Senate Bill sb1954c1
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1954
By the Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs, Base
Protection, and Spaceports; and Senator Bennett
301-2217-03
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to specialty license plates;
3 creating s. 320.0891, F.S.; creating the U.S.
4 Paratroopers license plate; restricting
5 eligibility to purchase such plates; amending
6 s. 320.089, F.S.; creating the Valor license
7 plate; providing for the distribution of annual
8 use fees received from the sale of such plates;
9 providing an effective date.
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11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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13 Section 1. Section 320.0891, Florida Statutes, is
14 created to read:
15 320.0891 U.S. Paratroopers license plate.--
16 (1) The department shall develop a U.S. Paratroopers
17 license plate as provided in this section. The U.S.
18 Paratroopers license plate must bear the colors and design
19 approved by the department. The word "Florida" must appear at
20 the top of the plate, and the words "U.S. Paratroopers" must
21 appear at the bottom of the plate. The Airborne Wings and
22 Glider Wings logo must appear in black on the left side of the
23 plate, centered from top to bottom. The plate must have a
24 white background with red and blue letters or numbers.
25 (2) U.S. Paratroopers license plates may only be
26 purchased by current or former United States military
27 personnel who, as part of their military duty, have been
28 trained to jump from flying aircraft.
29 (3) Each owner or lessee of an automobile or truck for
30 private use, truck weighing not more than 7,999 pounds, or
31 recreational vehicle as specified in s. 320.08(9)(c) or (d),
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1954
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1 which is not used for hire or commercial use, who is a
2 resident of this state and who meets the qualifications
3 contained in subsection (2) shall, upon application therefor
4 to the department, with the payment of the taxes and fees
5 described in subsection (5), be issued a U.S. Paratroopers
6 license plate. Each application must be accompanied by proof
7 that the applicant has been decorated as a parachutist or has
8 completed the U.S. Army Jump School.
9 (4) The department is responsible for developing the
10 license plate authorized in this section. The department shall
11 begin production and distribution within one year.
12 (5) Each request must be made annually to the
13 department, accompanied by the following tax and fees:
14 (a) The license tax required for the vehicle as set
15 forth in s. 320.08.
16 (b) A processing fee of $2.
17 (c) A license plate fee as required under s.
18 320.06(1)(b).
19 (d) A license plate annual use fee of $20.
20 (6) The department shall retain all annual use fee
21 revenues from the sale of the U.S. Paratroopers license plates
22 until all startup costs for developing and issuing the plates
23 are recovered, not to exceed $60,000. Thereafter, the annual
24 use fee revenues shall be distributed to the State Homes for
25 Veterans Trust Fund.
26 Section 2. Section 320.089, Florida Statutes, is
27 amended to read:
28 320.089 Limited-issue specialty Members of National
29 Guard and active United States Armed Forces reservists; former
30 prisoners of war; survivors of Pearl Harbor; Purple Heart
31 medal recipients; special license plates; fee.--
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1954
301-2217-03
1 (1) MEMBERS OF NATIONAL GUARD AND ACTIVE UNITED STATES
2 ARMED FORCES RESERVISTS; SURVIVORS OF PEARL HARBOR; PURPLE
3 HEART MEDAL RECIPIENTS.--
4 (a) Each owner or lessee of an automobile or truck for
5 private use or recreational vehicle as specified in s.
6 320.08(9)(c) or (d), which is not used for hire or commercial
7 use, who is a resident of the state and an active or retired
8 member of the Florida National Guard, a survivor of the attack
9 on Pearl Harbor, a recipient of the Purple Heart medal, or an
10 active member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces
11 Reserve shall, upon application to the department, accompanied
12 by proof of active membership or retired status in the Florida
13 National Guard, proof of membership in the Pearl Harbor
14 Survivors Association or proof of active military duty in
15 Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, proof of being a Purple
16 Heart medal recipient, or proof of active membership in any
17 branch of the Armed Forces Reserve, and upon payment of the
18 license tax for the vehicle as provided in s. 320.08, be
19 issued a license plate as provided by s. 320.06, upon which,
20 in lieu of the serial numbers prescribed by s. 320.06, shall
21 be stamped the words "National Guard," "Pearl Harbor
22 Survivor," "Combat-wounded veteran," or "U.S. Reserve," as
23 appropriate, followed by the serial number of the license
24 plate. Additionally, the Purple Heart plate may have the words
25 "Purple Heart" stamped on the plate and the likeness of the
26 Purple Heart medal appearing on the plate.
27 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
28 contrary, beginning with fiscal year 2002-2003 and annually
29 thereafter, the first $100,000 in general revenue generated
30 from the sale of license plates issued under this section
31 which are stamped with the words "National Guard," "Pearl
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1954
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1 Harbor Survivor," "Combat-wounded veteran," or "U.S. Reserve"
2 shall be deposited into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund,
3 as described in s. 296.38(2), to be used for the purposes
4 established by law for that trust fund.
