H.B. No. 70
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the issuance of specially designed license plates for
1-3 certain veterans of military service.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 5k, Chapter 88, General Laws, Acts of the
1-6 41st Legislature, 2nd Called Session, 1929 (Article 6675a-5k,
1-7 Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as amended by Chapters 654 and 659,
1-8 Acts of the 72nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1991, is amended by
1-9 amending Subsections (a), (b), (d), and (l) to read as follows:
1-10 (a) The department shall design and provide for the issuance
1-11 of special license plates depicting the state capitol for passenger
1-12 cars and light commercial motor vehicles having a manufacturer's
1-13 rated carrying capacity of one ton or less and shall design and
1-14 provide for the issuance of special license plates for those
1-15 vehicles that are owned by persons who are:
1-16 (1) active or retired members of a branch of the armed
1-17 forces of the United States;
1-18 (2) the surviving spouses of individuals killed in
1-19 action while serving in the armed forces of the United States, as
1-20 long as the surviving spouse remains unmarried;
1-21 (3) survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor on
1-22 December 7, 1941, or their surviving spouses who have not
1-23 remarried;
1-24 (4) recipients of the Purple Heart medal or
2-1 recipients' surviving spouses who have not remarried;
2-2 (5) members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary,
2-3 Civil Air Patrol, members of the United States Coast Guard
2-4 Auxiliary, or members of the Marine Corps League or its auxiliary;
2-5 (6) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-6 of the United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1,
2-7 1947;
2-8 (7) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-9 of the United States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1,
2-10 1955;
2-11 (8) <(6)> persons who served in a branch of the armed
2-12 forces of the United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8,
2-13 1975; or
2-14 (9) <(7)> persons who served in a branch of the armed
2-15 forces of the United States, were deployed to the Middle East, and
2-16 there participated in Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm.
2-17 (b) License plates issued to a member of a branch of the
2-18 armed forces, or to the individual's surviving spouse as provided
2-19 by Subsection (a)(2) of this section, shall bear the designation of
2-20 the appropriate branch of the armed forces. License plates issued
2-21 to Pearl Harbor survivors or their surviving spouses who have not
2-22 remarried shall bear the words "Pearl Harbor Survivor" and shall be
2-23 numbered consecutively. License plates issued to recipients, or
2-24 surviving spouses of recipients, of the Purple Heart medal shall
2-25 bear the Purple Heart emblem, shall bear the words "Purple Heart"
2-26 at the bottom of each plate, and if numbered plates are issued,
2-27 shall bear the letters "PH" as the prefix or suffix to the assigned
3-1 number. License plates issued to members of the civil air patrol
3-2 shall bear the words "Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol." License plates
3-3 issued to members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary shall bear the words
3-4 "Coast Guard Auxiliary." License plates issued to members of the
3-5 Marine Corps League or its auxiliary shall bear the words "Marine
3-6 Corps League" and the emblem of the Marine Corps League. License
3-7 plates issued to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
3-8 of the United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1,
3-9 1947, shall bear the words "WWII Veteran." License plates issued
3-10 to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces of the United
3-11 States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, shall bear
3-12 the words "Korea Veteran." License plates issued to persons who
3-13 served in a branch of the armed forces of the United States after
3-14 August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, shall bear the words
3-15 "Vietnam Veteran." License plates issued to persons who served in
3-16 a branch of the armed forces of the United States, were deployed to
3-17 the Middle East, and there participated in Operation Desert Shield
3-18 or Desert Storm shall bear the words "Desert Storm."
3-19 (d) A person who applies for:
3-20 (1) armed forces <license plates>, Coast Guard
3-21 Auxiliary, <or> Civil Air Patrol, or Marine Corps League license
3-22 plates must submit proof that the person is eligible to receive the
3-23 plates;
3-24 (2) Pearl Harbor license plates must submit proof that
3-25 the person:
3-26 (A) served in the armed forces of the United
3-27 States;
4-1 (B) was stationed in the Hawaiian Islands on
4-2 December 7, 1941; and
4-3 (C) survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on
4-4 December 7, 1941; or
4-5 (D) is the surviving spouse of an individual who
4-6 meets the requirements of Paragraphs (A), (B), and (C) of this
4-7 subdivision;
4-8 (3) Purple Heart license plates must submit proof that
4-9 the person:
4-10 (A) has been awarded the Purple Heart medal and
4-11 is:
4-12 (i) an honorably discharged veteran of the
4-13 armed forces of the United States; or
4-14 (ii) a member of the armed forces of the
4-15 United States on active duty; or
4-16 (B)(i) is the surviving spouse of a recipient of
4-17 the Purple Heart medal who was an honorably discharged veteran of
4-18 the armed forces of the United States or a member of the armed
4-19 forces of the United States on active duty on the date of death;
4-20 and
4-21 (ii) has not remarried;
4-22 (4) World War II veteran license plates must submit
4-23 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
4-24 United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1, 1947,
4-25 and is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
4-26 United States;
4-27 (5) Korean conflict veteran license plates must submit
5-1 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
5-2 United States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, and
5-3 is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
5-4 United States;
5-5 (6) <(4)> Vietnam veteran license plates must submit
5-6 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
5-7 United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, and:
5-8 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
5-9 armed forces of the United States; or
5-10 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
5-11 United States on active duty; and
5-12 (7) <(5)> Desert Storm license plates must submit
5-13 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
5-14 United States, was deployed to the Middle East, and there
5-15 participated in Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm and:
5-16 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
5-17 armed forces or reserve component of the armed forces of the United
5-18 States; or
5-19 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
5-20 United States, a member of the Texas Army National Guard, a member
5-21 of the Texas Air National Guard, or a member of a reserve component
5-22 of the United States armed forces.
5-23 (l) A person may only be issued one set of armed forces
5-24 license plates, one set of civil air patrol license plates, one set
5-25 of Pearl Harbor license plates, one set of Coast Guard Auxiliary
5-26 license plates, one set of World War II veteran license plates, one
5-27 set of Korea veteran license plates, one set of Vietnam veteran
6-1 license plates, one set of Desert Storm license plates, and one set
6-2 of Purple Heart license plates. If the owner of a vehicle for
6-3 which plates, other than license plates depicting the capitol, are
6-4 issued under this section disposes of the vehicle during a
6-5 registration year, the person shall return the special plates to
6-6 the department, and at that time may apply for issuance of those
6-7 plates to another vehicle.
6-8 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
6-9 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-10 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-11 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-12 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
6-13 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
6-14 passage, and it is so enacted.