Public Act 0343 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1666 Enrolled LRB094 10886 DRH 41434 b

Public Act 094-0343

AN ACT concerning transportation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by changing Sections 3-609.1, 3-623, 3-628, 3-642, and 3-806.4 as follows:

(625 ILCS 5/3-609.1) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-609.1)

Sec. 3-609.1. Congressional Medal of Honor plates. Any resident of the State of Illinois who has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, or an Illinois resident who is the surviving spouse of a person who was awarded the Medal of Honor, may make application for the registration of a motor vehicle owned solely or in part by such recipient, to the Secretary of State without the payment of any registration fee. Registration shall be for a multi-year period effective from issuance. The Secretary of State shall furnish at his office at no cost to such Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, plates bearing up to 3 letters designating the recipient's initials followed by the letters C M H signifying the Congressional Medal of Honor. The plate shall be suitable for attachment to a motor vehicle or motorcycle registered under this Code.

(Source: P.A. 92-545, eff. 6-12-02.)

(625 ILCS 5/3-623) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-623)

Sec. 3-623. Purple Heart Plates. The Secretary, upon receipt of an application made in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State, may issue to recipients awarded the Purple Heart by a branch of the armed forces of the United States who reside in Illinois, special registration plates. The Secretary, upon receipt of the proper applications, may also issue these special registration plates to an Illinois resident who is the surviving spouse of a person who was awarded the Purple Heart by a branch of the armed forces of the United States. The special plates issued pursuant to this Section should be affixed only to passenger vehicles of the 1st division, including motorcycles, or motor vehicles of the 2nd division weighing not more than 8,000 pounds.

The design and color of such plates shall be wholly within the discretion of the Secretary of State. Appropriate documentation, as determined by the Secretary, and the appropriate registration fee shall accompany the application. However, for an individual who has been issued Purple Heart plates for a vehicle and who has been approved for benefits under the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act, the annual fee for the registration of the vehicle shall be as provided in Section 3-806.3 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 92-82, eff. 1-1-02; 92-699, eff. 1-1-03; 93-846, eff. 7-30-04.)

(625 ILCS 5/3-628)

Sec. 3-628. Bronze Star plates.

(a) Beginning January 1, 1996, in addition to any other special license plate, the Secretary, upon receipt of all applicable fees and applications made in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State, may issue special registration plates to residents of Illinois who have been awarded the Bronze Star by the United States Armed Forces. The Secretary, upon receipt of the proper applications and fees, may also issue these special registration plates to an Illinois resident who is the surviving spouse of a person who was awarded the Bronze Star by a branch of the armed forces of the United States. The special plate issued under this Section shall be affixed only to passenger vehicles of the first division, motorcycles, or motor vehicles of the second division weighing not more than 8,000 pounds. Plates issued under this Section shall expire according to the staggered multi-year procedure established by Section 3-414.1 of this Code.

(b) The design, color, and format of the plates shall be wholly within the discretion of the Secretary of State. The Secretary may, in his or her discretion, allow the plates to be issued as vanity plates or personalized in accordance with Section 3-405.1 of this Code. The plates are not required to designate "Land Of Lincoln", as prescribed in subsection (b) of Section 3-412 of this Code. The Secretary shall prescribe the eligibility requirements and, in his or her discretion, shall approve and prescribe stickers or decals as provided under Section 3-412.

(c) (Blank).

(Source: P.A. 92-545, eff. 6-12-02; 93-140, eff. 1-1-04; 93-937, eff. 1-1-05.)

(625 ILCS 5/3-642)

Sec. 3-642. Silver Star plates.

(a) The Secretary, upon receipt of all applicable fees and applications made in the form prescribed by the Secretary, may issue special registration plates to residents of Illinois who have been awarded the Silver Star by the United States Armed Forces. The Secretary, upon receipt of the proper applications and fees, may also issue these special registration plates to an Illinois resident who is the surviving spouse of a person who was awarded the Silver Star by a branch of the armed forces of the United States. The special plate issued under this Section shall be affixed only to passenger vehicles of the first division, motorcycles, or motor vehicles of the second division weighing not more than 8,000 pounds. Plates issued under this Section shall expire according to the staggered multi-year procedure established by Section 3-414.1 of this Code.

(b) The design, color, and format of the plates shall be wholly within the discretion of the Secretary. The Secretary may, in his or her discretion, allow the plates to be issued as vanity plates or personalized in accordance with Section 3-405.1 of this Code. The plates are not required to designate "Land Of Lincoln", as prescribed in subsection (b) of Section 3-412 of this Code. The Secretary shall prescribe the eligibility requirements and, in his or her discretion, shall approve and prescribe stickers or decals as provided under Section 3-412.

(c) (Blank).

(Source: P.A. 92-545, eff. 6-12-02; 93-140, eff. 1-1-04; 93-937, eff. 1-1-05.)

(625 ILCS 5/3-806.4) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-806.4)

Sec. 3-806.4. Gold Star recipients. Commencing with the 1991 registration year and through the 2006 registration year, upon proper application, the Secretary of State shall issue one pair of registration plates to any Illinois resident, who as the surviving widow or widower, or in the absence thereof, as the surviving parent, is awarded the Gold Star by the United States in recognition of spouses or children who served in the Armed Forces of the United States and lost their lives while in service whether in peacetime or war. Commencing with the 2007 registration year, upon proper application, the Secretary of State shall issue one pair of registration plates to any Illinois resident, who as the surviving widow, widower, or parent, is awarded the Gold Star by the United States in recognition of spouses or children who served in the Armed Forces of the United States and lost their lives while in service whether in peacetime or war. If the parent no longer survives, the Secretary of State shall issue the plates to a surviving sibling, of the person who served in the Armed Forces, who is an Illinois resident. No more than one set of plates shall be issued for each Gold Star awarded, and only one surviving parent, or in the absence of a surviving parent, only one surviving sibling shall be issued a set of registration plates, except for those surviving parents who, as recipients of the Gold Star, have legally separated or divorced, in which case each surviving parent shall be allowed one set of registration plates. Registration plates issued under this Section shall be for first division vehicles and second division vehicles of 8,000 pounds or less. An applicant shall be charged a $15 fee for the original issuance in addition to the appropriate registration fee which shall be deposited into the Road Fund to help defray the administrative processing costs.

(Source: P.A. 93-140, eff. 1-1-04.)

Effective Date: 1/1/2006