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2002 SESSION

026423560
SENATE BILL NO. 499
Offered January 9, 2002
Prefiled January 9, 2002
A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-725 of the Code of Virginia, relating to special license plates for military combat units with at least 50 but fewer than 350 members; fees.
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Patron-- Watkins
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Referred to Committee on Transportation
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 46.2-725 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 46.2-725. Special license plates, generally.

A. No series of special license plates shall be created or issued by the Commissioner or the Department except as authorized in this article. No special license plates in any series not provided for in this article and no registration decal for any such license plate shall be issued, reissued, or renewed on or after July 1, 1995. However, subject to the limitations contained in subdivisions 1 and 2 of subsection B of this section, the Commissioner may issue special license plates that are combinations of no more than two series of special license plates authorized in this article and currently issued by the Department; the fee for any such combination shall be equal to the sum of the fees for the two series plus the fee for reserved numbers and letters, if applicable. The provisions of subdivisions 1 and 2 of subsection B of this section shall not apply to special license plates that are combinations of two series of special license plates authorized in this article and currently issued by the Department if one of the two combined designs, when feasible, incorporates or includes the international symbol of access.

B. Except as otherwise provided in this article:

1. No license plates provided for in this article shall be issued until the Commissioner receives at least 350 prepaid applications therefor. In the event that 350 or more prepaid applications have not been received on or before the last day of the third year from the date the license plates were last authorized, no such license plates shall be issued unless the license plates are reauthorized by the General Assembly. Such reauthorized license plates shall remain subject to the provisions of this article;

2. No additional license plates shall be issued or reissued in any series that, after five or more years of issuance, has fewer than 100 active sets of plates, unless applications therefor again meet the criterion of subdivision 1 of this subsection; and

3. The annual fee for the issuance of any license plates issued pursuant to this article shall be ten dollars plus the prescribed fee for state license plates. Applications for all special license plates issued pursuant to this article shall be on forms prescribed by the Commissioner. All special license plates issued pursuant to this article shall be of designs prescribed by the Commissioner and shall bear unique letters and numerals, clearly distinguishable from any other license plate designs, and be readily identifiable by law-enforcement personnel.

No other state license plates shall be required on any vehicles bearing special license plates issued under the provisions of this article.

All fees collected by the Department under this article shall be paid by the Commissioner into the state treasury and shall be set aside as a special fund to be used to meet the expenses of the Department.

C. The provisions of this article relating to registration fees shall apply only to those vehicles registered as passenger cars, motor homes, and pick-up or panel trucks, as defined in § 46.2-100. All other vehicle types registered with special license plates shall be subject to the appropriate special license plate fees, registration fees and other fees prescribed by law for such vehicle types.

D. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision B.1., those special license plates authorized by the General Assembly for current or former members of current or former military combat units that have at least 50 but fewer than 350 members may apply directly to the Department for issuance of special license plates for current or former members of such units. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, applications for such special license plates shall be subject to the requirements for the issuance of special license plates prescribed by this article and regulations of the Department. In addition to the prescribed registration fee, special license plates issued pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to (i) the ten-dollar annual fee prescribed in subdivision B. 3. and (ii) an additional one-time fee of ten dollars.