S.B. No. 123
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the issuance of specially designed license plates for
1-2 certain military personnel and veterans.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subsections (a), (b), (d), (f), (g), and (l),
1-5 Section 5k, Chapter 88, General Laws, Acts of the 41st Legislature,
1-6 2nd Called Session, 1929 (Article 6675a-5k, Vernon's Texas Civil
1-7 Statutes), are amended to read as follows:
1-8 (a) The department shall design and provide for the issuance
1-9 of special license plates depicting the state capitol for passenger
1-10 cars and light commercial motor vehicles having a manufacturer's
1-11 rated carrying capacity of one ton or less and shall design and
1-12 provide for the issuance of special license plates for those
1-13 vehicles that are owned by persons who are:
1-14 (1) active or retired members of a branch of the armed
1-15 forces of the United States;
1-16 (2) the surviving spouses of individuals killed in
1-17 action while serving in the armed forces of the United States, as
1-18 long as the surviving spouse remains unmarried;
1-19 (3) survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor on
1-20 December 7, 1941, or their surviving spouses who have not
1-21 remarried;
1-22 (4) recipients of the Purple Heart medal or
1-23 recipients' surviving spouses who have not remarried;
1-24 (5) members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary,
2-1 Civil Air Patrol, members of the United States Coast Guard
2-2 Auxiliary, or members of the Marine Corps League or its auxiliary;
2-3 (6) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-4 of the United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1,
2-5 1947;
2-6 (7) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-7 of the United States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1,
2-8 1955;
2-9 (8) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-10 of the United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975;
2-11 <or>
2-12 (9) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
2-13 of the United States, were deployed to the Middle East, and there
2-14 participated in Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm; or
2-15 (10) recipients of the Air Force Cross or
2-16 Distinguished Service Cross, the Army Distinguished Service Cross,
2-17 the Navy Cross, or the Medal of Honor.
2-18 (b) License plates issued to a member of a branch of the
2-19 armed forces, or to the individual's surviving spouse as provided
2-20 by Subsection (a)(2) of this section, shall bear the designation of
2-21 the appropriate branch of the armed forces. License plates issued
2-22 to Pearl Harbor survivors or their surviving spouses who have not
2-23 remarried shall bear the words "Pearl Harbor Survivor" and shall be
2-24 numbered consecutively. License plates issued to recipients, or
2-25 surviving spouses of recipients, of the Purple Heart medal shall
2-26 bear the Purple Heart emblem, shall bear the words "Purple Heart"
2-27 at the bottom of each plate, and if numbered plates are issued,
3-1 shall bear the letters "PH" as the prefix or suffix to the assigned
3-2 number. License plates issued to members of the civil air patrol
3-3 shall bear the words "Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol." License plates
3-4 issued to members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary shall bear the words
3-5 "Coast Guard Auxiliary." License plates issued to members of the
3-6 Marine Corps League or its auxiliary shall bear the words "Marine
3-7 Corps League" and the emblem of the Marine Corps League. License
3-8 plates issued to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
3-9 of the United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1,
3-10 1947, shall bear the words "WWII Veteran." License plates issued
3-11 to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces of the United
3-12 States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, shall bear
3-13 the words "Korea Veteran." License plates issued to persons who
3-14 served in a branch of the armed forces of the United States after
3-15 August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, shall bear the words
3-16 "Vietnam Veteran." License plates issued to persons who served in
3-17 a branch of the armed forces of the United States, were deployed to
3-18 the Middle East, and there participated in Operation Desert Shield
3-19 or Desert Storm shall bear the words "Desert Storm." License
3-20 plates issued under this section to recipients of the Air Force
3-21 Cross or Distinguished Service Cross, the Army Distinguished
3-22 Service Cross, the Navy Cross, or the Medal of Honor shall bear the
3-23 words "Legion of Valor."
