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

Sec. 3-623. Purple Heart Plates.

(a) 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 application, 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 Secretary may, in his or her discretion, allow the plates to be issued as vanity or personalized plates in accordance with Section 3-405.1 of this Code. The Secretary of State must make a version of the special registration plates authorized under this Section in a form appropriate for motorcycles.

(b) 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, except:

(1) a person eligible to be issued Purple Heart plates may display the plates on one vehicle without the payment of any registration or registration renewal fee; and

(2) for an individual who has been issued Purple Heart plates for an additional vehicle and who has been approved for benefits under the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities Property Tax Relief 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. 98-902, eff. 1-1-15; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)