Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HB554 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	HB554INTRODUCED
2	2	Page 0
3	3	HB554
4	4	DG7YEHT-1
5	5	By Representative Givens
6	6	RFD: Military and Veterans Affairs
7	7	First Read: 09-Apr-25
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12	12	5 DG7YEHT-1 04/07/2025 TRP (L)bm 2025-1364
13	13	Page 1
14	14	First Read: 09-Apr-25
15	15	SYNOPSIS:
16	16	This bill would establish a distinctive license
17	17	plate for military combat action and would establish
18	18	eligibility for individuals who participated in active
19	19	duty combat action while serving in the United States
20	20	Armed Forces, and received a combat medal or combat
21	21	badge.
22	22	This bill would also provide a criminal penalty
23	23	for anyone who falsely obtains a distinctive military
24	24	combat action special license plate.
25	25	A BILL
26	26	TO BE ENTITLED
27	27	AN ACT
28	28	Relating to motor vehicle registrations and license
29	29	plates; to add Section 32-6-354 to the Code of Alabama 1975,
30	30	to establish a combat action special license plate; and to
31	31	provide a criminal penalty for falsely obtaining a military
32	32	combat action special license plate.
33	33	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
34	34	Section 1. Section 32-6-354 is added to the Code of
35	35	Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
36	36	§32-6-354
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64	64	28 HB554 INTRODUCED
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66	66	§32-6-354
67	67	(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the
68	68	contrary, a distinctive license plate category shall be
69	69	established for motor vehicle owners who served in a component
70	70	of the United States Armed Forces and received the Combat
71	71	Action Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Combat Action Badge,
72	72	Combat Medical Badge, Combat Action Medal, or Air Force Combat
73	73	Action Medal. The distinctive license plates shall be issued,
74	74	printed, and processed in the same manner as other distinctive
75	75	tags as provided in this chapter. The eligible U.S. service
76	76	member shall make application to the judge of probate or other
77	77	county license plate issuing official in his or her county of
78	78	residence and shall present to the county license plate
79	79	issuing official one of the following documents, medals, or
80	80	awards as proof of eligibility:
81	81	(1) A DD Form 214 stating that the service member
82	82	served in a combat theater and received awards or ribbons that
83	83	indicate combat experience.
84	84	(2) A copy of the certificate which accompanied the
85	85	service medal or ribbon signifying the participation of the
86	86	service member in the combat action.
87	87	(3) The combat action ribbon, combat infantry badge,
88	88	combat action badge, combat medical badge, combat action
89	89	medal, or air force combat action medal.
90	90	(b) When the service member presents satisfactory proof
91	91	to the county license plate issuing official of his or her
92	92	combat experience, the service member shall be issued the
93	93	requested number of distinctive license plates upon the
94	94	payment of the regular license fee for the plates, as provided
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122	122	56 HB554 INTRODUCED
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124	124	payment of the regular license fee for the plates, as provided
125	125	by law, and payment of the additional fee of three dollars
126	126	($3) for each plate issued. The service member shall pay the
127	127	additional fee for each license plate issued thereafter. In
128	128	those years in which the decal is issued, the service member
129	129	shall pay the regular license fee for tags as provided by law.
130	130	The distinctive license plates shall be used only upon and for
131	131	personally owned, private passenger vehicles, to include
132	132	station wagons and pickup trucks, registered in the name of
133	133	the service member making application, and when issued to the
134	134	applicant shall be used upon the vehicle for which issued in
135	135	lieu of the standard license plates normally issued for the
136	136	vehicle. The distinctive license plate authorized by this
137	137	section shall be as follows:
138	138	(1) Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) designated by either:
139	139	a. USMC (EGA) emblem, "Emblem of the United States
140	140	Marine Corps";
141	141	b. United States Navy, "Emblem of the United States
142	142	Navy"; or
143	143	c. Coast Guard, "Seal of the United States Coast
144	144	Guard."
145	145	(2) Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) designated with the
146	146	U.S. Army service mark, "Army Military service mark."
147	147	(3) Combat Action Badge (CAB) designated with the U.S.
148	148	Army service mark, "Army Military service mark," or vis-a-vis
149	149	the alternate, "Combat Medical Badge" (CMB).
150	150	(4) Air Force Combat Action Medal (CAM), United States
151	151	Space Force Combat Action Medal (CAM) designated by either:
152	152	a. U.S. Air Force (USAF), "Emblem of the United States
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180	180	84 HB554 INTRODUCED
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182	182	a. U.S. Air Force (USAF), "Emblem of the United States
183	183	Air Force"; or
184	184	b. U.S. Space Force Delta logo, "U.S. Space Force."
185	185	(c) The designation will be placed to the left of the
186	186	plate identification number space and underneath the proper
187	187	branch insignia logo for each respective award or medal.
188	188	(d) The plate shall indicate in bold print at the
189	189	center bottom of the plate space under the numbering in bright
190	190	white, "COMBAT VETERAN."
191	191	(e) This section does not disqualify disabled veterans
192	192	who are eligible under the current guidelines to have the
193	193	letters "DV" placed under the combat insignia in smaller
194	194	print.
195	195	(f) The distinctive plate may not be personalized.
196	196	(g) The distinctive license plate shall not be
197	197	transferred between motor vehicle owners and shall be subject
198	198	to the same provisions of law related to the transferring of
199	199	distinctive motor vehicle license plates provided in Section
200	200	32-6-154 or as otherwise provided by law or rule of the
201	201	Department of Revenue.
202	202	(h) Any individual who is proven to have falsely
203	203	obtained or falsely certified an individual to obtain a combat
204	204	action distinctive license plate issued under this section
205	205	shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.
206	206	(i) The Department of Revenue may adopt rules to
207	207	administer this section.
208	208	Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
209	209	1, 2025.
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