HBill.html

To amend Article 3 of Chapter 2 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to prestige license plates and special plates for certain persons and vehicles, so as to provide for special license plates for certain motor vehicle owners who are retired members of the armed forces of the United States; to provide for the issuance of one free special license plate to such retired members of the armed forces of the United States; to provide for the issuance of additional special license plates to such retired military members upon the payment of certain fees; to provide procedures; to provide for the transfer of license plates to other motor vehicles under certain conditions; to provide that a retired member of the armed forces who obtains a free license plate pursuant to the provisions of this Act shall not be eligible for or entitled to a free license plate under certain other provisions of law; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Article 3 of Chapter 2 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to prestige license plates and special plates for certain persons and vehicles, is amended by adding between Code Sections 40_2_66 and 40_2_67 a new Code Section 40_2_66.1 to read as follows:
"40_2_66.1.
(a) Motor vehicle owners who are retired members from a branch of the armed forces of the United States, upon application for license plates and upon compliance with the state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles as prescribed under Article 2 of this chapter, shall be issued, free of charge, a license plate as prescribed in that article for private passenger cars, motorcycles, or trucks used for personal transportation. Each retired member of the armed forces shall be entitled to no more than one such free plate at a time; provided, however, that, upon payment of the regular license fee provided for in Code Section 48_10_2 and a manufacturing fee of $25.00, a member shall be entitled to one additional such license plate. For each additional license plate for which an initial $25.00 fee was required, there shall be an additional annual registration fee of $25.00 which fee shall be collected by the county tag agent at the time of collection of other registration fees and shall be remitted to the state as provided in Code Section 40_2_34. Additional words or symbols, in addition to the numbers and letters prescribed by law, shall be inscribed upon such license plates as to identify distinctly the owner as a retired member of the armed forces. A retired member of the armed forces eligible for a license plate under this Code section shall present approved documentation supporting the member´s retired membership status with the armed forces to the tax commissioner of the county in which the member retired from the armed forces applies for the special license plate under this Code section and upon subsequent reregistration for each succeeding year.
(b) Upon transfer of the ownership of a private passenger vehicle upon which there is a license plate authorized under subsection (a) of this Code section and acquisition by the retired member of the armed forces of another motor vehicle, the license plate issued pursuant to this Code section shall be placed on such newly acquired motor vehicle and such retired member shall notify the commissioner of such transfer of the license plate to such newly acquired motor vehicle in such manner as the commissioner may prescribe by regulation and shall pay a transfer and cancellation fee of $5.00 and shall also pay license fees in an amount, if any, that the license fee for the newly acquired vehicle exceeds the license fee of the original vehicle. No transfer or cancellation fee shall be charged for the transfer of free retired military members license plates. There shall be a transfer and cancellation fee of $5.00 for the transfer of any other retired military license plate.
(c) The commissioner shall make such rules and regulations as necessary to enforce compliance with all state license laws relating to the use and operation of a private passenger car before issuing retired military members license plates in lieu of the regular Georgia license plates, and all applications for such plates shall be made to the commissioner. The commissioner is specifically authorized to make all rules and regulations necessary to make adequate provision for instances where such vehicles have been transferred or sold. Except as provided in subsection (b) of this Code section, such plates shall be nontransferable.
(d) A retired member of the armed forces who obtains a free license plate pursuant to the provisions of this Code section shall not be eligible for or entitled to a free license plate under any other provisions of this article."