2023 -- S 0436
========
LC001809
========
S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
____________
A N A C T
RELATING TO MOTOR AN D OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES
Introduced By: Senators Felag, DiPalma, Lawson, Raptakis, Lauria, Murray, and
Valverde
Date Introduced: February 16, 2023
Referred To: Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Sections 31-3-46 and 31-3-62 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-3 entitled 1
"Registration of Vehicles" are hereby amended to read as follows: 2
31-3-46. P.O.W. plates. 3
The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue plates designated as “Ex-4
P.O.W.” upon application on proper forms furnished by the administrator of the division of motor 5
vehicles to former prisoners of war (P.O.W.) of World Wars I and II, the Korean conflict, and 6
Vietnam conflict. The plates may be issued for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an 7
automobile, or a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs) 8
twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs) or less. The applicant shall not be required to pay a registration 9
fee or service charge for the plate. Upon the death of the holder of any P.O.W. plates, the plates 10
shall be transferred to his or her surviving spouse for the spouse’s lifetime until he or she remarries. 11
31-3-62. National guard plates. 12
(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered and authorized to 13
make available to all active and retired members of the Rhode Island army and air national guard a 14
special motor vehicle registration plate for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an 15
automobile or a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of eight thousand-five hundred pounds 16
(8,500 lbs.) twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs) or less. 17
(b) The special motor vehicle registration plate shall carry on it the designation “National 18
Guard” and shall also carry on it an emblem on the left-hand side of the plate to be designed and 19
LC001809 - Page 2 of 4
provided by the office of the adjutant general, with the numerals to the right of it. 1
(c) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles shall issue the plate upon the 2
payment of a service charge of twenty dollars ($20.00) and a transfer charge of five dollars ($5.00) 3
for the plate. All revenues shall be deposited as general revenues. 4
(d) For the purposes of this section an active or retired member of the Rhode Island army 5
and air national guard shall be defined as any person certified by the adjutant general as currently 6
serving or having retired under honorable conditions in either the Rhode Island army or air national 7
guard. 8
(e) In a state of emergency, any active member of the army or air national guard driving a 9
vehicle bearing the special motor vehicle registration plate shall be authorized and empowered to 10
travel upon the highways of the state notwithstanding any driving ban imposed by any state or 11
municipal authority. 12
SECTION 2. Section 31-6-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-6 entitled "Registration 13
Fees" is hereby amended to read as follows: 14
31-6-8. Disabled veterans. 15
(a) Any veteran who has been honorably discharged from the service of the armed forces 16
or the merchant marine of the United States in any of the wars or campaigns in which the United 17
States has been engaged and who, while engaged in these wars or campaigns or as a result of 18
engagement in these wars or campaigns, by reason of amputation, has lost one or both of his or her 19
arms, hands, feet, or legs, or who, by reason of other permanent injury, has lost the use of one or 20
both of his or her arms, hands, feet, or legs, or to whom has been granted a motor vehicle under 21
chapter 870-2D, United States Public Laws 663, enacted 1946, 79th Congress, or has suitable 22
documentation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to establish that the veteran: 23
(1) Has a combined service connected disability rating of one hundred percent (100%); or 24
(2) Is considered “individually unemployable” due to his or her service-connected 25
disability, shall be exempt from the payment of any fee for the annual registration of and a license 26
to operate that motor vehicle. 27
(b) The administrator for the division of motor vehicles shall issue to an eligible veteran 28
for use on an automobile, or on a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of six thousand three 29
hundred pounds (6,300 lbs.) twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs) or less, registration plates 30
designated “Disabled Veteran.” Upon the death of the holder of “Disabled Veteran” plates, the 31
plates may be transferred to his or her surviving spouse for his or her lifetime or until he or she 32
remarries. Only one set of “Disabled Veteran” plates shall be issued to an eligible veteran and only 33
after certification of eligibility from the Veterans’ Administration or other satisfactory 34
LC001809 - Page 3 of 4
documentation of eligibility is presented. 1
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect six (6) months after passage. 2
========
LC001809
========
LC001809 - Page 4 of 4
EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO MOTOR AN D OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES
***
This act would unify the weight limit of vehicles with special plates, including P.O.W. 1
plates, National Guard plates, and disabled veteran plates, to 12,000 pounds. 2
This act would take effect six (6) months after passage. 3
========
LC001809
========