Amended IN Senate March 22, 2018 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 1357Introduced by Senator GainesFebruary 16, 2018 An act to amend Sections 5069 and 5156 of, and to add Section 5068.5 to, add Section 5068.2 to the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSB 1357, as amended, Gaines. 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 departments 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.Existing law also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the department to sponsor a veterans specialized license plate program, as specified, subject to receiving 7,500 applications within a 12-month period, as specified.This bill would authorize a veterans organization to participate in a special interest license plate program to provide special interest license plates to veterans of the United States Armed Forces. The bill would prohibit an applicant from being issued a special interest license plate 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 departments costs, be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund. The bill would repeal the provision that requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the department for a veterans specialized license plate program.This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to adopt, and the Department of Motor Vehicles to implement, 2 descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design for specialized plates for veterans, which would consist of Honoring Veterans and Veteran. The bill would only authorize the Veteran message to be issued to an applicant who provides documentation of his or her service in the Armed Forces or California National Guard, as specified. The bill would require the departments to establish a process for determining that eligibility.Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill TextThe people of the State of California do enact as follows:SECTION 1. Section 5068.2 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:5068.2. (a) In order to differentiate between an applicant who is a member of the general public or who is an actual veteran, no later than July 1, 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall adopt, and the department shall implement, two descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design described in subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(1) The first descriptive message shall be Honoring Veterans and plates with this message shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(2) The second descriptive message shall be Veteran and shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068 who also provides documentation of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States or of a minimum of 180 days of honorable service in the California National Guard.(b) The department, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a process by which eligible applicants may document their eligibility as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).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 requirements 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 interest license plate pursuant to Section 5068 on or before January 1, 2019, shall be issued a special interest 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 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.SEC. 3.Section 5156 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:5156.(a)(1)A state agency may apply to the department to sponsor a specialized license plate program, and the department shall issue specialized license plates for that program, if the agency complies with all of the requirements of this article.(2)The department shall not issue specialized license plates to a state agency for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.(b)Except as provided in subdivision (d), the department shall not establish a specialized license plate program for an agency until the department has received not less than 7,500 applications for that agencys specialized license plates. The agency shall collect and hold applications for the plates. Once the agency has received at least 7,500 applications, it shall submit the applications, along with the necessary fees, to the department. The department shall not issue a specialized license plate until the agency has received and submitted to the department not less than 7,500 applications for that particular specialized license plate within the time period prescribed in this section. Advance payment to the department by the agency representing the departments estimated or actual administrative costs associated with the issuance of a particular specialized license plate shall not constitute compliance with this requirement. The agency shall have 12 months, following the date of approval of the agencys initial application to sponsor a specialized license plate program, to receive the required number of applications. If, after that 12 months, 7,500 applications have not been received, the agency shall immediately do either of the following:(1)Refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been collected.(2)Contact the department to indicate the agencys intent to undertake collection of additional applications and fees or deposits for an additional period, not to exceed 12 months, in order to obtain the minimum 7,500 applications. If the agency elects to exercise the option under this subparagraph, it shall contact each applicant who has submitted an application with the appropriate fees or deposits to determine if the applicant wishes a refund of fees or deposits or requests the continuance of the holding of the application and fees or deposits until that time that the agency has received 7,500 applications. The agency shall refund the fees or deposits to an applicant so requesting. The agency shall not collect and hold applications for a period exceeding 24 months following the date of approval of the agencys initial application to sponsor a specialized license plate program.(c)(1)If the number of outstanding and valid specialized license plates in a particular program, except as provided in subdivision (d), provided for in this article is less than 7,500, the department shall notify the sponsoring agency of that fact and shall inform the agency that if that number is less than 7,500 one year from the date of that notification, the department will no longer issue or replace those specialized license plates.