Chapter 564
AN ACT
HB 3161
Relating to veterans’ recognition registration plate; creating new
provisions; and amending ORS 803.535, 805.200, 805.202, 805.205, 805.206 and
805.208.
Be It Enacted by the People of
the State of
SECTION 1. Section
2 of this 2007 Act is added to and made a part of the
SECTION 2. (1)
The Department of Transportation shall establish a veterans’ recognition
registration plate program to issue registration plates called “veterans’
recognition registration plates” upon request to an owner of any motor vehicle
registered under ORS 803.420 (1) or (9)(a) if the owner of the motor vehicle
qualifies for the plates. Rules adopted under this section shall include, but
need not be limited to, rules that:
(a) Describe general
qualifications to be met by any veterans’ group in order to be eligible for a
veterans’ recognition registration plate issued under this section.
(b) Specify
circumstances under which the department may cease to issue veterans’
recognition registration plates.
(c) Specify what
constitutes proof of veteran status for issuance of a veterans’ recognition
registration plate, if such proof is required by a veterans’ group or by the
Director of Veterans’ Affairs.
(d) Specify what
constitutes proof that a person is a surviving family member of a person who
was killed in action during an armed conflict while serving in the Armed Forces
of the
(2)(a) In addition to any
other fee authorized by law, upon issuance of a veterans’ recognition
registration plate under this section and upon renewal of registration for a
vehicle that has plates issued under this section, the department shall collect
a surcharge of $2.50 per plate for each year of the registration period for the
vehicle as described under ORS 803.415.
(b) Except as otherwise
provided in paragraph (c) of this subsection, net proceeds of the surcharge
collected by the department for the veterans’ recognition registration plate
shall be deposited in the trust fund established under ORS 406.050 for paying
the expenses of operating the Oregon Veterans’ Home.
(c) If the department
issues a veterans’ recognition registration plate that names, describes or
represents a veterans’ group, that veterans’ group may designate an account
into which the net proceeds of the surcharge collected by the department under
this section are to be deposited. The department shall keep accurate records of
the number of plates issued under this paragraph for each veterans’ group and,
after payment of administrative expenses of the department, shall deposit
moneys collected under this subsection into the specified account.
(d) Deposits under this
subsection shall be made quarterly.
(3)(a) In consultation
with the Department of Transportation, the Director of Veterans’ Affairs shall
design the veterans’ recognition registration plate.
(b) If the department
issues a veterans’ recognition registration plate to recognize a veterans’
group, the department shall, in consultation with the requesting veterans’
group, add words or a military related-decal to the veterans’ recognition
registration plate that names, describes or represents the veterans’ group.
(c) The department shall
add a gold star decal and the words “Gold Star Family” to a veterans’
recognition registration plate background to recognize surviving family members
of persons killed in action during an armed conflict while serving in the Armed
Forces of the
(d) Except as otherwise
required by the design, veterans’ recognition registration plates must comply
with the requirements of ORS 803.535.
(4) The department shall
determine how many sets of veterans’ recognition registration plates will be
manufactured. If the department does not sell or issue renewal for 500 sets of
veterans’ recognition registration plates in any one year, the department shall
cease production of veterans’ recognition registration plates. For the purposes
of this section, veterans’ recognition registration plates that name, describe
or represent a veterans’ group are included in the total number of veterans’
recognition registration plates issued.
SECTION 3. (1)
The Director of Veterans’ Affairs shall pay to the Department of Transportation
all of the department’s anticipated costs of issuance of the veterans’
recognition registration plate from grants, donations and gifts accepted by the
director under ORS 406.050 that may be expended for the purpose of issuance of
a veterans’ recognition registration plate.
(2) If a veterans’ group
requests issuance of a veterans’ recognition registration plate under section 2
of this 2007 Act, the group shall pay to the department all of the department’s
anticipated costs of issuing a veterans’ recognition registration plate that
names, describes or represents the group. The department may not begin creating
or issuing the plates until the anticipated costs are paid. For purposes of
this section, costs of issuing a veterans’ recognition registration plate that
names, describes or represents a veterans’ group include, but are not limited
to, computer programming costs and vendor set-up fees.
SECTION 4.
ORS 803.535 is amended to read:
803.535. Subject to ORS
805.205 and section 2 of this 2007 Act and the following, the Department
of Transportation shall select registration plates it issues:
(1) Registration plates
shall be in the size, form and arrangement and made of materials determined by
the department subject to the following:
(a) Except as otherwise
provided in paragraph (f) of this subsection, the design of the registration
plates shall be that chosen by the commission from entries in the contest held
pursuant to chapter 572, Oregon Laws 1987.
