Specialized license plates: domestic violence and sexual assault awareness.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue specialty license plates, including environmental license plates and specified special environmental design license plates. Under existing law, a state agency is authorized to apply to the DMV to sponsor a specialized license plate program, and the DMV is required to issue those license plates if the agency meets certain requirements. The DMV is required to charge specified fees for certain services related to the issuance of those plates. Existing law establishes a Family Violence Prevention Program within the Office of Emergency Services to provide financial and technical assistance to local domestic and family violence centers in implementing family violence prevention programs. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to apply to the DMV to sponsor a domestic violence and sexual assault awareness license plate program, and establishes the California Domestic Violence Prevention Fund in the State Treasury for the deposit of the revenue derived from these license plates. These funds are allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Office of Emergency Services for purposes of funding the Family Violence Prevention Program. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to establish an advisory committee to develop a course of training for district attorneys in the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases, child sexual exploitation cases, and child sexual abuse cases, and to approve grants awarded to proposed and existing sexual assault services programs (SASPs) , which provide specified services to victims of sexual assault. This bill would rename the above fund the California Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Fund, and would require the fees from the domestic violence and sexual assault awareness license plate program to also be used for purposes of funding the services provided by the SASPs.