BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1295|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1295
Author: Dutton (R), et al
Amended: 4/19/10
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/13/10
AYES: Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Kehoe,
Oropeza, Pavley, Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Harman
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Purple Heart and Legion of Valor: license
plates
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill allows the family of a deceased Purple
Heart recipient or recipient of one of the nations highest
military decorations to keep one of the special interest
license plates issued to that recipient as a remembrance.
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides for various special
plates in recognition of a person's status as a veteran or
decorated member of the United States military, including
license plates for veterans, prisoners of war,
Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, Pearl Harbor
survivors, Purple Heart recipients, and those receiving the
highest decorations for military valor, known as Legion of
Honor plates. These plates are available to those who
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achieved the required military status, and upon the death
of such an individual, a surviving spouse may continue to
use these plates.
For plates issued to a Congressional Medal of Honor
recipient or a prisoner of war, the family may retain one
of the plates as an heirloom if there is no surviving
spouse or at the time the surviving spouse dies.
Purple Heart License Plate
Existing law allows a recipient of the Purple Heart to
apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for a set
of Purple Heart license plates for a vehicle that the
recipient owns or co-owns, provided that the vehicle is not
available for hire. To qualify for a Purple Heart plate, a
person must by conclusive evidence show DMV that he or she
received a Purple Heart and pay all of the same fees as
required when registering a vehicle with standard license
plates. Purple Heart plates display the words "Combat
Wounded", run in a separate numerical series and include
the letters "PH" as part of the series, and have inscribed
on the plate the Purple Heart insignia.
Upon the death of the Purple Heart recipient, a surviving
spouse may retain the Purple Heart plates. Upon the death
of the spouse or if there is no surviving spouse, the
plates must be returned to DMV either within 60 days or
upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever
occurs first.
Legion of Honor License Plate
Existing law also allows a recipient of the nation's
highest decorations for military valor to apply to DMV for
a Legion of Valor license plate. To qualify for these
plates, an applicant must be a recipient of one of the
nation's highest decorations of valor, which state law
defines as:
Army Medal of Honor
Navy Medal of Honor
Air Force Medal of Honor
Army Distinguished Cross
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Navy Cross
Air Force Cross
Legion of Valor plates include the words "Legion of Valor",
run in a regular numerical series, and come with an
adhesive sticker denoting which of the nation's highest
military decorations the person received. This sticker is
affixed in a recess provided on these plates. These plates
require payment of the same fees as required when
registering a vehicle with standard license plates.
Upon the death of the medal recipient, a surviving spouse
may retain the Legion of Honor plates. Upon the death of
the spouse or if there is no surviving spouse, the plates
must be returned to DMV either within 60 days or upon the
expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs
first.
This bill:
1. Authorizes a surviving member of the deceased Purple
Heart or Legion of Valor medal recipient's family to
keep one of the special license plates as an heirloom,
if there is no surviving spouse or upon death of the
surviving spouse.
2. Defines "family" as grandparents, stepgrandparents,
parents, stepparents, siblings, stepsiblings, children,
and stepchildren.
3. Provides that a license plate kept under the bill's
provisions is not valid to use to register a vehicle.
Comments
Purpose of the bill . The author introduced this bill to
extend to Legion of Valor and Purple Heart veterans a
privilege allowed to Congressional Medal of Honor veterans
and Prisoner of War veterans. Rather than requiring the
state to dispose of these special commemorative license
plates, a veteran's family members would be allowed keep
one of them as a family heirloom to honor the veteran's
distinguished service.
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FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/4/10)
American Legion, Department of California
California Chapter of the Legion of Valor
California State Sheriffs' Association
The Department of California Military Order of the Purple
Heart
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California
JJA:mw 5/4/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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