H.B. 152
128th General Assembly
(As Introduced)
Reps. Pryor, Brown, Dodd, Garland, Harris, Harwood, Letson, Phillips, Pillich, B. Williams, Yuko
BILL SUMMARY
· Creates the Vietnam Combat Infantry and Vietnam Combat Medic license plates.
CONTENT AND OPERATION
Under the bill, any person who served in the armed forces of the United States during the Vietnam Conflict and was awarded the combat infantryman badge or the combat medical badge may apply to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles for the registration of any passenger car, noncommercial motor vehicle, recreational vehicle, or other vehicle of a class approved by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles that the person owns or leases. The application must be accompanied by such documentary evidence in support of the award of the combat infantryman badge or combat medical badge as the Registrar may require by rule, and may be combined with a request for a special reserved license plate provided in current law.
Upon receipt of the completed application and the required taxes and fees, compliance with the bill's requirements, and presentation by the applicant of the required supporting evidence of service during the Vietnam Conflict and the award of the combat infantryman badge or combat medical badge, the Registrar is required to issue to the applicant the appropriate vehicle registration and a set of license plates with a validation sticker, or a validation sticker alone when required by current law.
In addition to the letters and numbers ordinarily inscribed on license plates, license plates issued to persons who were awarded the combat infantryman badge must be inscribed with the words "combat infantry" and a reproduction of the combat infantryman badge above the word "Vietnam." License plates issued to persons who were awarded the combat medical badge must bear the letters and numbers ordinarily inscribed on license plates and also be inscribed with the words "combat medic" and a reproduction of the combat medical badge above the word "Vietnam." Both types of license plates must bear county identification stickers that identify the county of registration by name or number.
Vietnam Combat Infantry and Vietnam Combat Medic license plates and validation stickers are issued upon payment of the regular taxes prescribed in current law, any applicable local motor vehicle tax, and the applicant's compliance with all other applicable laws relating to the registration of motor vehicles. If the application for either type of license plate is combined with a request for a special reserved license plate provided in current law, the applicant must also pay the applicable additional special reserved license plate fee. (R.C. 4503.548(A) and 4503.549(A).)
The bill prohibits any person who did not serve during the Vietnam Conflict or is not a recipient of the combat infantryman badge or the combat medical badge from willfully and falsely representing that the person had such service or is a recipient of the combat infantryman badge or combat medical badge for the purpose of obtaining either type of license plate the bill creates. The bill also prohibits any person from owning a motor vehicle bearing either type of license plate the bill creates unless the person is eligible to be issued the license plate. (R.C. 4503.548(B) and 4503.549(B).)
Under current law, certain enumerated special license plates and generally all special license plates created since August 21, 1997, are subject to a minimum registration requirement and to termination and revival procedures. Specifically, the Registrar is not required to implement any legislation that creates a new license plate until the Registrar receives written statements from at least 500 persons indicating that they intend to apply for and obtain the special license plate. (R.C. 4503.78, not in the bill.) If, during any calendar year, the total number of new and renewal motor vehicle registrations involving such a special license plate totals less than 500, the issuance of that special license plate may cease as of December 31 of the following year. A special license plate whose issuance is so ended may be revived if certain conditions are met. (R.C. 4503.77, not in the bill.)
The bill exempts both Vietnam Combat Infantry and Vietnam Combat Medic license plates from both the minimum registration requirement and the termination and revival procedures (R.C. 4503.548(C) and 4503.549(C)). This is consistent with the law's treatment of the military-related special license plates that existed at the time of enactment of the special license plate minimum requirement and the termination and revival procedures and the military-related special license plates that have been created since the enactment of those provisions.
HISTORY
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ACTION |
DATE |
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Introduced |
04-28-09 |
h0152-i-128.docx/kl