HLS 22RS-173 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 191
BY REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES OWEN AND SENATOR CATHEY
MTR VEHICLE/LICEN PLATES: Creates military honor license plates
1 AN ACT
2To enact R.S. 47:490.34 through 490.37, relative to military honor license plates; to provide
3 for the establishment of a military honor license plate for recipients of the
4 Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and
5 Legion of Merit awards; to provide for the creation, issuance, fees, distribution, and
6 rule promulgation applicable to design of such plates; and to provide for related
7 matters.
8Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 47:490.34 through 490.37 are hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §490.34. Military honor license plates; "Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient"
11 A. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall
12 establish a military honor license plate to be known as the "Distinguished Flying
13 Cross Recipient" plate.
14 B. Upon application of a "Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient", the
15 secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall issue a military
16 honor license plate to be used in lieu of a regular motor vehicle registration plate.
17 The license plate shall be restricted to use on passenger cars, pickup trucks,
18 recreational vehicles, motorcycles, and vans. The "Distinguished Flying Cross
19 Recipient" plate shall bear a likeness of the award centered on the left side of the
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HB NO. 191
1 license plate and the words "Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient" centered on the
2 bottom of the plate under the license plate number.
3 C. The charge for the license plate shall be the standard motor vehicle
4 license tax imposed by Article VII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana as
5 provided in R.S. 47:463, and a handling fee of three dollars and fifty cents for each
6 plate to be retained by the department to offset a portion of administrative costs.
7 D. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the
8 provisions of this Section, including but not limited to rules governing the transfer
9 of license plates from one vehicle to another and the disposition of such license
10 plates.
11 E.(1) Any applicant who qualifies for the military honor license plate
12 authorized by this Section may be issued a license plate for each vehicle registered
13 in the applicant's name.
14 (2) Except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, each military honor
15 license plate issued pursuant to this Section shall be returned to the secretary upon
16 the death of the person to whom the license plate was issued. A surviving spouse of
17 a person to whom a license plate was issued pursuant to this Section may retain a
18 license plate issued pursuant to this Section provided the surviving spouse has not
19 remarried and provided the surviving spouse applies to the secretary for a transfer
20 of the license plate to the surviving spouse. A military honor license plate
21 transferred pursuant to this Paragraph to a surviving spouse shall be returned to the
22 secretary upon the death or remarriage of the surviving spouse.
23 §490.35. Military honor license plates; "Air Medal" recipients
24 A. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall
25 establish a military honor license plate to be known as the "Air Medal" plate.
26 B. Upon application of an "Air Medal" recipient, the secretary of the
27 Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall issue a military honor license
28 plate to be used in lieu of a regular motor vehicle registration plate. The license plate
29 shall be restricted to use on passenger cars, pickup trucks, recreational vehicles,
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HB NO. 191
1 motorcycles, and vans. The military honor license plate shall be known as the "Air
2 Medal" license plate and shall bear a likeness of the award centered on the left side
3 of the license plate and the words "Air Medal" centered on the bottom of the plate
4 under the license plate number.
5 C. The charge for the license plate shall be the standard motor vehicle
6 license tax imposed by Article VII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana as
7 provided in R.S. 47:463, and a handling fee of three dollars and fifty cents for each
8 plate to be retained by the department to offset a portion of administrative costs.
9 D. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the
10 provisions of this Section, including but not limited to rules governing the transfer
11 of license plates from one vehicle to another and the disposition of such license
12 plates.
13 E.(1) Any applicant who qualifies for the military honor license plate
14 authorized by this Section may be issued a license plate for each vehicle registered
15 in the applicant's name.
16 (2) Except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, each military honor
17 license plate issued pursuant to this Section shall be returned to the secretary upon
18 the death of the person to whom the license plate was issued. A surviving spouse of
19 a person to whom a license plate was issued pursuant to this Section may retain a
20 license plate issued pursuant to this Section provided the surviving spouse has not
21 remarried and provided the surviving spouse applies to the secretary for a transfer
22 of the license plate to the surviving spouse. A military honor license plate
23 transferred pursuant to this Paragraph to a surviving spouse shall be returned to the
24 secretary upon the death or remarriage of the surviving spouse.