(2)Those particular specialized license plates that were issued prior to the discontinuation provided by paragraph (1) may continue to be used and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and may be renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.(d)(1)The Department of Veterans Affairs may sponsor a Gold Star Family specialized license plate program and the department may establish this specialized license plate program in the absence of 7,500 paid applications as provided in subdivision (d) of Section 5157.(2)The Department of Veterans Affairs shall, upon receiving proof of eligibility from an applicant, authorize the department to issue Gold Star Family specialized license plates for a vehicle owned by an eligible family member of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who was killed in the line of duty while on active duty during wartime service, or during an international terrorist attack that has been recognized by the United States Secretary of Defense as an attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, or during military operations while serving outside the United States, including commonwealths, territories, and possessions of the United States, or as part of a peacekeeping force, which includes personnel assigned to a force engaged in a peacekeeping operation authorized by the United Nations Security Council. An eligible family member is defined as all of the following:(A)A person who is otherwise eligible under this article to register a motor vehicle.(B)A person who shows proof from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense that the member who was in the Armed Forces of the United States was killed in the line of duty while on active duty in the military.(C)A person who bears, and shows proof satisfactory to the Department of Veterans Affairs of, one of the following relationships to the member of the Armed Forces killed in the line of duty while serving on active duty:(i)Widow.(ii)Widower.(iii)Biological parent.(iv)Adoptive parent.(v)Stepparent.(vi)Foster parent in loco parentis.(vii)Biological child.(viii)Adoptive child.(ix)Stepchild.(x)Sibling.(xi)Half-sibling.(xii)Grandparent.(xiii)Grandchild.(3)Upon the death of a person issued a Gold Star Family specialized license plate, the license plate shall be transferred to the surviving spouse, if he or she requests, or shall be returned to the department within 60 days after the death of the plateholder or upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs first.
Amended IN Senate March 22, 2018 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 1357Introduced by Senator GainesFebruary 16, 2018 An act to amend Sections 5069 and 5156 of, and to add Section 5068.5 to, add Section 5068.2 to the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSB 1357, as amended, Gaines. 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 departments 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.Existing law also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the department to sponsor a veterans specialized license plate program, as specified, subject to receiving 7,500 applications within a 12-month period, as specified.This bill would authorize a veterans organization to participate in a special interest license plate program to provide special interest license plates to veterans of the United States Armed Forces. The bill would prohibit an applicant from being issued a special interest license plate 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 departments costs, be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund. The bill would repeal the provision that requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the department for a veterans specialized license plate program.This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to adopt, and the Department of Motor Vehicles to implement, 2 descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design for specialized plates for veterans, which would consist of Honoring Veterans and Veteran. The bill would only authorize the Veteran message to be issued to an applicant who provides documentation of his or her service in the Armed Forces or California National Guard, as specified. The bill would require the departments to establish a process for determining that eligibility.Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO
Amended IN Senate March 22, 2018
Amended IN Senate March 22, 2018
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill No. 1357
Introduced by Senator GainesFebruary 16, 2018
Introduced by Senator Gaines
February 16, 2018
An act to amend Sections 5069 and 5156 of, and to add Section 5068.5 to, add Section 5068.2 to the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1357, as amended, Gaines. 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 departments 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.Existing law also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the department to sponsor a veterans specialized license plate program, as specified, subject to receiving 7,500 applications within a 12-month period, as specified.This bill would authorize a veterans organization to participate in a special interest license plate program to provide special interest license plates to veterans of the United States Armed Forces. The bill would prohibit an applicant from being issued a special interest license plate 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 departments costs, be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund. The bill would repeal the provision that requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the department for a veterans specialized license plate program.This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to adopt, and the Department of Motor Vehicles to implement, 2 descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design for specialized plates for veterans, which would consist of Honoring Veterans and Veteran. The bill would only authorize the Veteran message to be issued to an applicant who provides documentation of his or her service in the Armed Forces or California National Guard, as specified. The bill would require the departments to establish a process for determining that eligibility.
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 departments 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.
Existing law also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the department to sponsor a veterans specialized license plate program, as specified, subject to receiving 7,500 applications within a 12-month period, as specified.
