By Gutierrez H.B. No. 247
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to various types of armed forces license plates that may
1-3 be issued to a person.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Sections 5k(a), (b), and (d), Chapter 88, General
1-6 Laws, Acts of the 41st Legislature, 2nd Called Session, 1929
1-7 (Article 6675a-5k, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), are amended to
1-8 read as follows:
1-9 (a) The department shall design and provide for the issuance
1-10 of special license plates depicting the state capitol for passenger
1-11 cars and light commercial motor vehicles having a manufacturer's
1-12 rated carrying capacity of one ton or less and shall design and
1-13 provide for the issuance of special license plates for those
1-14 vehicles that are owned by persons who are:
1-15 (1) active or retired members or honorably discharged
1-16 veterans of a branch of the armed forces of the United States;
1-17 (2) the surviving spouses of individuals killed in
1-18 action while serving in the armed forces of the United States, as
1-19 long as the surviving spouse remains unmarried;
1-20 (3) survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor on
1-21 December 7, 1941, or their surviving spouses who have not
1-22 remarried;
1-23 (4) recipients of the Purple Heart medal or
1-24 recipients' surviving spouses who have not remarried;
2-1 (5) members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary,
2-2 Civil Air Patrol, members of the United States Coast Guard
2-3 Auxiliary, or members of the Marine Corps League or its auxiliary;
2-4 (6) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-5 of the United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1,
2-6 1947;
2-7 (7) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-8 of the United States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1,
2-9 1955;
2-10 (8) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-11 of the United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975,
2-12 or their surviving spouses; or
2-13 (9) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-14 of the United States, were deployed to the Middle East, and there
2-15 participated in Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm.
2-16 (b) License plates issued to a member or veteran of a branch
2-17 of the armed forces, or to the individual's surviving spouse as
2-18 provided by Subsection (a)(2) of this section, shall bear the
2-19 designation of the appropriate branch of the armed forces. License
2-20 plates issued to Pearl Harbor survivors or their surviving spouses
2-21 who have not remarried shall bear the words "Pearl Harbor Survivor"
2-22 and shall be numbered consecutively. License plates issued to
2-23 recipients, or surviving spouses of recipients, of the Purple Heart
2-24 medal shall bear the Purple Heart emblem, shall bear the words
2-25 "Purple Heart" at the bottom of each plate, and if numbered plates
2-26 are issued, shall bear the letters "PH" as the prefix or suffix to
2-27 the assigned number. License plates issued to members of the civil
3-1 air patrol shall bear the words "Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol."
3-2 License plates issued to members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary shall
3-3 bear the words "Coast Guard Auxiliary." License plates issued to
3-4 members of the Marine Corps League or its auxiliary shall bear the
3-5 words "Marine Corps League" and the emblem of the Marine Corps
3-6 League. License plates issued to persons who served in a branch of
3-7 the armed forces of the United States after December 6, 1941, and
3-8 before January 1, 1947, shall bear the words "WWII Veteran."
3-9 License plates issued to persons who served in a branch of the
3-10 armed forces of the United States after June 26, 1950, and before
3-11 February 1, 1955, shall bear the words "Korea Veteran." License
3-12 plates issued to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
3-13 of the United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975,
3-14 or their surviving spouses, shall bear the words "Vietnam Veteran."
3-15 License plates issued to persons who served in a branch of the
3-16 armed forces of the United States, were deployed to the Middle
3-17 East, and there participated in Operation Desert Shield or Desert
3-18 Storm shall bear the words "Desert Storm."
