10 LC
34 2407
House
Bill 1012
By:
Representative Horne of the
71st
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To
amend Code Section 40-2-86.18 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to special license plates for family members of service members killed
in action, so as to expand the definition of family member; to provide for the
purchase of additional license plates by a family member; to provide for related
matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Code
Section 40-2-86.18 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
special license plates for family members of service members killed in action,
is amended by revising subsections (a), (d), (f), and (g) as
follows:
"(a)
There shall
be issued beginning July 1, 2007, special
Special
license plates honoring the family members of service members who have been
killed in action while serving in the armed forces of the United States
shall be
issued in this state. The license plate
shall be officially designated as the Gold Star license
plate."
"(d)
On
and after July 1, 2007, any
Any
motor vehicle owner who is a resident of Georgia, other than one registering
under the International Registration Plan, upon complying with state laws
relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles shall be issued such a
special license plate upon application therefor. Special license plates issued
under this Code section shall be renewed annually with a revalidation decal as
provided in Code Section 40-2-31.
One Gold
Star license plate per eligible family member is free of charge,
after
Upon
payment of all ad valorem taxes and other fees due at registration of a motor
vehicle an
eligible family member may apply for a Gold Star license
plate. In order to qualify as
a
an
eligible family member, the person must be
directly related to the fallen service member as a spouse
or legal
mother or
father,
mother, father, sibling, or step-parent.
One free
license plate shall be allowed for the spouse, mother, and father, and they may
purchase additional license plates for each motor vehicle they register in this
state. Siblings and step-parents may purchase Gold Star license plates for
motor vehicles registered in this state. The cost of a Gold Star license plate
shall be established by the department, but shall not exceed the cost of other
specialty license plates. If a Gold Star
license plate is lost, damaged, or stolen, the eligible family member must pay
the reasonable cost, to be established by the department, but not to exceed the
cost of other specialty license plates, to replace the Gold Star license
plate."
"(f)
The
A
free Gold Star license plate shall be
issued only to
family
members
the spouse,
mother, and father of service members who
resided in Georgia at the time of the death of the service member.
However, an
eligible family member who was not a resident of Georgia at the time of the
death of the service member may purchase a Gold Star license plate, at a cost to
be established by the department, not to exceed the cost of other specialty
license plates.
(g)
Renewal decals shall be issued at no cost to
the
eligible family member
any person
that received a free license plate under the provisions of this Code
section upon the payment of ad valorem
taxes and other registration fees, provided that the renewal is applied for on
or within 30 days prior to the renewal date of the eligible
family
member
person.
If the eligible
family
member
person
fails to renew within such time, he or she shall pay a standard renewal fee and
be subject to the standard penalties for late payment of ad valorem taxes due on
the motor vehicle."
SECTION
2.
This
Act shall become effective on July 1, 2010.
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.