This bill would authorize a veterans organization to participate in a special interest license plate program to provide special interest license plates to veterans of the United States Armed Forces. The bill would prohibit an applicant from being issued a special interest license plate 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 departments costs, be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund. The bill would repeal the provision that requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the department for a veterans specialized license plate program.
This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to adopt, and the Department of Motor Vehicles to implement, 2 descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design for specialized plates for veterans, which would consist of Honoring Veterans and Veteran. The bill would only authorize the Veteran message to be issued to an applicant who provides documentation of his or her service in the Armed Forces or California National Guard, as specified. The bill would require the departments to establish a process for determining that eligibility.
## Digest Key
## Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:SECTION 1. Section 5068.2 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:5068.2. (a) In order to differentiate between an applicant who is a member of the general public or who is an actual veteran, no later than July 1, 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall adopt, and the department shall implement, two descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design described in subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(1) The first descriptive message shall be Honoring Veterans and plates with this message shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(2) The second descriptive message shall be Veteran and shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068 who also provides documentation of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States or of a minimum of 180 days of honorable service in the California National Guard.(b) The department, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a process by which eligible applicants may document their eligibility as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).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 requirements 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 interest license plate pursuant to Section 5068 on or before January 1, 2019, shall be issued a special interest 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 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.SEC. 3.Section 5156 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:5156.(a)(1)A state agency may apply to the department to sponsor a specialized license plate program, and the department shall issue specialized license plates for that program, if the agency complies with all of the requirements of this article.(2)The department shall not issue specialized license plates to a state agency for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.(b)Except as provided in subdivision (d), the department shall not establish a specialized license plate program for an agency until the department has received not less than 7,500 applications for that agencys specialized license plates. The agency shall collect and hold applications for the plates. Once the agency has received at least 7,500 applications, it shall submit the applications, along with the necessary fees, to the department. The department shall not issue a specialized license plate until the agency has received and submitted to the department not less than 7,500 applications for that particular specialized license plate within the time period prescribed in this section. Advance payment to the department by the agency representing the departments estimated or actual administrative costs associated with the issuance of a particular specialized license plate shall not constitute compliance with this requirement. The agency shall have 12 months, following the date of approval of the agencys initial application to sponsor a specialized license plate program, to receive the required number of applications. If, after that 12 months, 7,500 applications have not been received, the agency shall immediately do either of the following:(1)Refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been collected.(2)Contact the department to indicate the agencys intent to undertake collection of additional applications and fees or deposits for an additional period, not to exceed 12 months, in order to obtain the minimum 7,500 applications. If the agency elects to exercise the option under this subparagraph, it shall contact each applicant who has submitted an application with the appropriate fees or deposits to determine if the applicant wishes a refund of fees or deposits or requests the continuance of the holding of the application and fees or deposits until that time that the agency has received 7,500 applications. The agency shall refund the fees or deposits to an applicant so requesting. The agency shall not collect and hold applications for a period exceeding 24 months following the date of approval of the agencys initial application to sponsor a specialized license plate program.(c)(1)If the number of outstanding and valid specialized license plates in a particular program, except as provided in subdivision (d), provided for in this article is less than 7,500, the department shall notify the sponsoring agency of that fact and shall inform the agency that if that number is less than 7,500 one year from the date of that notification, the department will no longer issue or replace those specialized license plates.(2)Those particular specialized license plates that were issued prior to the discontinuation provided by paragraph (1) may continue to be used and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and may be renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.(d)(1)The Department of Veterans Affairs may sponsor a Gold Star Family specialized license plate program and the department may establish this specialized license plate program in the absence of 7,500 paid applications as provided in subdivision (d) of Section 5157.(2)The Department of Veterans Affairs shall, upon receiving proof of eligibility from an applicant, authorize the department to issue Gold Star Family specialized license plates for a vehicle owned by an eligible family member of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who was killed in the line of duty while on active duty during wartime service, or during an international terrorist attack that has been recognized by the United States Secretary of Defense as an attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, or during military operations while serving outside the United States, including commonwealths, territories, and possessions of the United States, or as part of a peacekeeping force, which includes personnel assigned to a force engaged in a peacekeeping operation authorized by the United Nations Security Council. An eligible family member is defined as all of the following:(A)A person who is otherwise eligible under this article to register a motor vehicle.