5 (c) Notwithstanding any provisions of law to the
6 contrary, an applicant for a Pearl Harbor Survivor license
7 plate or a Purple Heart license plate who also qualifies for a
8 disabled veteran's license plate under s. 320.084 shall be
9 issued the appropriate special license plate without payment
10 of the license tax imposed by s. 320.08.
11 (2) FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR.--Each owner or lessee of
12 an automobile or truck for private use, truck weighing not
13 more than 7,999 pounds, or recreational vehicle as specified
14 in s. 320.08(9)(c) or (d), which is not used for hire or
15 commercial use, who is a resident of the state and who is a
16 former prisoner of war, or their unremarried surviving spouse,
17 shall, upon application therefor to the department, be issued
18 a license plate as provided in s. 320.06, on which license
19 plate are stamped the words "Ex-POW" followed by the serial
20 number. Each application shall be accompanied by proof that
21 the applicant meets the qualifications specified in paragraph
22 (a) or paragraph (b).
23 (a) A citizen of the United States who served as a
24 member of the Armed Forces of the United States or the armed
25 forces of a nation allied with the United States who was held
26 as a prisoner of war at such time as the Armed Forces of the
27 United States were engaged in combat, or their unremarried
28 surviving spouse, may be issued the special license plate
29 provided for in this subsection without payment of the license
30 tax imposed by s. 320.08.
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1954
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1 (b) A person who was serving as a civilian with the
2 consent of the United States Government, or a person who was a
3 member of the Armed Forces of the United States who was not a
4 United States citizen and was held as a prisoner of war when
5 the Armed Forces of the United States were engaged in combat,
6 or their unremarried surviving spouse, may be issued the
7 special license plate provided for in this subsection upon
8 payment of the license tax imposed by s. 320.08.
9 (3) PURPLE HEART MEDAL RECIPIENTS SURVIVING
10 SPOUSES.--Each owner or lessee of an automobile or truck for
11 private use, truck weighing not more than 7,999 pounds, or
12 recreational vehicle as specified in s. 320.08(9)(c) or (d),
13 which is not used for hire or commercial use, who is a
14 resident of this state and who is the unremarried surviving
15 spouse of a recipient of the Purple Heart medal shall, upon
16 application therefor to the department, with the payment of
17 the required fees, be issued a license plate as provided in s.
18 320.06, on which license plate are stamped the words "Purple
19 Heart" and the likeness of the Purple Heart medal followed by
20 the serial number. Each application shall be accompanied by
21 proof that the applicant is the unremarried surviving spouse
22 of a recipient of the Purple Heart medal.
23 (4) VALOR DECORATION.--Each owner or lessee of an
24 automobile or truck for private use or recreational vehicle as
25 specified in s. 320.08(9)(c) or (d), which is not used for
26 hire or commercial use, who is a resident of the state and the
27 recipient of a military decoration for valor shall, upon
28 application to the department and upon payment of the
29 applicable license taxes and a $20 use fee, be issued a
30 license plate as provided by s. 320.06. Each application shall
31 be accompanied by a written military order or other official
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1954
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1 document that proves that the applicant is the recipient of a
2 military decoration for valor.
3 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
4 department shall develop a Valor license plate as provided in
5 this subsection. Valor license plates must bear the colors and
6 design approved by the department. The word "Florida" must
7 appear at the top of the plate and the word "Valor" must
8 appear at the bottom of the plate.
9 (b) The proceeds of the annual use fee shall be
10 deposited in the Grants and Donations Trust Fund and used as
11 provided in s. 296.38.
12 Section 3. This act shall take effect October 1, 2003.
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14 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
15 Senate Bill 1954
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17 Codifies the "U.S. Paratroopers" license plate in a new
section.
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Provides for the creation of a "Valor" license plate and
19 specifies requirements for issuance.
20 Designates certain license plates with restrictive provisions
as "limited-issue specialty license plates".
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