| Chapter 119 |
| 2021 -- H 6409 Enacted 07/02/2021 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES |
Introduced By: Representatives Azzinaro, Casey, McLaughlin, Knight, Serpa, Fellela, Vella-Wilkinson, and Kennedy |
| Date Introduced: June 09, 2021 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 31-3-53 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-3 entitled "Registration |
| of Vehicles" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 31-3-53. Veterans' plates. |
| (a) The registrar of motor vehicles shall issue for any motor vehicle eligible for registration |
| as an automobile, or for any motorcycle eligible for registration as a motorcycle, or for a |
| commercial vehicle having a gross weight of twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs.) or less, plates |
| designated as "Veteran", "Purple Heart", and "Ex-POW" upon application on proper forms |
| furnished by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles to veterans. |
| (b) The special plate designated "Veteran" shall be designed as follows: |
| (1) Letters and numbers shall be blue in a white background with the words "Rhode Island" |
| clearly visible at the top center of the plate and the word "Veteran" visible at the bottom center of |
| the plate. |
| (2) The background will be a red, white, and blue waving American Flag. |
| (3) On the top right corner will be a decal with the military branch of the service in which |
| the Veteran served (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines). |
| (4) For war veterans, a white decal with blue letters with the words "War Veteran" placed |
| under the military branch decal on the right side of the plate above the validation sticker. |
| (c) The applicant shall not be required to pay a service charge or a transfer charge for each |
| plate. |
| (d)(1) The applicant shall be entitled to a plate for each vehicle owned by the applicant. |
| (2) The applicant shall also be entitled to a plate for one vehicle owned by an entity which |
| the applicant owns. The entity must be registered and authorized to conduct business in the state of |
| Rhode Island. The applicant must provide to the division of motor vehicles documentation |
| demonstrating the applicant’s ownership of the entity. |
| (e) The owner of a motor vehicle eligible for registration as a commercial vehicle and |
| having a gross weight of twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs.) or less who is issued veteran plates |
| shall continue to pay the appropriate commercial registration fee for those plates. The owner of a |
| motor vehicle eligible for registration as a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of six |
| thousand three hundred pounds (6,300 lbs.), but not more than twelve thousand pounds (12,000 |
| lbs.), shall sign an affidavit at the time of application for said plates stating that the vehicle is to be |
| used for personal use only. |
| (f)(1) For the purposes of this section, a "veteran" shall be defined as any person who has |
| served on active duty in the armed forces of the United States. The term "veteran" shall also include |
| members of the National Guard and Reserves: (i) Called to active duty authorized by the President |
| of the United States or the Secretary of Defense; or (ii) Who have twenty (20) years of service with |
| a letter and record of separation of service. |
| (2) For the purposes of this section, "War Veteran" shall be defined as any veteran of any |
| conflict or undeclared war who has earned a campaign ribbon or expeditionary medal for service |
| in either a declared or undeclared war as noted on the war veteran's DD-214. Upon the death of the |
| holder of any veteran plates, the plates shall be transferred to the surviving spouse for the spouse's |
| lifetime until he or she remarries. |
| (g) The "veteran" or "war veteran" described in subdivisions (f)(1)(i) or (ii) and (f)(2) must |
| have been honorably discharged from the armed forces of this nation in order to receive plates |
| pursuant to this section and, for purposes of this section, a medical discharge or a general discharge |
| shall be deemed an honorable discharge. |
| (h) Veterans who have served in multiple conflicts are entitled to be issued veterans' plates |
| equal to the number of conflicts he or she served in; provided, the plates are limited to the number |
| of vehicles owned by the veteran. |
| (i) A person shall be eligible for a veterans' plate if his or her deceased spouse was eligible |
| for a veterans' plate, notwithstanding the fact that the eligible, deceased spouse died prior to the |
| enactment of this section in 1988. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC002965 |
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