(B)A person who shows proof from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense that the member who was in the Armed Forces of the United States was killed in the line of duty while on active duty in the military.(C)A person who bears, and shows proof satisfactory to the Department of Veterans Affairs of, one of the following relationships to the member of the Armed Forces killed in the line of duty while serving on active duty:(i)Widow.(ii)Widower.(iii)Biological parent.(iv)Adoptive parent.(v)Stepparent.(vi)Foster parent in loco parentis.(vii)Biological child.(viii)Adoptive child.(ix)Stepchild.(x)Sibling.(xi)Half-sibling.(xii)Grandparent.(xiii)Grandchild.(3)Upon the death of a person issued a Gold Star Family specialized license plate, the license plate shall be transferred to the surviving spouse, if he or she requests, or shall be returned to the department within 60 days after the death of the plateholder or upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs first.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
## The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 5068.2 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:5068.2. (a) In order to differentiate between an applicant who is a member of the general public or who is an actual veteran, no later than July 1, 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall adopt, and the department shall implement, two descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design described in subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(1) The first descriptive message shall be Honoring Veterans and plates with this message shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(2) The second descriptive message shall be Veteran and shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068 who also provides documentation of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States or of a minimum of 180 days of honorable service in the California National Guard.(b) The department, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a process by which eligible applicants may document their eligibility as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
SECTION 1. Section 5068.2 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
### SECTION 1.
5068.2. (a) In order to differentiate between an applicant who is a member of the general public or who is an actual veteran, no later than July 1, 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall adopt, and the department shall implement, two descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design described in subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(1) The first descriptive message shall be Honoring Veterans and plates with this message shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(2) The second descriptive message shall be Veteran and shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068 who also provides documentation of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States or of a minimum of 180 days of honorable service in the California National Guard.(b) The department, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a process by which eligible applicants may document their eligibility as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
5068.2. (a) In order to differentiate between an applicant who is a member of the general public or who is an actual veteran, no later than July 1, 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall adopt, and the department shall implement, two descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design described in subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(1) The first descriptive message shall be Honoring Veterans and plates with this message shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(2) The second descriptive message shall be Veteran and shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068 who also provides documentation of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States or of a minimum of 180 days of honorable service in the California National Guard.(b) The department, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a process by which eligible applicants may document their eligibility as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
5068.2. (a) In order to differentiate between an applicant who is a member of the general public or who is an actual veteran, no later than July 1, 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall adopt, and the department shall implement, two descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design described in subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(1) The first descriptive message shall be Honoring Veterans and plates with this message shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068.(2) The second descriptive message shall be Veteran and shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068 who also provides documentation of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States or of a minimum of 180 days of honorable service in the California National Guard.(b) The department, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a process by which eligible applicants may document their eligibility as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
5068.2. (a) In order to differentiate between an applicant who is a member of the general public or who is an actual veteran, no later than July 1, 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall adopt, and the department shall implement, two descriptive messages as part of the distinctive design described in subdivision (a) of Section 5068.
(1) The first descriptive message shall be Honoring Veterans and plates with this message shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068.
(2) The second descriptive message shall be Veteran and shall be issued to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068 who also provides documentation of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States or of a minimum of 180 days of honorable service in the California National Guard.
(b) The department, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a process by which eligible applicants may document their eligibility as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
(a)(1)A veterans organization that meets the minimum application requirements 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 interest license plate pursuant to Section 5068 on or before January 1, 2019, shall be issued a special interest 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).
Revenue derived from the additional special fees provided in 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.
(a)(1)A state agency may apply to the department to sponsor a specialized license plate program, and the department shall issue specialized license plates for that program, if the agency complies with all of the requirements of this article.
