SENATE SENIOR CITIZENS, VETERANS' AFFAIRS AND AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

SENATE, No. 1653

 

with committee amendments

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: JANUARY 14, 1997

 

      The Senate Senior Citizens, Veterans' Affairs and Agriculture Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate, No. 1653.

      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.

 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

 

      The committee amended the bill to provide for a $15 application fee for the Purple Heart license plates which would be retained by the Division of Motor Vehicles and used to cover the cost of producing and issuing the plates.