California Assembly Bill AB244 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 244INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Bonilla FEBRUARY 6, 2013 An act to amend Section 5069 of, and to add Section 5068.5 to, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 244, as introduced, Bonilla. Vehicles: license plates: veterans. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue special license plates under a special interest license plate program, as specified, and authorizes organizations, including veterans' organizations, to participate in that program. Existing law authorizes any person who is the registered owner or lessee of a vehicle to apply for a special interest license plate that has a distinctive design or decal that honors all veterans or veterans who served in a particular war or armed conflict. Under existing law, these special interest license plates are subject to fees for issuance, renewal, or personalization that are additional to those required for nonspecialized license plates. Existing law requires that the revenue from those additional fees, less the department's costs, be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund, and further requires that money in the Veterans Service Office Fund be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Veterans Affairs for allocation and disbursement to counties for the operation of county veterans service offices. This bill would additionally authorize a veterans' organization to participate in a special interest license plate program to provide special license plates to veterans of the United States Armed Forces. The bill would prohibit an applicant from being issued these special license plates unless he or she establishes, by satisfactory proof, that he or she is a veteran, except as specified. The bill would require that these special interest license plates be subject to the additional fees described above, and that the revenue from those additional fees, less the department's costs, be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 5068.5 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read: 5068.5. (a) (1) A veterans' organization that meets the minimum application requirement specified in subdivision (d) of Section 5060 by applying either individually or with other veterans' organizations shall be issued a license plate bearing a distinctive design or decal approved under subdivision (a) of Section 5060. (2) Special interest license plates issued under this section may be issued in a combination of numbers or letters, or both, requested by the owner or lessee of the vehicle, to be displayed in addition to the design or decal authorized under paragraph (1), subject to Section 5105. (b) (1) The special interest license plates described in this section shall be issued only to veterans of the United States Armed Forces. An applicant shall not be issued a special interest license plate unless he or she establishes, by satisfactory proof, that he or she is a veteran. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a veteran who was issued a special license plate pursuant to Section 5068 on or before January 1, 2012, shall be issued a special license plate under this section without providing proof of his or her veteran status. (c) In addition to the regular fees for an original registration, a renewal of registration, or a transfer of registration, the following fees shall be paid by individuals applying for a special interest license plate or a decal issued under this section: (1) Fifty dollars ($50) for the initial issuance of the plates and decals. The plates shall be permanent and shall not be required to be replaced. (2) Forty dollars ($40) for each renewal of registration that includes the continued display of the plates or decals. (3) Fifteen dollars ($15) for transfer of the plates to another vehicle. (4) Thirty-five dollars ($35) for replacement plates, if they become damaged or unserviceable. (5) Ten dollars ($10) for replacement decals, if they become damaged or unserviceable. (6) Seventy-eight dollars ($78) for the personalization of the plates, as authorized under paragraph (2) of subdivision (a). SEC. 2. Section 5069 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 5069. Revenue derived from the additional special fees provided in  Section   Sections  5068  and 5068.5  , less costs incurred by the department pursuant to this article, shall be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund, created by Section 972.2 of the Military and Veterans Code.