File No. 417

Senate, April 6, 2011

The Committee on Transportation reported through SEN. MAYNARD of the 18th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING MOTOR VEHICLE NUMBER PLATES FOR ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 14-20b of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(a) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, at the request of any veteran or member of the armed forces, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, or the surviving spouse of such veteran or member, shall register any motor vehicle owned or leased for a period of at least one year by such person and shall issue a special certificate of registration and a set of number plates for each such vehicle. The plates shall expire and be renewed as provided in section 14-22. The commissioner shall charge a fee for such plates which shall cover the entire cost of making the same and which shall be in addition to the fee for registration of such motor vehicle.

(b) Any such member of the armed forces who is dishonorably discharged shall return such plates to the commissioner not later than thirty days after such discharge. The commissioner shall not renew such plates for any motor vehicle owned or leased by any such member of the armed forces who is dishonorably discharged.

The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst's professional knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:

Note: TF=Transportation Fund

Municipal Impact: None

Explanation

There is a potential revenue gain of $2,750 to the Special Transportation Fund by allowing active duty armed forces members to apply for veteran's license plates. There are approximately 10,000 active duty members who filed Connecticut as their primary residence for state income tax purposes. The estimate assumes 100 active duty members would apply annually to replace their regular Connecticut registration plate for a veteran's plate. The fee for transferring a Connecticut registration to the Veteran Flag plate is $27.50. Therefore, the potential revenue gain is $2,750 annually.

The Out Years

The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.

OLR Bill Analysis

sSB 367

AN ACT CONCERNING MOTOR VEHICLE NUMBER PLATES FOR ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

SUMMARY:

This bill extends authorization for a special certificate of registration and veterans' license plate to a member of the U.S. armed forces or his or her surviving spouse who requests it. Current law authorizes a veteran, or the veteran's surviving spouse, who has owned or leased any type of motor vehicle for one year or longer to qualify for special veterans' license plates. By law, a veteran is an individual honorably discharged or released under honorable conditions from active duty in the U.S. armed forces. (The law authorizes a spouse or other immediate family member of a resident killed in action while on active duty to request a “Gold Star Family” plate.)

The bill requires an armed forces member who is dishonorably discharged to return the plates to the commissioner within 30 days after the discharge. The commissioner cannot renew veterans' plates for any motor vehicle that a dishonorably discharged member owns or leases.

By law, anyone who fails to surrender a falsely obtained motor vehicle registration or license plate when the motor vehicles commissioner demands it is subject to a fine of up to $200.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage

BACKGROUND

Armed Forces

By law, “armed forces” means the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force and any of their reserve components, including the Connecticut National Guard when under federal service.

COMMITTEE ACTION

Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference

Transportation Committee

Joint Favorable