[atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to special armed forces license plates; reenacting and amending RCW 46.16.305; adding a new section to chapter 46.16 RCW; repealing RCW 73.04.110 and 73.04.115; and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 46.16.305 and 1997 c 291 s 6 and 1997 c 241 s 10 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

The department shall continue to issue the categories of special plates issued by the department under the sections repealed under section 12 (1) through (7), chapter 250, Laws of 1990. Special license plates issued under those repealed sections before January 1, 1991, are valid to the extent and under the conditions provided in those repealed sections. The following conditions, limitations, or requirements apply to certain special license plates issued after January 1, 1991:

(1) A horseless carriage plate and a plate or plates issued for collectors' vehicles more than thirty years old, upon payment of the initial fees required by law and the additional special license plate fee established by the department, are valid for the life of the vehicle for which application is approved by the department. When a single plate is issued, it shall be displayed on the rear of the vehicle.

(2) The department may issue special license plates denoting amateur radio operator status only to persons having a valid official radio operator license issued by the Federal Communications Commission, upon payment of regular license fees.

(3) The department shall issue one set of special license plates to each resident of this state who has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for use on a passenger vehicle registered to that person. The department shall issue the plate without the payment of licensing fees and motor vehicle excise tax.

(((4) The department may issue for use on only one motor vehicle owned by the qualified applicant special license plates denoting that the recipient of the plate is a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, to persons meeting all of the following criteria:

~~(a) Is a resident of this state;~~

~~(b) Was a member of the United States Armed Forces on December 7, 1941;~~

~~(c) Was on station on December 7, 1941, during the hours of 7:55 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Hawaii time at Pearl Harbor, the island of Oahu, or offshore at a distance not to exceed three miles;~~

~~(d) Received an honorable discharge from the United States Armed Forces; and~~

~~(e) Is certified by a Washington state chapter of the Pearl Harbor survivors association as satisfying the qualifications in (c) of this subsection.~~

The department may issue such plates to the surviving spouse of any deceased Pearl Harbor survivor who met the requirements of this subsection. If the surviving spouse remarries, he or she shall return the special plates to the department within fifteen days and apply for regular plates. The surviving spouse must be a resident of this state.

~~The department shall issue these plates upon payment by the applicant of all other license fees, but the department may not set or charge an additional fee for these special license plates.~~))

(4) The department may set a charge or an additional fee for special veteran license plates that are available to active duty and former members of the United States Armed Forces and Washington State National Guard and Reserves under the following terms:

(a) The department may issue for use on only one motor vehicle owned by a qualified applicant special veteran license plates denoting the following:

(i) United States Marine Corps;

(ii) United States Army;

(iii) United States Navy;

(iv) United States Air Force;

(v) United States Coast Guard;

(vi) Washington State National Guard;

(vii) Washington State Reserves.

(b) The department shall charge an additional fee of twenty-five dollars, over the department's costs, for the special veteran license plates. All such additional fees for the special veteran license plates collected by the department must be deposited in the state treasury and credited to the veterans' emblem account. The governor's veterans advisory council shall oversee the disbursement of this revenue, which must be used for veteran memorial and education programs.

(c) Applicants for the special veteran license plates must show proof of their eligibility by presenting one of the following: An active duty military, guard, or reserves identification card; a veteran or retired military identification card; or a DD-214 form or discharge papers. The documents must be submitted with valid picture identification.

(5) The department shall replace, free of charge, special license plates issued under subsection((s)) (3) ((~~and (4)~~)) of this section if they are lost, stolen, damaged, defaced, or destroyed. ((~~Such~~)) The department shall charge a replacement fee for other special license plates issued under this section if they are lost, stolen, damaged, defaced, or destroyed. The amount of the replacement fee may not exceed the cost to the department to replace the special license plates. Plates ((~~shall~~)) issued under subsections (2) through (4) of this section remain with the persons upon transfer or other disposition of the vehicle for which they were initially issued, and may be used on another vehicle registered to the recipient in accordance with ((~~the provisions of~~)) RCW 46.16.316(1).

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 46.16 RCW to read as follows:

Special license plates issued under RCW 46.16.305(4), 73.04.110, and 73.04.115 as they existed before their amendment or repeal by this act continue to be valid for the life of the person to whom they were issued, and the department may not recall the plates or require their return to the department. However, the department need not replace the plates if they are lost, stolen, damaged, defaced, or destroyed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:

(1) RCW 73.04.110 (Free license plates for disabled veterans, prisoners of war--Penalty) and 1987 c 98 s 2, 1983 c 230 s 2, 1982 c 115 s 1, 1980 c 88 s 2, 1979 c 158 s 221, 1972 ex.s. c 60 s 1, 1971 ex.s. c 193 s 1, 1951 c 206 s 1, & 1949 c 178 s 1; and

(2) RCW 73.04.115 (Free license plates for surviving spouses of deceased prisoners of war) and 1990 c 250 s 91 & 1987 c 98 s 1.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2002.