BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 1295
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   June 30, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   SB 1295 (Dutton) - As Amended:  April 19, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              
          TransportationVote:12-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill allows the family of a deceased recipient of the  
          Purple Heart or Legion of Valor medal to keep one of the special  
          license plates as an heirloom, if there is no surviving spouse  
          or upon death of the surviving spouse. 

           FISCAL EFFECT

           Negligible costs to DMV.
           
          COMMENTS
          
          1)Background  . 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. These include 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 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. However, there is no equivalent  
            provision in law for families of deceased Purple Heart or  
            Legion of Valor recipients. These plates are required to be  
            returned to DMV within 60 days of the death of the recipient  
            or the spouse.








                                                                  SB 1295
                                                                  Page  2


           2)Purpose.    The bill is intended to  extend to the families of  
            Legion of Valor and Purple Heart recipients the same privilege  
            provided to families of Congressional Medal of Honor  
            recipients and prisoner of war veterans.  Rather than  
            requiring the state to dispose of these special commemorative  
            license plates, the veteran's family members would be allowed  
            keep one of them as a family heirloom to honor the veteran's  
            distinguished service.

           3)Related legislation.  SB 88 (DeSaulnier) contains a provision  
            allowing families of firefighters to keep the special  
            firefighter license plates as an heirloom upon the death of  
            the firefighter or his/her spouse.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Brad Williams / APPR. / (916) 319-2081