hb1025.html

06 LC 34 0502

House Bill 1025

By: Representatives Ray of the 136th, O`Neal of the 146th, Talton of the 145th, and Wix of the 33rd

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

To amend Article 3 of Chapter 2 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to prestige license plates and special plates for certain persons and vehicles, so as to provide for a special license plate honoring veterans of wartime service in the armed forces of the United States; to provide for purposes, design, applications, fees, issuance, revenues, renewals, and transfers; to provide for related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

Article 3 of Chapter 2 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to prestige license plates and special plates for certain persons and vehicles, is amended by adding a new Code Section 40-2-85.3, immediately following Code Section 40-2-85.2, relating to distinctive license plates for veterans of the Chosin Reservoir Campaign of 1950, to read as follows:

"40-2-85.3.

(a)(1) Motor vehicle owners who are veterans that served in country in a combat zone as members of the armed forces of the United States during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, or during other wartime periods, shall be eligible to receive special and distinctive vehicle license plates for private passenger cars, trucks, or recreational vehicles used for personal transportation. Such license plates shall be issued in compliance with the state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles as prescribed in Article 2 of this chapter.

(2)(A) Motor vehicle owners who meet the criteria in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this Code section as veterans of wartime service shall be issued a wartime service veterańs license plate upon application for and upon compliance with the state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles. One such license plate shall be issued without the requisite registration fee, manufacturing fee, or annual registration fee.

(B) Each wartime service veteran shall be entitled to no more than one such free license plate at a time; provided, however, that upon payment of a manufacturing fee of $25.00, a wartime service veteran shall be entitled to one additional such license plate. For each additional license plate for which a $25.00 manufacturing fee is required, there shall be an additional annual registration fee of $25.00 which fee shall be collected by the county tag agent at the time of collection of other registration fees and shall be remitted to the state as provided in Code Section 40-2-34.

(b) The commissioner shall design a wartime service veterańs license plate to commemorate service in the United States armed forces under the criteria listed in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this Code section. The commissioner shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to enforce compliance with all state license laws relating to the use and operation of private passenger cars and trucks before issuing these license plates in lieu of the regular Georgia license plates. The commissioner is specifically authorized to promulgate all rules and regulations necessary to ensure compliance in instances where such vehicles have been transferred or sold. Except as provided in subsection (d) of this Code section, such plates shall be nontransferable.

(c) The special and distinctive vehicle license plates shall be as prescribed in Article 2 of this chapter for private passenger cars or trucks used for personal transportation. Such plates shall contain such words or symbols, in addition to the numbers and letters prescribed by law, so as to identify distinctively the owners as wartime service veterans of the armed forces of the United States who meet the criteria set out in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this Code section, and shall, additionally, identify distinctively the owner as a wartime service veteran of one of the following branches of the armed forces: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard.

(d) The license plate issued pursuant to this Code section shall be transferred between vehicles as provided in Code Section 40-2-80. The spouse of a deceased wartime service veteran of the armed forces of the United States shall continue to be eligible to be issued a distinctive personalized license plate as provided in this Code section for any vehicle owned by such veteran if ownership of the vehicle is transferred to the surviving spouse or for any other vehicle owned by such surviving spouse either at the time of the qualifying veterańs death or acquired thereafter, so long as such spouse does not remarry.

(e) Special license plates issued under this Code section, except as provided in subparagraph (a)(2)(A) of this Code section, shall be renewed annually with a revalidation decal as provided in Code Section 40-2-31 upon payment of an additional $25.00 annual registration fee which fee shall be collected by the county tag agent at the time of collection of other registration fees and remitted to the state as provided in Code Section 40-2-34. It shall be a requirement that a county name decal shall be affixed and displayed on license plates issued under this Code section."

SECTION 2.

This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2007.

SECTION 3.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.