BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 498|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 498
Author: Hayashi (D), et al
Amended: 8/17/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 8-0, 6/15/10
AYES: Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman, Kehoe,
Pavley, Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Oropeza
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 11-0, 8/12/10
AYES: Kehoe, Ashburn, Alquist, Corbett, Emmerson, Leno,
Price, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 72-1, 1/27/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Veterans organizations license plates
SOURCE : Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of
California
DIGEST : This bill requires the Department of Motor
Vehicles, in consultation with the Department of Veterans
Affairs, to design a veterans license plate for former
American prisoners of war (POW) who prefer not to have
their former status as a "POW" or Ex-"Prisoner of War"
identified.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires that in order to
register a vehicle in California, the registered owner pay
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a registration fee of $34, a $22 surcharge for additional
personnel for the California Highway Patrol, various
locally-imposed fees, and a vehicle license fee (VLF) equal
to 1.15 percent of a vehicles value based on purchase price
depreciated according to a statutory schedule.
In addition, any registered owner of a vehicle may apply to
the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for veterans license
plates for his or her vehicle. Veterans plates bear a
distinctive design that includes the word "veteran" along
the bottom of the plate and includes a decal on the left
side of the plate for one of over 100 sponsoring veterans'
organizations, such as the American Legion, 101st Airborne
Division, or the National Guard. In addition to the above
fees, a vehicle owner must pay $30 annually for veterans
plates. Revenues derived from this fee go primarily to
county veterans service organizations.
Existing law also provides for former American prisoner of
war (POW) license plates, which bear a replica of the POW
medal and include the letters "POW" followed by four
numerical characters. Only former American POWs may
receive these plates upon providing DMV with satisfactory
proof of former POW status. Existing law exempts vehicles
with POW plates from all registration fees and from VLF but
limits this exemption to one vehicle owned by the former
POW. Also, the vehicle may not be used for transportation
for hire, compensation, or profit and must be a passenger
motor vehicle, motorcycle, or commercial motor vehicle of
less than 8,001 pounds unladen weight. The surviving
spouse of a former American POW may retain these plates
under the same conditions as the former POW.
This bill:
1.Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, in
consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs, to
design a veteran's license plate for former American
prisoners of war (POW) who prefer not to have their
former status as a "POW" or Ex-"Prisoner of War"
identified.
2.Specifies this new plate in not intended to prohibit
individuals eligible for the current veterans license
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plate from selecting it.
3.Provides the design criteria for the new plate as
specified.
Comments
Currently former POWs are eligible for a special license
plate, are exempt from registration fees and VLF, and
receive their POW plates at no cost in recognition of their
status as former POWs. The author's office introduced this
bill to allow former American POWs the option to receive
instead veterans plates, while preserving their exemption
from the fees associated with those plates.
The author's office notes that former POWs have a limited
selection of license plates to choose from, all of which
include the replica of the former POW Medal followed by the
letters "POW" and four numbers. The author's office
further asserts that while former POWs are proud of their
military service, not all are comfortable advertising that
they are a former POW. This bill simply allows former POWs
the option to order a veterans' organization license plate
under the same terms as they receive POW plates.
Anyone can order a veterans license plate to show their
support of military, the National Guard or reserve service,
or California veterans, but they must pay a fee of $30 for
a sequentially numbered plate. This bill exempts former
POWs from that fee as well.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund
DMV administration minor and absorbable costs
to Special*
Coordinate with others to redesign
POW special plates
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* Motor Vehicle Account
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/16/10)
Veterans of Foreign Wars (source)
San Clemente Ladies Auxiliary 7142
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Chesbro,
Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore,
Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes,
Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gilmore,
Hagman, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal,
Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,
Nielsen, John A. Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines,
Yamada
NOES: Tom Berryhill
NO VOTE RECORDED: Carter, Hall, V. Manuel Perez,
Torlakson, Bass
JJA:dok 8/16/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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