3-19 (d) A person who applies for:
3-20 (1) armed forces, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Civil Air
3-21 Patrol, or Marine Corps League license plates must submit proof
3-22 that the person is eligible to receive the plates;
3-23 (2) Pearl Harbor license plates must submit proof that
3-24 the person:
3-25 (A) served in the armed forces of the United
3-26 States;
3-27 (B) was stationed in the Hawaiian Islands on
4-1 December 7, 1941; and
4-2 (C) survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on
4-3 December 7, 1941; or
4-4 (D) is the surviving spouse of an individual who
4-5 meets the requirements of Paragraphs (A), (B), and (C) of this
4-6 subdivision;
4-7 (3) Purple Heart license plates must submit proof that
4-8 the person:
4-9 (A) has been awarded the Purple Heart medal and
4-10 is:
4-11 (i) an honorably discharged veteran of the
4-12 armed forces of the United States; or
4-13 (ii) a member of the armed forces of the
4-14 United States on active duty; or
4-15 (B)(i) is the surviving spouse of a recipient of
4-16 the Purple Heart medal who was an honorably discharged veteran of
4-17 the armed forces of the United States or a member of the armed
4-18 forces of the United States on active duty on the date of death;
4-19 and
4-20 (ii) has not remarried;
4-21 (4) World War II veteran license plates must submit
4-22 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
4-23 United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1, 1947,
4-24 and is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
4-25 United States;
4-26 (5) Korean conflict veteran license plates must submit
4-27 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
5-1 United States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, and
5-2 is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
5-3 United States;
5-4 (6) Vietnam veteran license plates must submit proof
5-5 that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
5-6 United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, and:
5-7 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
5-8 armed forces of the United States; <or>
5-9 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
5-10 United States on active duty; or
5-11 (C) is the surviving spouse of an individual who
5-12 meets the requirements of Paragraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision;
5-13 and
5-14 (7) Desert Storm license plates must submit proof that
5-15 the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the United
5-16 States, was deployed to the Middle East, and there participated in
5-17 Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm and:
5-18 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
5-19 armed forces or reserve component of the armed forces of the United
5-20 States; or
5-21 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
5-22 United States, a member of the Texas Army National Guard, a member
5-23 of the Texas Air National Guard, or a member of a reserve component
5-24 of the United States armed forces.
5-25 SECTION 2. Sections 5k(f), (g), and (l), Chapter 88, General
5-26 Laws, Acts of the 41st Legislature, 2nd Called Session, 1929
5-27 (Article 6675a-5k, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), are amended to
6-1 read as follows:
6-2 (f) The fee for issuance of special license plates under
6-3 this section, other than license plates depicting the capitol,
6-4 Purple Heart license plates, and Pearl Harbor license plates, is
6-5 $10 a year for the first set and $15 a year for each additional
6-6 set. The fee for Purple Heart license plates and Pearl Harbor
6-7 license plates is $3 a year for the first set and $15 a year for
6-8 each additional set. The fee for license plates depicting the
6-9 capitol is $30 a year. Except as provided by Subsection (g) of
6-10 this section, a fee imposed under this subsection is in addition to
6-11 the motor vehicle registration fee imposed by Section 5 of this
6-12 Act, and if personalized prestige license plates are issued, in
6-13 addition to the fee imposed by Section 5c of this Act.
6-14 (g) A vehicle for which Pearl Harbor license plates or
6-15 Purple Heart license plates are issued under this section is exempt
6-16 from the motor vehicle registration fee imposed by Section 5 of
6-17 this Act and any additional county fee imposed under Section 9a of
6-18 this Act, except that a person is entitled to only one exemption
6-19 under this subsection regardless of the number of sets of plates
6-20 the person is issued.
6-21 (l) A person may <only> be issued one or more sets <set> of
6-22 armed forces license plates, one or more sets <set> of civil air
6-23 patrol license plates, one or more sets <set> of Pearl Harbor
6-24 license plates, one or more sets <set> of Coast Guard Auxiliary
6-25 license plates, one or more sets <set> of World War II veteran
6-26 license plates, one or more sets <set> of Korea veteran license
6-27 plates, one or more sets <set> of Vietnam veteran license plates,
7-1 one or more sets <set> of Desert Storm license plates, and one or
7-2 more sets <set> of Purple Heart license plates. If the owner of a
7-3 vehicle for which plates, other than license plates depicting the
7-4 capitol, are issued under this section disposes of the vehicle
7-5 during a registration year, the person shall return the special
7-6 plates to the department, and at that time may apply for issuance
7-7 of those plates to another vehicle.
7-8 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
7-9 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-10 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-11 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
7-12 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
7-13 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
7-14 passage, and it is so enacted.