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An Act Regarding Certain License Plates for Veterans and Providing for a Breast Cancer Support Services Disability Plate
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §453, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2007, c. 647, §1 and affected by §8, is further amended to read:
 
2. Fee.   The annual service fee for a vanity registration plate is $25 in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee. The service fee must be credited to the General Highway Fund, except that, beginning July 1, 2009, $10 of the service fee must be transferred on a quarterly basis by the Treasurer of State to the TransCap Trust Fund established by Title 30-A, section 6006-G. A sum sufficient to defray the cost of this program must be allocated annually from the General Highway Fund. Notwithstanding this subsection, with regard to a vanity registration plate that is a veterans registration plate pursuant to section 523, subsection 4, the service fee imposed pursuant to this subsection may be imposed for the first 3 years only.
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §456-E, sub-§10  is enacted to read:
 
10.  Breast cancer support services disability registration plate.     Pursuant to this section and section 521, the Secretary of State may issue to a person breast cancer support services disability registration plates.
Sec. 3. 29-A MRSA §523, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2009, c. 80, §1, is further amended to read:
 
3. Special veterans registration plates.   The Secretary of State, on application and evidence of payment of the excise tax required by Title 36, section 1482 and the registration fee required by section 501, shall issue a registration certificate and a set of special veterans registration plates to be used in lieu of regular registration plates for a vehicle with a registered gross weight of not more than 10,000 pounds to any person who has served in the United States Armed Forces and who has been honorably discharged or to a person who has served in the United States Armed Forces for at least 3 years and continues to serve. If a person who qualifies for a special veterans registration plate under this subsection is the primary driver of 32 vehicles, the Secretary of State may issue in accordance with this section a set of special veterans registration plates for each vehicle.
 
Each application must be accompanied by the applicant's Armed Forces Report of Transfer or Discharge, DD Form 214, certification from the United States Veterans Administration or the appropriate branch of the United States Armed Forces verifying the applicant's military service and honorable discharge, or a letter from the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Bureau of Maine Veterans’ Services verifying active duty military service and length of service.
 
The Secretary of State shall recall a special veterans registration plate of a recipient who has been less than honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces.
 
All surplus revenue collected for issuance of the special registration plates is retained by the Secretary of State to maintain and support this program.
 
The surviving spouse of a special veteran plate recipient issued plates in accordance with this subsection may retain and display the special veteran plates as long as the surviving spouse remains unmarried. Upon remarriage, the surviving spouse may not use the special veteran plates on a motor vehicle, but may retain them as a keepsake. Upon the death of the surviving spouse, the family may retain the special veteran plates, but may not use them on a motor vehicle.
 
The Secretary of State may issue a special disability registration plate for veterans in accordance with section 521, subsections 1, 5, 7 and 9. The special disability registration plate for veterans must bear the International Symbol of Access.
 
The Secretary of State may issue a set of special veterans registration plates when the qualifying veteran is the primary driver of a company-owned vehicle if:
 
A. The company is owned solely by a veteran who qualifies for a veteran plate under this section;
 
B. The vehicle is leased by a veteran who qualifies for the veteran plate under this subsection; or
 
C. The vehicle is leased by the employer of a veteran who qualifies for the veteran plate and the employer has assigned the vehicle exclusively to the veteran. The employer must attest in writing that the veteran will have exclusive use of the vehicle and agrees to the display of the special veteran plate.
Sec. 4. 29-A MRSA §523, sub-§3-A, as amended by PL 2011, c. 356, §12, is further amended to read:
 
3-A. Motorcycle plates; veterans.   In addition to any plate issued pursuant to subsection 3, the Secretary of State, on application and evidence of payment of the excise tax required by Title 36, section 1482 and the registration fee required by section 515, subsection 1, shall issue a registration certificate and a special veterans registration plate for up to 32 designated motorcycles owned or controlled by a person who has served in the United States Armed Forces and who has been honorably discharged or to a person who has served in the United States Armed Forces for at least 3 years and continues to serve.
 
Each application must be accompanied by the applicant's Armed Forces Report of Transfer or Discharge, DD Form 214, certification from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the appropriate branch of the United States Armed Forces verifying the applicant's military service and honorable discharge, or a letter from the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services verifying active duty military service and length of service.
 
The Secretary of State shall recall a special veterans registration plate of a recipient who has been less than honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces.
 
All surplus revenue collected for issuance of the special veterans registration plates is retained by the Secretary of State to maintain and support this program.
 
Upon request the Secretary of State shall issue special veterans registration plates for a motorcycle that are also vanity plates. These plates are issued in accordance with this section and section 453. Vanity plates issued under this subsection may not duplicate vanity plates issued in another class of plate.
 
The surviving spouse of a recipient of a special veterans registration plate issued in accordance with this subsection may retain and use the plate or plates as long as the surviving spouse remains unmarried. Upon remarriage, the surviving spouse may not use the plate or plates, but may retain them. Upon the death of the surviving spouse, the family may retain the plate or plates, but may not use them.
 
The Secretary of State may not issue special commemorative decals under subsection 5 or 6 for use on special veterans registration plates for a motorcycle.
 
SUMMARY
This bill reduces the number of special veterans registration plates that may be issued to a veteran from 3 to 2, charges the annual service fee for a veterans vanity plate only for 3 years and provides for issuance of a breast cancer support services disability registration plate.