25 §490.36. Military honor license plates; "Defense Distinguished Service Medal"
26 recipients
27 A. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall
28 establish a military honor license plate to be known as the "Defense Distinguished
29 Service Medal" plate.
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HB NO. 191
1 B. Upon application of a "Defense Distinguished Service Medal" recipient,
2 the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall issue a
3 military honor license plate to be used in lieu of a regular motor vehicle registration
4 plate. The license plate shall be restricted to use on passenger cars, pickup trucks,
5 recreational vehicles, motorcycles, and vans. The "Defense Distinguished Service
6 Medal" plate shall bear a likeness of the award centered on the left side of the license
7 plate and the words "Defense Distinguished Service Medal" centered on the bottom
8 of the plate under the license plate number.
9 C. The charge for the license plate shall be the standard motor vehicle
10 license tax imposed by Article VII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana as
11 provided in R.S. 47:463, and a handling fee of three dollars and fifty cents for each
12 plate to be retained by the department to offset a portion of administrative costs.
13 D. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the
14 provisions of this Section, including but not limited to rules governing the transfer
15 of license plates from one vehicle to another and the disposition of such license
16 plates.
17 E.(1) Any applicant who qualifies for the military honor license plate
18 authorized by this Section may be issued a license plate for each vehicle registered
19 in the applicant's name.
20 (2) Except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, each military honor
21 license plate issued pursuant to this Section shall be returned to the secretary upon
22 the death of the person to whom the license plate was issued. A surviving spouse of
23 a person to whom a license plate was issued pursuant to this Section may retain a
24 license plate issued pursuant to this Section provided the surviving spouse has not
25 remarried and provided the surviving spouse applies to the secretary for a transfer
26 of the license plate to the surviving spouse. A military honor license plate
27 transferred pursuant to this Paragraph to a surviving spouse shall be returned to the
28 secretary upon the death or remarriage of the surviving spouse.
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HB NO. 191
1 §490.37. Military honor license plates; "Legion of Merit Recipient"
2 A. The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall
3 establish a military honor license plate to be known as the "Legion of Merit
4 Recipient" plate.
5 B. Upon application of a "Legion of Merit Recipient" recipient, the secretary
6 of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall issue a military honor
7 license plate to be used in lieu of a regular motor vehicle registration plate. The
8 license plate shall be restricted to use on passenger cars, pickup trucks, recreational
9 vehicles, motorcycles, and vans. The "Legion of Merit Recipient" plate shall bear
10 a likeness of the award centered on the left side of the license plate and the words
11 "Legion of Merit Recipient" centered on the bottom of the plate under the license
12 plate number.
13 C. The charge for the license plate shall be the standard motor vehicle
14 license tax imposed by Article VII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana as
15 provided in R.S. 47:463, and a handling fee of three dollars and fifty cents for each
16 plate to be retained by the department to offset a portion of administrative costs.
17 D. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the
18 provisions of this Section, including but not limited to rules governing the transfer
19 of license plates from one vehicle to another and the disposition of such license
20 plates.
21 E.(1) Any applicant who qualifies for the military honor license plate
22 authorized by this Section may be issued a license plate for each vehicle registered
23 in the applicant's name.
24 (2) Except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, each military honor
25 license plate issued pursuant to this Section shall be returned to the secretary upon
26 the death of the person to whom the license plate was issued. A surviving spouse of
27 a person to whom a license plate was issued pursuant to this Section may retain a
28 license plate issued pursuant to this Section provided the surviving spouse has not
29 remarried and provided the surviving spouse applies to the secretary for a transfer
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HB NO. 191
1 of the license plate to the surviving spouse. A military honor license plate
2 transferred pursuant to this Paragraph to a surviving spouse shall be returned to the
3 secretary upon the death or remarriage of the surviving spouse.
4 Section 2. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of motor
5vehicles, is hereby directed to create the military honor license plate when the applicable
6statutory provisions are met and its system is updated to accommodate the creation of new
7plates.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 191 Original 2022 Regular Session Charles Owen
Abstract: Creates the "Distinguished Flying Cross", "Air Medal", "Defense Distinguished
Service Medal", and "Legion of Merit", awards specialty license plates.
Proposed law creates the "Distinguished Flying Cross", "Air Medal", "Defense
Distinguished Service Medal", and "Legion of Merit" license plates for Distinguished Flying
Cross, Air Medal, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and Legion of Merit recipients, and
provides for the use, name, fee, design, and specifications of the specialty plates.
Proposed law requires the secretary of the Dept. of Public Safety and Corrections to adopt
rules relative to the implementation of the military honor license plates, including the
transfer of the license plate to the surviving spouse and the disposition of the military honor
license plates.
Proposed law requires the office of motor vehicles to create the military honor plates
provided for in proposed law when the applicable statutory provisions are met and its system
is updated to accommodate new plates.
(Adds R.S. 47:490.34 - 490.37)
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