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 eligible for registration as a commercial vehicle
and having a gross weight of {DEL six thousand-three hundred pounds
(6,300 lbs) DEL} {ADD nine thousand pounds (9,000 lbs.) ADD} or less, plates
designated as "War Veteran", "Purple Heart" and "Ex-POW" upon
application on proper forms furnished by the registrar to veterans of
world wars I and II, the Korean conflict and Vietnam conflict and any
member of the armed forces of the United States who served at any time
in the Persian Gulf beginning August 2, 1990 to present, in the Panama
operations beginning December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990, in the
Lebanon operations beginning:
(1) July 1, 1958 to November 1, 1958
(2) August 20, 1982 to May 31, 1983
(3) June 1, 1983 to December 1987 in the Grenada Operations beginning October 23, 1983 to November 21, 1983 or any veteran of any conflict or undeclared war who has earned a campaign ribbon or expeditionary medal for service in said conflict or undeclared war.
(b) The special plates shall be designed as follows:
(1) Left and right borders of two (2) inches;
(2) Left border shall be red with three (3) white stars within the border;
(3) Right border shall be blue and have five (5) stripes, three (3) red and two (2) white within the border;
(4) Letters shall be blue in a white background with the words "War Veteran" clearly visible at the top center of the plate.
(c) The applicant shall be required to pay a service charge of ten dollars ($10.00) and a transfer charge of five dollars ($5.00) for the plate.
(d) Any person issued a plate under this section prior to July 31, 1989 shall be entitled to a reimbursement in the amount of seven dollars ($7.00) upon application therefor.
(e) The owner of a motor vehicle eligible for registration as a commercial vehicle and having a gross weight of six thousand pounds (6,000 lbs.) or less that is issued war veteran plates shall continue to pay the appropriate commercial registration fee for such plates.
{ADD The owner of a motor vehicle eligible for registration as a commercial vehicle and having a gross weight of six thousand three hundred pounds (6,300 lbs.) or more shall sign an affidavit at the time of application for said plates stating that the vehicle is to be used for personal use only. ADD}
(f) For purposes of this section, a "veteran" shall be defined as any person who served in the military or naval service of the United States in world war I or who served in the military or naval service of the United States in world war II at any time during the period beginning December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, or who served in the military or naval services of the United States in the Korean conflict at any time during the period beginning June 27, 1950 and ending January 31, 1955, or in the Vietnam conflict at any time during the period beginning August 5, 1964 and ending May 7, 1975 or in the Taiwan Straits expeditionary Force at any time from August 23, 1958 to January 1, 1959 or the Persian Gulf beginning August 2, 1990 to present, in the Panama Operations beginning December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990, in the Lebanon Operations beginning:
(1) July 1, 1958 to November 1, 1958
(2) August 20, 1982 to May 31, 1983
(3) June 1, 1983 to December 1987 in the Grenada Operations beginning October 23, 1983 to November 21, 1983 or any veteran of any conflict or undeclared war who has earned a campaign ribbon or expeditionary medal for service in said conflict or undeclared war. Upon the death of the holder of any war veteran plates, the plates shall be transferred to the spouse's surviving spouse for the spouse's lifetime until he or she remarries.
(g) Further, the "veteran" described in subsection (f) 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 shall be deemed an honorable discharge.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