(2)The department shall not issue specialized license plates to a state agency for a vehicle that is exempt from the payment of registration fees pursuant to Section 9101 or 9103.
(b)Except as provided in subdivision (d), the department shall not establish a specialized license plate program for an agency until the department has received not less than 7,500 applications for that agencys specialized license plates. The agency shall collect and hold applications for the plates. Once the agency has received at least 7,500 applications, it shall submit the applications, along with the necessary fees, to the department. The department shall not issue a specialized license plate until the agency has received and submitted to the department not less than 7,500 applications for that particular specialized license plate within the time period prescribed in this section. Advance payment to the department by the agency representing the departments estimated or actual administrative costs associated with the issuance of a particular specialized license plate shall not constitute compliance with this requirement. The agency shall have 12 months, following the date of approval of the agencys initial application to sponsor a specialized license plate program, to receive the required number of applications. If, after that 12 months, 7,500 applications have not been received, the agency shall immediately do either of the following:
(1)Refund to all applicants all fees or deposits that have been collected.
(2)Contact the department to indicate the agencys intent to undertake collection of additional applications and fees or deposits for an additional period, not to exceed 12 months, in order to obtain the minimum 7,500 applications. If the agency elects to exercise the option under this subparagraph, it shall contact each applicant who has submitted an application with the appropriate fees or deposits to determine if the applicant wishes a refund of fees or deposits or requests the continuance of the holding of the application and fees or deposits until that time that the agency has received 7,500 applications. The agency shall refund the fees or deposits to an applicant so requesting. The agency shall not collect and hold applications for a period exceeding 24 months following the date of approval of the agencys initial application to sponsor a specialized license plate program.
(c)(1)If the number of outstanding and valid specialized license plates in a particular program, except as provided in subdivision (d), provided for in this article is less than 7,500, the department shall notify the sponsoring agency of that fact and shall inform the agency that if that number is less than 7,500 one year from the date of that notification, the department will no longer issue or replace those specialized license plates.
(2)Those particular specialized license plates that were issued prior to the discontinuation provided by paragraph (1) may continue to be used and attached to the vehicle for which they were issued and may be renewed, retained, or transferred pursuant to this code.
(d)(1)The Department of Veterans Affairs may sponsor a Gold Star Family specialized license plate program and the department may establish this specialized license plate program in the absence of 7,500 paid applications as provided in subdivision (d) of Section 5157.
(2)The Department of Veterans Affairs shall, upon receiving proof of eligibility from an applicant, authorize the department to issue Gold Star Family specialized license plates for a vehicle owned by an eligible family member of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who was killed in the line of duty while on active duty during wartime service, or during an international terrorist attack that has been recognized by the United States Secretary of Defense as an attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, or during military operations while serving outside the United States, including commonwealths, territories, and possessions of the United States, or as part of a peacekeeping force, which includes personnel assigned to a force engaged in a peacekeeping operation authorized by the United Nations Security Council. An eligible family member is defined as all of the following:
(A)A person who is otherwise eligible under this article to register a motor vehicle.
(B)A person who shows proof from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense that the member who was in the Armed Forces of the United States was killed in the line of duty while on active duty in the military.
(C)A person who bears, and shows proof satisfactory to the Department of Veterans Affairs of, one of the following relationships to the member of the Armed Forces killed in the line of duty while serving on active duty:
(i)Widow.
(ii)Widower.
(iii)Biological parent.
(iv)Adoptive parent.
(v)Stepparent.
(vi)Foster parent in loco parentis.
(vii)Biological child.
(viii)Adoptive child.
(ix)Stepchild.
(x)Sibling.
(xi)Half-sibling.
(xii)Grandparent.
(xiii)Grandchild.
(3)Upon the death of a person issued a Gold Star Family specialized license plate, the license plate shall be transferred to the surviving spouse, if he or she requests, or shall be returned to the department within 60 days after the death of the plateholder or upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs first.