By Leedom S.B. No. 123
74R2473 JD-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the issuance of specially designed license plates for
1-3 certain military personnel and veterans.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Sections 5k(a), (b), (d), (f), (g), and (l),
1-6 Chapter 88, General Laws, Acts of the 41st Legislature, 2nd Called
1-7 Session, 1929 (Article 6675a-5k, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes),
1-8 are amended to 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 of a branch of the armed
1-16 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>
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; or
2-16 (10) recipients of the Air Force cross or
2-17 distinguished-service cross, the Army distinguished-service cross,
2-18 the Navy cross, or the medal of honor.
2-19 (b) License plates issued to a member of a branch of the
2-20 armed forces, or to the individual's surviving spouse as provided
2-21 by Subsection (a)(2) of this section, shall bear the designation of
2-22 the appropriate branch of the armed forces. License plates issued
2-23 to Pearl Harbor survivors or their surviving spouses who have not
2-24 remarried shall bear the words "Pearl Harbor Survivor" and shall be
2-25 numbered consecutively. License plates issued to recipients, or
2-26 surviving spouses of recipients, of the Purple Heart medal shall
2-27 bear the Purple Heart emblem, shall bear the words "Purple Heart"
3-1 at the bottom of each plate, and if numbered plates are issued,
3-2 shall bear the letters "PH" as the prefix or suffix to the assigned
3-3 number. License plates issued to members of the civil air patrol
3-4 shall bear the words "Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol." License plates
3-5 issued to members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary shall bear the words
3-6 "Coast Guard Auxiliary." License plates issued to members of the
3-7 Marine Corps League or its auxiliary shall bear the words "Marine
3-8 Corps League" and the emblem of the Marine Corps League. License
3-9 plates issued to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
3-10 of the United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1,
3-11 1947, shall bear the words "WWII Veteran." License plates issued
3-12 to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces of the United
3-13 States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, shall bear
3-14 the words "Korea Veteran." License plates issued to persons who
3-15 served in a branch of the armed forces of the United States after
3-16 August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, shall bear the words
3-17 "Vietnam Veteran." License plates issued to persons who served in
3-18 a branch of the armed forces of the United States, were deployed to
3-19 the Middle East, and there participated in Operation Desert Shield
3-20 or Desert Storm shall bear the words "Desert Storm." License
3-21 plates issued under this section to recipients of the Air Force
3-22 cross or distinguished-service cross, the Army
3-23 distinguished-service cross, the Navy cross, or the medal of honor
3-24 shall bear the words "Legion of Valor."
3-25 (d) A person who applies for:
3-26 (1) armed forces, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Civil Air
3-27 Patrol, or Marine Corps League license plates must submit proof
4-1 that the person is eligible to receive the plates;
4-2 (2) Pearl Harbor license plates must submit proof that
4-3 the person:
4-4 (A) served in the armed forces of the United
4-5 States;
4-6 (B) was stationed in the Hawaiian Islands on
4-7 December 7, 1941; and
4-8 (C) survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on
4-9 December 7, 1941; or
4-10 (D) is the surviving spouse of an individual who
4-11 meets the requirements of Paragraphs (A), (B), and (C) of this
4-12 subdivision;
4-13 (3) Purple Heart license plates must submit proof that
4-14 the person:
4-15 (A) has been awarded the Purple Heart medal and
4-16 is:
4-17 (i) an honorably discharged veteran of the
4-18 armed forces of the United States; or
4-19 (ii) a member of the armed forces of the
4-20 United States on active duty; or
4-21 (B)(i) is the surviving spouse of a recipient of
4-22 the Purple Heart medal who was an honorably discharged veteran of
4-23 the armed forces of the United States or a member of the armed
4-24 forces of the United States on active duty on the date of death;
4-25 and
4-26 (ii) has not remarried;
4-27 (4) World War II 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 December 6, 1941, and before January 1, 1947,
5-3 and is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
5-4 United States;
5-5 (5) Korean conflict 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 June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, and
5-8 is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
5-9 United States;
5-10 (6) Vietnam veteran license plates must submit proof
5-11 that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
5-12 United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, and:
5-13 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
5-14 armed forces of the United States; or
5-15 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
5-16 United States on active duty; <and>
5-17 (7) Desert Storm license plates must submit proof that
5-18 the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the United
5-19 States, was deployed to the Middle East, and there participated in
5-20 Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm and:
5-21 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
5-22 armed forces or reserve component of the armed forces of the United
5-23 States; or
5-24 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
5-25 United States, a member of the Texas Army National Guard, a member
5-26 of the Texas Air National Guard, or a member of a reserve component
5-27 of the United States armed forces; and
6-1 (8) Legion of Valor license plates must submit proof
6-2 that the person:
6-3 (A) has been awarded the Air Force cross or
6-4 distinguished-service cross, the Army distinguished-service cross,
6-5 the Navy cross, or the medal of honor; and
6-6 (B) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
6-7 armed forces of the United States or is a member of the armed
6-8 forces of the United States on active duty.
6-9 (f) The fee for issuance of special license plates under
6-10 this section, other than license plates depicting the capitol,
6-11 Purple Heart license plates, Legion of Valor license plates, and
6-12 Pearl Harbor license plates, is $10 a year. The fee for Purple
6-13 Heart license plates, Legion of Valor license plates, and Pearl
6-14 Harbor license plates is $3 a year. The fee for license plates
6-15 depicting the capitol is $30 a year. Except as provided by
6-16 Subsection (g) of this section, a fee imposed under this subsection
6-17 is in addition to the motor vehicle registration fee imposed by
6-18 Section 5 of this Act, and if personalized prestige license plates
6-19 are issued, in addition to the fee imposed by Section 5c of this
6-20 Act.
6-21 (g) A vehicle for which Legion of Valor license plates,
6-22 Pearl Harbor license plates, or Purple Heart license plates are
6-23 issued under this section is exempt from the motor vehicle
6-24 registration fee imposed by Section 5 of this Act and any
6-25 additional county fee imposed under Section 9a of this Act.
6-26 (l) A person may only be issued one set of armed forces
6-27 license plates, one set of civil air patrol license plates, one set
7-1 of Pearl Harbor license plates, one set of Coast Guard Auxiliary
7-2 license plates, one set of World War II veteran license plates, one
7-3 set of Korea veteran license plates, one set of Vietnam veteran
7-4 license plates, one set of Desert Storm license plates, <and> one
7-5 set of Purple Heart license plates, and one set of Legion of Valor
7-6 license plates. If the owner of a vehicle for which plates, other
7-7 than license plates depicting the capitol, are issued under this
7-8 section disposes of the vehicle during a registration year, the
7-9 person shall return the special plates to the department, and at
7-10 that time may apply for issuance of those plates to another
7-11 vehicle.
7-12 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
7-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
7-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
7-17 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
7-18 passage, and it is so enacted.