3-24 (d) A person who applies for:
3-25 (1) armed forces, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Civil Air
3-26 Patrol, or Marine Corps League license plates must submit proof
3-27 that the person is eligible to receive the plates;
4-1 (2) Pearl Harbor license plates must submit proof that
4-2 the person:
4-3 (A) served in the armed forces of the United
4-4 States;
4-5 (B) was stationed in the Hawaiian Islands on
4-6 December 7, 1941; and
4-7 (C) survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on
4-8 December 7, 1941; or
4-9 (D) is the surviving spouse of an individual who
4-10 meets the requirements of Paragraphs (A), (B), and (C) of this
4-11 subdivision;
4-12 (3) Purple Heart license plates must submit proof that
4-13 the person:
4-14 (A) has been awarded the Purple Heart medal and
4-15 is:
4-16 (i) an honorably discharged veteran of the
4-17 armed forces of the United States; or
4-18 (ii) a member of the armed forces of the
4-19 United States on active duty; or
4-20 (B)(i) is the surviving spouse of a recipient of
4-21 the Purple Heart medal who was an honorably discharged veteran of
4-22 the armed forces of the United States or a member of the armed
4-23 forces of the United States on active duty on the date of death;
4-24 and
4-25 (ii) has not remarried;
4-26 (4) World War II 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 December 6, 1941, and before January 1, 1947,
5-2 and is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
5-3 United States;
5-4 (5) Korean conflict veteran license plates must submit
5-5 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
5-6 United States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, and
5-7 is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
5-8 United States;
5-9 (6) Vietnam veteran license plates must submit proof
5-10 that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
5-11 United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, and:
5-12 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
5-13 armed forces of the United States; or
5-14 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
5-15 United States on active duty; <and>
5-16 (7) Desert Storm license plates must submit proof that
5-17 the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the United
5-18 States, was deployed to the Middle East, and there participated in
5-19 Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm and:
5-20 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
5-21 armed forces or reserve component of the armed forces of the United
5-22 States; or
5-23 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
5-24 United States, a member of the Texas Army National Guard, a member
5-25 of the Texas Air National Guard, or a member of a reserve component
5-26 of the United States armed forces; and
5-27 (8) Legion of Valor license plates must submit proof
6-1 that the person:
6-2 (A) has been awarded the Air Force Cross or
6-3 Distinguished Service Cross, the Army Distinguished Service Cross,
6-4 the Navy Cross, or the Medal of Honor; and
6-5 (B) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
6-6 armed forces of the United States or is a member of the armed
6-7 forces of the United States on active duty.
6-8 (f) The fee for issuance of special license plates under
6-9 this section, other than license plates depicting the capitol,
6-10 Purple Heart license plates, Legion of Valor license plates, and
6-11 Pearl Harbor license plates, is $10 a year. The fee for Purple
6-12 Heart license plates, Legion of Valor license plates, and Pearl
6-13 Harbor license plates is $3 a year. The fee for license plates
6-14 depicting the capitol is $30 a year. Except as provided by
6-15 Subsection (g) of this section, a fee imposed under this subsection
6-16 is in addition to the motor vehicle registration fee imposed by
6-17 Section 5 of this Act, and if personalized prestige license plates
6-18 are issued, in addition to the fee imposed by Section 5c of this
6-19 Act.
6-20 (g) A vehicle for which Legion of Valor license plates,
6-21 Pearl Harbor license plates, or Purple Heart license plates are
6-22 issued under this section is exempt from the motor vehicle
6-23 registration fee imposed by Section 5 of this Act and any
6-24 additional county fee imposed under Section 9a of this Act.
6-25 (l) A person may only be issued one set of armed forces
6-26 license plates, one set of civil air patrol license plates, one set
6-27 of Pearl Harbor license plates, one set of Coast Guard Auxiliary
7-1 license plates, one set of World War II veteran license plates, one
7-2 set of Korea veteran license plates, one set of Vietnam veteran
7-3 license plates, one set of Desert Storm license plates, <and> one
7-4 set of Purple Heart license plates, and one set of Legion of Valor
7-5 license plates. If the owner of a vehicle for which plates, other
7-6 than license plates depicting the capitol, are issued under this
7-7 section disposes of the vehicle during a registration year, the
7-8 person shall return the special plates to the department, and at
7-9 that time may apply for issuance of those plates to another
7-10 vehicle.
7-11 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
7-12 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-13 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-14 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
7-15 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
7-16 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
7-17 passage, and it is so enacted.