1-1 By: Leedom S.B. No. 123
1-2 (In the Senate - Filed December 5, 1994; January 16, 1995,
1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Finance;
1-4 March 28, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 12,
1-5 Nays 0; March 28, 1995, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to the issuance of specially designed license plates for
1-9 certain military personnel and veterans.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Subsections (a), (b), (d), (f), (g), and (l),
1-12 Section 5k, Chapter 88, General Laws, Acts of the 41st Legislature,
1-13 2nd Called Session, 1929 (Article 6675a-5k, Vernon's Texas Civil
1-14 Statutes), are amended to read as follows:
1-15 (a) The department shall design and provide for the issuance
1-16 of special license plates depicting the state capitol for passenger
1-17 cars and light commercial motor vehicles having a manufacturer's
1-18 rated carrying capacity of one ton or less and shall design and
1-19 provide for the issuance of special license plates for those
1-20 vehicles that are owned by persons who are:
1-21 (1) active or retired members of a branch of the armed
1-22 forces of the United States;
1-23 (2) the surviving spouses of individuals killed in
1-24 action while serving in the armed forces of the United States, as
1-25 long as the surviving spouse remains unmarried;
1-26 (3) survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor on
1-27 December 7, 1941, or their surviving spouses who have not
1-28 remarried;
1-29 (4) recipients of the Purple Heart medal or
1-30 recipients' surviving spouses who have not remarried;
1-31 (5) members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary,
1-32 Civil Air Patrol, members of the United States Coast Guard
1-33 Auxiliary, or members of the Marine Corps League or its auxiliary;
1-34 (6) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
1-35 of the United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1,
1-36 1947;
1-37 (7) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
1-38 of the United States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1,
1-39 1955;
1-40 (8) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
1-41 of the United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975;
1-42 <or>
1-43 (9) persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
1-44 of the United States, were deployed to the Middle East, and there
1-45 participated in Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm; or
1-46 (10) recipients of the Air Force Cross or
1-47 Distinguished Service Cross, the Army Distinguished Service Cross,
1-48 the Navy Cross, or the Medal of Honor.
1-49 (b) License plates issued to a member of a branch of the
1-50 armed forces, or to the individual's surviving spouse as provided
1-51 by Subsection (a)(2) of this section, shall bear the designation of
1-52 the appropriate branch of the armed forces. License plates issued
1-53 to Pearl Harbor survivors or their surviving spouses who have not
1-54 remarried shall bear the words "Pearl Harbor Survivor" and shall be
1-55 numbered consecutively. License plates issued to recipients, or
1-56 surviving spouses of recipients, of the Purple Heart medal shall
1-57 bear the Purple Heart emblem, shall bear the words "Purple Heart"
1-58 at the bottom of each plate, and if numbered plates are issued,
1-59 shall bear the letters "PH" as the prefix or suffix to the assigned
1-60 number. License plates issued to members of the civil air patrol
1-61 shall bear the words "Texas Wing Civil Air Patrol." License plates
1-62 issued to members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary shall bear the words
1-63 "Coast Guard Auxiliary." License plates issued to members of the
1-64 Marine Corps League or its auxiliary shall bear the words "Marine
1-65 Corps League" and the emblem of the Marine Corps League. License
1-66 plates issued to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces
1-67 of the United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1,
1-68 1947, shall bear the words "WWII Veteran." License plates issued
2-1 to persons who served in a branch of the armed forces of the United
2-2 States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, shall bear
2-3 the words "Korea Veteran." License plates issued to persons who
2-4 served in a branch of the armed forces of the United States after
2-5 August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, shall bear the words
2-6 "Vietnam Veteran." License plates issued to persons who served in
2-7 a branch of the armed forces of the United States, were deployed to
2-8 the Middle East, and there participated in Operation Desert Shield
2-9 or Desert Storm shall bear the words "Desert Storm." License
2-10 plates issued under this section to recipients of the Air Force
2-11 Cross or Distinguished Service Cross, the Army Distinguished
2-12 Service Cross, the Navy Cross, or the Medal of Honor shall bear the
2-13 words "Legion of Valor."
