SB1357:v94#DOCUMENTBill Start
Amended
IN
Assembly
June 19, 2018
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Amended
IN
Assembly
June 12, 2018
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Amended
IN
Senate
May 25, 2018
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Amended
IN
Senate
April 12, 2018
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Amended
IN
Senate
March 22, 2018
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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 1357
Introduced by Senator Gaines
(Coauthor: Senator Nielsen)
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Mathis)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Salas)
|
February 16, 2018 |
An act to amend Section 5068 of, and to add Section 5068.2 to to, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles, and making an appropriation therefor. vehicles.
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 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 require, no later than November 11, 2019, 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 authorize the “Veteran” message to be issued only to an applicant who meets the eligibility standards required to have a veteran designation on his or her driver’s license or identification card, as specified. The bill would require the departments to establish a process for documenting that eligibility. The bill would require the department to issue the special interest
license plates with the “Veteran” message without regard to the number of applications received for it. The bill would appropriate $250,000 from the Veterans Service Office Fund to the department for the purpose of developing and implementing the issuance of these special interest license plates.
This bill would instead require, commencing January 1, 2019, the Department of Motor Vehicles to cease production of the special interest veteran license plates and decals described above. The bill would require, commencing January 1, 2019, the department to commence production of a special interest license plate with the descriptive message “Veteran.” The bill would authorize the special interest license plates bearing the descriptive message “Veteran” to be issued only after all remaining special interest veteran plates produced before January 1, 2019, have been issued.
The bill would apply the existing additional fees for issuance, renewal, or personalization of the special interest veteran license plates to the new special interest license plates produced commencing January 1, 2019.
Digest Key
Vote:
MAJORITY
Appropriation:
YESNO
Fiscal Committee:
YES
Local Program:
NO
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 5068 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:5068.
(a) (1) (A) A Until January 1, 2019, a veterans’ organization may apply either individually or with other veterans’ organizations to meet the application threshold set forth in Section 5060 for special interest plates. An organization that meets the minimum application requirement by applying with other organizations under this subdivision shall be issued a regular license plate bearing a distinctive design or decal approved under subdivision (a) of Section 5060.(B) The Until January 1, 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs may modify the distinctive design or decal described in subparagraph (A), consistent with the design criteria imposed by Section 5060, to honor all veterans, or veterans who served in a particular war or armed conflict as described in subdivision (a) of Section 5068.1. Special interest plates issued under this section and bearing the modified design or decal shall be issued only after all existing plates have been issued.
(2) Any A person who
is the registered owner or lessee of a passenger vehicle, commercial motor vehicle, motorcycle, trailer, or semitrailer registered or certificated with the department, or any person who applies for an original registration or renewal of registration of that vehicle may apply under this section for a special interest license plate with a decal that honors all veterans or veterans who served in a particular war or armed conflict. The department shall cease production of the special interest license plates and decals described in this subdivision on January 1, 2019. The department shall cease accepting applications for special interest license plates and decals under this section once all existing special interest license plates produced pursuant to this paragraph have been issued.
(b) Commencing January 1, 2019, the department shall commence production of special interest license plates bearing the descriptive message “Veteran.” Special interest license plates issued under this section bearing the descriptive message “Veteran” shall be issued only after all existing plates described in subdivision (a) have been issued.
(c) Commencing January 1, 2019, a person who is the registered owner or lessee of a passenger vehicle, commercial motor vehicle, motorcycle, trailer, or semitrailer registered or certificated with the department or any person who applies for an original registration or renewal of registration of that vehicle may apply under this section for a special interest license plate bearing the descriptive message “Veteran.” A special interest license plate issued pursuant to this subdivision shall be issued in compliance with Section 5068.2.
(3)
(d) 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)
(e) 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. plates. 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, “Veteran” plates described in subdivision (b), if they become damaged or unserviceable.
(5)Ten dollars ($10) for replacement decals, if they become damaged or unserviceable.
(6)
(5) Notwithstanding Section 5106, seventy-eight dollars ($78) for the
personalization of the plates, as authorized under paragraph (3) of subdivision (a). subdivision (d).
(c)
(f) The department shall maintain on its Internet Web site, a link to order online the special interest license plates issued pursuant to this section.
SECTION 1.SEC. 2.
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 and an applicant who is an actual veteran, no later than November 11, 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
5068.2.
(a) A special interest license plate bearing the descriptive message shall be “Veteran” and shall be issued pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 5068
to an applicant as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 5068 and who meets the eligibility standards for the “VETERAN” designation on a driver’s license or identification card specified in paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) of Section 12811.(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).
(c)Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 5060, the department shall issue the special interest license plate described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) without regard to the number of applications received for that special interest license
plate.
SEC. 2.Notwithstanding subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 972.2 of the Military and Veterans Code, two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) is hereby appropriated from the Veterans Service Office Fund to the Department of Motor Vehicles for the purpose of developing and implementing the issuance of the special interest license plates described in Section 5068.2 of the Vehicle Code.