(b) If registration
plates are issued, means shall be provided for identifying the vehicle from the
front and rear by means of characters or numerals.
(c) All plates shall be
made with a reflective material, so as to be a fully reflectorized safety
plate. The reflectorized material shall be of such a nature as to provide
effective dependable brightness in the promotion of traffic safety during the
service period of the plate issued.
(d) Except as otherwise
authorized under ORS 805.200, all plates shall contain the distinctive number
or characters assigned to the vehicle and the word “
(e) When a pair of
registration plates is issued, each plate shall bear the same identification as
the other plate of the pair.
(f) The department may
choose plates for vehicles that are not required to display plates from the
series produced as provided in chapter 572, Oregon Laws 1987. Nothing in this
paragraph prohibits the department from issuing plates from the series produced
as provided in chapter 572, Oregon Laws 1987, for vehicles that are not
required to display such plates.
(2) The department may
provide for designation of the registration period for which the registration
is issued on the plate by means of stickers described under ORS 803.555 or any
other method the department determines appropriate.
(3) The department may
provide plates that may be used on a vehicle for successive registration
periods when validated by one or more stickers described under ORS 803.555.
SECTION 5.
ORS 805.200 is amended to read:
805.200. (1) The
Department of Transportation by rule:
(a) Shall design plates,
stickers, plate and sticker combinations or other devices or indicia that
distinguish government-owned vehicles registered under the provisions of ORS
805.040 from other vehicles.
(b) May design plates,
stickers, plate and sticker combinations or other devices or indicia for
distinguishing vehicles registered under specific provisions of the Oregon
Vehicle Code other than ORS 805.040 or 805.205 or section 2 of this 2007 Act.
Plates designed under this paragraph shall comply with the requirements of ORS
803.535. The fees for plates or indicia described in this paragraph are
provided under ORS 805.250.
(2) Unless otherwise
provided by statute or by rule of the department, indicia of registration that
distinguish one kind of registration from another may not be transferred unless
the new owner of the vehicle qualifies for that specific kind of registration.
(3) The department may
adopt rules concerning the disposition of plates, stickers, devices or other
indicia of registration upon transfer of ownership of the vehicle or when the
owner or the vehicle is no longer eligible for the particular indicia. The
department may cancel or revoke registration for failure to comply with rules
adopted under this section.
SECTION 6.
ORS 805.202 is amended to read:
805.202. (1) As used in
this section, “special registration plate” means a registration plate issued by
the Department of Transportation:
(a) For which a
surcharge is imposed in order to raise money for an entity other than the department;
(b) That is not a [group] plate issued under ORS 805.205
or section 2 of this 2007 Act;
(c) That is not an
elected official plate issued under ORS 805.220; and
(d) That is not a
customized plate issued under ORS 805.240.
(2) The Legislative
Assembly may not require the Department of Transportation to offer more than
three kinds of special registration plates at any one time. At any time the
department is offering three kinds of special registration plates, any bill
enacted by the Legislative Assembly that requires the department to issue a new
kind of special registration plate shall include a provision requiring the
department to eliminate at least one kind of special registration plate.
(3) When the department
eliminates a kind of special registration plate in accordance with the
provisions of a law described in subsection (2) of this section, the department
shall continue to issue the plate until the new plate is available. When the
new plate is available, the department shall destroy the remaining stock of the
eliminated plate.
SECTION 7.
ORS 805.205 is amended to read:
805.205. (1) The
Department of Transportation [by rule]
shall provide for issuance of registration plates described in subsection (3)
of this section for nonprofit groups meeting the qualifications for tax exempt
status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code[,] and for institutions of higher
education [and for veterans’
organizations. The department shall also provide, upon request from a veterans’
group or the Director of Veterans’ Affairs, for issuance of a veterans’
recognition registration plate that may be issued only to veterans]. Plates
issued under this section may be issued to owners of motor vehicles registered
under the provisions of ORS 803.420 (1). Plates issued under this section may
not contain expressions of political opinion or religious belief. Rules adopted
under this section shall include, but need not be limited to, rules that:
(a) Describe general
qualifications to be met by any group in order to be eligible for plates issued
under this section.
(b) Specify
circumstances under which the department may cease to issue plates for any
particular group.
