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F. VEHICLES, LICENSE PLATES

AB 190 Vehicles: veterans: parking. (Karen Bass, Los Angeles) [UPDATED AUGUST 17] [ENROLLED]
DESCRIPTION: Allows a vehicle displaying the following special license plates to be parked free of charge in a metered parking space:
Pearl Harbor Survivor
Legion of Valor
Former American Prisoner of War (POW)
Congressional Medal of Honor
Purple Heart
The bill was amended to require that compliance with this provision by the local authority would be contingent upon the approval of the governing body.

STATUS: Passed Assembly Committee on Human Services March 27, 2007 (vote 5-1). Passed by Committee on Transportation January 17, 2008 (vote 12-0). Passed by Committee on Appropriations January 24 (vote 15-0). Passed by Assembly January 28 (vote 72-1).
In the Senate, passed by the Committee on Transportation and Housing June 17 (vote 9-1). Placed on Suspense File by Committee on Appropriations July 7 (vote 14-0). Passed by Committee on Appropriations August 11 (after amendment) (vote 11-0). Passed by the Senate August 13 (vote 39-0).
Assembly concurred in Senate amendments August 15. Enrolled.

SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: Officially supported by California State Commanders Veterans Council; A Community of Friends (sponsor); Century Housing; Housing California; New Directions, Inc.; Swords to Plowshares; Tenderloin Neighborhood Development.
Officially opposed by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

AB 2557 Vehicles: special license plates. (Chuck DeVore, Irvine. Coauthors: Assembly: Anthony Adams, Monrovia; Sam Blakeslee, San Luis Obispo; Mervyn Dymally, Compton; Cathleen Galgiani, Stockton; Shirley Horton, Lemon Grove; and Anthony Portantino, Pasadena. Coauthor: Senate: Jim Battin, Palm Desert.) [FAILED PASSAGE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPPROPRIATIONS]
DESCRIPTION: Would provide for the issuance of special license plates for an active member of the California National Guard who furnishes a certificate provided by the Adjutant General and would exempt these license plates from the payment of a $40 application fee and a $30 transfer fee.
NOTE: The Assembly Committee on Appropriations placed an estimated cost of this bill in the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year at $1.465 million, and additional millions of dollars in future years. The Committee Consultant based this cost on an estimate that 75 percent of the 21,000 active members of the California National Guard would apply for the license plates.

STATUS: Passed by Assembly Committee on Transportation April 7 (vote 10-0). Placed on Suspense File by Assembly Committee on Appropriations April 23. Held under submission May 22.

SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: Officially supported by the California State Commanders Veterans Council; Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California.

AB 2896 Vehicles: special license plates. (~~Nell Soto, Ontario~~ Sally Lieber, Mountain View. Coauthors: Wilmer Carter, Rialto; Mark DeSaulnier, Martinez; Catherine Galgiani, Tracy; Martin Garrick, Carlsbad; Shirley Horton, Lemon Grove; Bob Huff, Diamond Bar.) [FAILED PASSAGE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS]
DESCRIPTION: Would authorize a surviving family member of a person who was killed in action in military service to have a special license plate with the Gold Star and the inscription, "Gold Star Family."
Note: These license plates would be issued under the environmental license plate program which requires a special application fee of $40 and an annual renewal fee of $30 in addition to the normal registration and license plate fees for the vehicle.
Also note: This same bill was introduced last year in both the Assembly and the Senate but failed to approved by committees in either house.
Note: Once again this year, there will be two bills on the subject. SB 1455 is being introduced in the Senate on the same subject. Last year, there was a similar situation but neither bill was allowed to come out of Committee in the House of origin.

STATUS: Passed by Assembly Committee on Transportation April 14 (vote 12-0, with 2 abstentions.) Referred to Suspense File by Committee on Appropriations May 7. Held under submission May 22.

SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: Officially supported by the California State Commanders Veterans Council.

SB 1229 Vehicles: special license plates: disabled veterans. (Abel Maldonado, San Luis Obispo. [FAILED PASSAGE SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING]
DESCRIPTION: Would provide for the issuance of special license plates for a veteran who has suffered a service-connected disability while serving with the Armed Forces of the United States, and whose disability has been rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs as permanent and total.

SB 1455 ~~Disabled person and disabled veteran~~ Vehicles: special license plates. (Dave Cogdill, Fresno; and Jeff Denham, Modesto. Coauthors Senate: Roy Ashburn, Bakersfield; Gil Cedillo, Los Angeles; Alan Lowenthal, Long Beach; Bob Margett, Glendora; Jenny Oropeza, Long Beach; and Tom Torlakson, Antioch. Coauthors Assembly: John Benoit, Palm Desert; Tom Berryhill, Modesto; Doug LaMalfa, Redding; Bill Maze, Visalia; and Sharon Runner, Lancaster.) [UPDATED AUGUST 17] [ENROLLED]
DESCRIPTION: As currently amended, authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to sponsor a Gold Star Family specialized license plate. The Department would be authorized to establish a fund which would receive donations to offset the costs of the Department of Motor Vehicles for issuing the plates. The applicants for the special license plates would not be required to pay fees for issuance, renewal, replacement, or transfer of the plates.

See also AB 2896, above.

STATUS: Passed by Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing May 5 (vote 9-0, with 4 abstentions). Sent to Floor by Senate Committee on Appropriations May 20. Passed by the Senate May 22 (vote 39-0).
In the Assembly, passed by the Committee on Transportation June 17 (vote 14-0). Passed by Committee on Appropriations July 2 (vote 17-0). Passed by the Assembly August 12 (vote 76-0).
NOTE: It was this same Assembly Committee on Appropriations that killed AB 2896 which was somewhat similar to this bill, and which killed at least two other bills on this subject in past years.
Senate concurred in Assembly amendments August 14. ENROLLED.

SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: Officially supported by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (sponsor); California State Commanders Veterans Council; Blue Star Moms, East Bau Chapter; Marine Corps League, Modesto Detachment.