2-14 (d) A person who applies for:
2-15 (1) armed forces, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Civil Air
2-16 Patrol, or Marine Corps League license plates must submit proof
2-17 that the person is eligible to receive the plates;
2-18 (2) Pearl Harbor license plates must submit proof that
2-19 the person:
2-20 (A) served in the armed forces of the United
2-21 States;
2-22 (B) was stationed in the Hawaiian Islands on
2-23 December 7, 1941; and
2-24 (C) survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on
2-25 December 7, 1941; or
2-26 (D) is the surviving spouse of an individual who
2-27 meets the requirements of Paragraphs (A), (B), and (C) of this
2-28 subdivision;
2-29 (3) Purple Heart license plates must submit proof that
2-30 the person:
2-31 (A) has been awarded the Purple Heart medal and
2-32 is:
2-33 (i) an honorably discharged veteran of the
2-34 armed forces of the United States; or
2-35 (ii) a member of the armed forces of the
2-36 United States on active duty; or
2-37 (B)(i) is the surviving spouse of a recipient of
2-38 the Purple Heart medal who was an honorably discharged veteran of
2-39 the armed forces of the United States or a member of the armed
2-40 forces of the United States on active duty on the date of death;
2-41 and
2-42 (ii) has not remarried;
2-43 (4) World War II veteran license plates must submit
2-44 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
2-45 United States after December 6, 1941, and before January 1, 1947,
2-46 and is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
2-47 United States;
2-48 (5) Korean conflict veteran license plates must submit
2-49 proof that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
2-50 United States after June 26, 1950, and before February 1, 1955, and
2-51 is an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the
2-52 United States;
2-53 (6) Vietnam veteran license plates must submit proof
2-54 that the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the
2-55 United States after August 4, 1964, and before May 8, 1975, and:
2-56 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
2-57 armed forces of the United States; or
2-58 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
2-59 United States on active duty; <and>
2-60 (7) Desert Storm license plates must submit proof that
2-61 the person served in a branch of the armed forces of the United
2-62 States, was deployed to the Middle East, and there participated in
2-63 Operation Desert Shield or Desert Storm and:
2-64 (A) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
2-65 armed forces or reserve component of the armed forces of the United
2-66 States; or
2-67 (B) is a member of the armed forces of the
2-68 United States, a member of the Texas Army National Guard, a member
2-69 of the Texas Air National Guard, or a member of a reserve component
2-70 of the United States armed forces; and
3-1 (8) Legion of Valor license plates must submit proof
3-2 that the person:
3-3 (A) has been awarded the Air Force Cross or
3-4 Distinguished Service Cross, the Army Distinguished Service Cross,
3-5 the Navy Cross, or the Medal of Honor; and
3-6 (B) is an honorably discharged veteran of the
3-7 armed forces of the United States or is a member of the armed
3-8 forces of the United States on active duty.
3-9 (f) The fee for issuance of special license plates under
3-10 this section, other than license plates depicting the capitol,
3-11 Purple Heart license plates, Legion of Valor license plates, and
3-12 Pearl Harbor license plates, is $10 a year. The fee for Purple
3-13 Heart license plates, Legion of Valor license plates, and Pearl
3-14 Harbor license plates is $3 a year. The fee for license plates
3-15 depicting the capitol is $30 a year. Except as provided by
3-16 Subsection (g) of this section, a fee imposed under this subsection
3-17 is in addition to the motor vehicle registration fee imposed by
3-18 Section 5 of this Act, and if personalized prestige license plates
3-19 are issued, in addition to the fee imposed by Section 5c of this
3-20 Act.
3-21 (g) A vehicle for which Legion of Valor license plates,
3-22 Pearl Harbor license plates, or Purple Heart license plates are
3-23 issued under this section is exempt from the motor vehicle
3-24 registration fee imposed by Section 5 of this Act and any
3-25 additional county fee imposed under Section 9a of this Act.
3-26 (l) A person may only be issued one set of armed forces
3-27 license plates, one set of civil air patrol license plates, one set
3-28 of Pearl Harbor license plates, one set of Coast Guard Auxiliary
3-29 license plates, one set of World War II veteran license plates, one
3-30 set of Korea veteran license plates, one set of Vietnam veteran
3-31 license plates, one set of Desert Storm license plates, <and> one
3-32 set of Purple Heart license plates, and one set of Legion of Valor
3-33 license plates. If the owner of a vehicle for which plates, other
3-34 than license plates depicting the capitol, are issued under this
3-35 section disposes of the vehicle during a registration year, the
3-36 person shall return the special plates to the department, and at
3-37 that time may apply for issuance of those plates to another
3-38 vehicle.
3-39 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
3-40 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-41 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-42 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-43 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
3-44 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
3-45 passage, and it is so enacted.
3-46 * * * * *