates, on top of the regular registration fee, with the money collected, after accounting for the costs of producing the plates, being transferred to the Support Our Schools Fund within 90 days. The funds in this account will then be made available for annual appropriations to individual municipalities, with each municipality receiving an amount equal to the "Support Our Schools" registration fees collected from its residents, specifically for the purpose of developing, maintaining, and operating public schools.