PERSONALIZED VETERAN LICENSE PLATES H.B. 4450 (H-1): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 4450 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Jacob Hoogendyk
House Committee: Transportation
Senate Committee: Transportation
Date Completed: 11-5-04
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to allow the Secretary of State (SOS) to issue personalized military veteran specialty license plates. The bill would take effect January 1, 2006.
Under Section 803b of the Code, the SOS may issue a personalized registration plate for use on a motor vehicle instead of a standard registration plate. The plate must bear letters and numbers as the SOS prescribes. The SOS may not issue a letter combination that might carry a connotation offensive to good taste and decency. An application for an original personalized registration plate must be accompanied by a service fee of $8 for the first month and $2 for each additional month of the registration period, in addition to the regular vehicle registration fee.
The Code also allows the SOS to issue, upon payment of a $5 service fee, specialty military veteran license plates to the following people:
-- An individual awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
-- An ex-prisoner of war.
-- A person who was a member of the armed services during World War I.
-- A person who was a member or whose spouse was a member of the armed services during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War.
-- A person who was a member of the armed services and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.
-- A Purple Heart recipient.
-- A disabled veteran.
-- A person who was a member or whose spouse was a member of the Michigan National Guard, the United States Armed Forces Reserve, or any branch of the armed services and who was called to active duty during the Persian Gulf War, or during a declared war or an armed conflict in which the United States was a participant.
-- A person who was a member or whose spouse was a member of the armed services during the conflict in Grenada, Panama, or Lebanon.
Additionally, the SOS may issue a Michigan Veterans Memorial registration plate. An application must be accompanied by the regular vehicle registration tax, a maximum service fee of $10, and a $25 donation, which is credited to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Monument Fund.
Under the bill, an applicant for any of the veteran plates described above would be eligible to request, and the SOS could issue, the plate with a sequence of letters and numbers authorized under Section 803b for personalized registration plates.
MCL 257.803b Legislative Analyst: Julie Koval
FISCAL IMPACT
The Department of State reports that one-time programming costs would amount to approximately $70,000.
Fiscal Analyst: Bill Bowerman
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. hb4450/0304