ASSEMBLY, No. 2809

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MARCH 20, 1997

By Assemblymen BUCCO, AZZOLINA, Carroll, Assemblywoman Murphy, Assemblymen Talarico and DeCroce

An Act providing for the issuance of special license plates to Purple Heart recipients and supplementing chapter 3 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. a. Upon application of a person who has been awarded a Purple Heart as certified on the applicant's DD-214 form or on a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles shall issue for a motor vehicle owned or leased by the applicant special license plates bearing a design, as determined by the director, identifying the applicant as a Purple Heart recipient, in addition to the registration number and other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law.

    b. The application for special Purple Heart license plates shall be accompanied by a $15 application fee, payable to the Division of Motor Vehicles, which shall be in addition to fees otherwise required by law. The application fee shall be retained by the division to cover its costs for producing and issuing Purple Heart license plates.

    c. The surviving spouse of a deceased Purple Heart recipient may retain the special license plates issued to the recipient for display on a motor vehicle registered to the spouse pursuant to R.S.39:3-4 if the spouse is licensed to drive in this State pursuant to R.S.39:3-10.

    2. This act shall take effect on the 180th day after enactment, but the director may take anticipatory action in advance of that date as may be necessary for the timely implementation of this act upon its effective date.

STATEMENT

    This bill authorizes the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles in the Department of Transportation to issue special license plates to recipients of a Purple Heart, the decoration awarded to persons wounded in action while serving in the United States armed forces. Under the current law, special Purple Heart plates are issued only to members of service organizations, such as the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

    The license plates authorized by this bill would bear a design approved by the director identifying the registrant as a recipient of the Purple Heart, in addition to other markings or identification otherwise prescribed by law. There would be a $15 application fee to obtain the special plates which would be in addition to the normal registration fee. The application fee would be retained by the Division of Motor Vehicles to cover the cost of producing and issuing the plates. The bill would also allow surviving spouses of deceased Purple Heart recipients to retain the special license plates.

Provides special license plates for Purple Heart recipients.