(c) Require each group
for which plates are issued[, other than
a group or the Director of Veterans’ Affairs requesting a veterans’ recognition
plate,] to file an annual statement on a form designed by the department
showing that the group is a nonprofit group or an institution of higher
education and otherwise meets the qualifications imposed for eligibility for
plates issued under this section. The statement shall include names and
addresses of current directors or officers of the group or of other persons
authorized to speak for the group or institution on matters affecting plates
issued under this section.
[(d) Require proof of veteran status for issuance of a veterans’
recognition plate and specify what constitutes proof.]
(2)(a) Except as
otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, in addition to any
other fee authorized by law, upon issuance of a plate under this section and
upon renewal of registration for a vehicle that has plates issued under this
section, the department shall collect a surcharge of $2.50 per plate for each
year of the registration period.
(b) In addition to any
other fee authorized by law, upon issuance of a plate under this section that
recognizes an institution of higher education in this state, and upon renewal
of registration for a vehicle that has such plates, the department shall
collect a surcharge of $8 per plate for each year of the registration period.
(3) Plates issued under
this section shall be from the current regular issue of plates except that[:]
[(a) In consultation with the group or the Director of Veterans’ Affairs
requesting the plates, the department shall add words to the plate that name or
describe the group or veterans recognized.]
[(b) If the group or the Director of Veterans’ Affairs requesting the
plates represents persons who have been awarded the Purple Heart medal, the
plates shall contain an image of the medal.]
[(c)] if the group requesting the plates is an institution of higher
education, the plates shall, upon request, contain words that indicate the
plates are issued to recognize the institution or shall contain the institution’s
logo or an image of the institution’s mascot.
(4) Except as otherwise
required by the design chosen, the plates shall comply with the requirements of
ORS 803.535. The department shall determine how many sets of plates shall be
manufactured for each group approved under this section [or for the Director of Veterans’ Affairs]. If the department does
not sell or issue renewal for 500 sets of plates for a particular group [or for the Director of Veterans’ Affairs]
in any one year, the department shall cease production of those plates.
(5) Except as otherwise
provided in subsection (6) of this section, each group that is found by the
department to be eligible for plates issued under this section may designate an
account into which the net proceeds of the surcharge collected by the
department under subsection (2) of this section are to be deposited. The
department shall keep accurate records of the number of plates issued for each
group that qualifies. After payment of administrative expenses of the department,
moneys collected under this section for each group shall be deposited by the
department into an account specified by that group. If any group does not
specify an account for the moneys collected from the sale of plates issued
under this section, the department shall deposit moneys collected for those
plates into the Environmental Quality Information Account established under ORS
802.100 to be used as other moneys in the account are used. Deposits under this
subsection shall be made at least quarterly.
(6)[(a)] Each institution of higher education that requests a plate
under this section shall designate an account in the general fund of the
institution, and the proceeds in the account shall be used for the purpose of
academic enrichment at the institution.
[(b) Net proceeds of the surcharge collected by the department for the
veterans’ recognition plate shall be deposited in the trust fund established
under ORS 406.050 for paying the expenses of operating the
SECTION 8.
ORS 805.206 is amended to read:
805.206. [(1)] A group, institution or
organization that requests issuance of a plate under ORS 805.205 shall pay to
the Department of Transportation an application fee of $10,000 in addition to
all of the department’s anticipated costs of adding the group to the program.
The department may not begin creating or issuing the plates until the
application fee and anticipated costs are paid. If 1,000 sets of the plates are
purchased in the first 12 months that the plates are available, the department
shall refund the application fee. For purposes of this section, costs of adding
a new group include, but are not limited to, computer programming costs and
vendor set-up fees.
[(2) If the Director of Veterans’ Affairs requests issuance of a plate
under ORS 805.205, the director shall pay to the department the application fee
and all of the department’s anticipated costs of issuance of the plate from
grants, donations and gifts accepted by the Director of Veterans’ Affairs under
ORS 406.050 that are expendable for the purpose of issuance of a veterans’
recognition registration plate.]
SECTION 9.
ORS 805.208 is amended to read:
805.208. The surviving
spouse of a veteran who was issued registration plates under [ORS 805.205] section 2 of this 2007 Act
may, upon the death of the veteran, continue to use the plates on a motor
vehicle or may keep the plates as a memento.
Approved by the Governor June 25, 2007
Filed in the office of Secretary of State June 27, 2007
Effective date January 1, 2008
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