Public Act 095-0353
 		





HB0358 Enrolled
LRB095 04613 DRH 24670 b






    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, 3-620, 3-621, 3-622, 3-623, 3-624, 3-625, 
3-806.1, 3-806.4, and 3-806.5 as follows:
 



    (625 ILCS 5/3-609)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-609)



    Sec. 3-609. Disabled Veterans' Plates. Any disabled 
veteran who has
been or declared eligible for funds for the 
purchase of a motor
vehicle of the first division or for a 
motor vehicle of the second division
weighing not more than 
8,000 pounds by the United States Federal Government
because of 
his disability, may make application for the registration of 
one
such vehicle, to the Secretary of State without the payment 
of any
registration fee. 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.  Registration shall be for a multi-year period effective

in 1980 and may be issued staggered registration.

    Any disabled veteran of World War I, of World War II, of 
the National
Emergency between June 25, 1950 and January 31, 
1955 or of the period
beginning February 1, 1955 and ending on 
the day before the first day
thereafter in which individuals 
(other than individuals liable for
induction by reason of prior 
deferment) are no longer liable for
induction for training and 
service into the armed forces under the
Military Selective 
Service Act of 1967, or of any armed conflict
involving the 
armed forces of the United States, who has a
service-connected  
disability of such a nature that it would, if it had
been 
incurred in World War II, have entitled him to be awarded an

automobile by the United States Federal Government, or who is 
receiving
compensation from the Veterans Administration for 
total service-connected
disability, may make application to 
the Secretary of State for the
registration of one motor 
vehicle of the first division without
accompanying such 
application with the payment of any fee.

    Renewal of such registration must be accompanied with 
documentation
for eligibility of registration without fee 
unless the applicant has a
permanent qualifying disability, and 
such registration plates may not be
issued to any person not 
eligible therefor.

    The Illinois Veterans Commission may assist in providing 
the
documentation of disability.

(Source: P.A. 86-444; 87-895.)

 



    (625 ILCS 5/3-620)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-620)



    Sec. 3-620. The Secretary, upon receipt of an application 
made on the
form prescribed by the Secretary of State, may 
issue special registration
plates  to United States citizens, 
who are present or former
members of the United States armed 
forces or any of its allies, and
who were prisoners of war of 
World War I, World War II, the
Korean Conflict, and the 
Vietnamese conflict,
or to the widowed spouse of a former 
member of the United States armed
forces, providing that 
widowed spouse was married to the POW at the time
of death, and 
is a single person at the time of application.  The special

plates issued pursuant to this Section shall be affixed only to 
passenger
vehicles of the first division subject to the

staggered registration
system, motorcycles, and vehicles of 
the second division having a gross
weight of 8,000
pounds or 
less and shall be issued
without charge.  Only one set of plates 
may be issued at no fee.

    The design and color of the prisoner of war 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 or personalized plates in accordance with 
Section 3-405.1 of this Code.


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

 



    (625 ILCS 5/3-621)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-621)



    Sec. 3-621. The Secretary, upon receipt of an application, 
made in the
form prescribed by the Secretary of State, may 
issue to
members of the Illinois
National Guard, and to 
Illinois residents who are either former members of
the 
Illinois National Guard or the surviving spouses of
Illinois 
National Guard members, special registration plates.  The 
special
plates issued
pursuant to 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 subject to the staggered registration system.

    The design and color of such 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 
or personalized plates in accordance with Section 3-405.1 of 
this Code.


(Source: P.A. 92-545, eff. 6-12-02; 92-699, 1-1-03; revised 
8-23-02.)

 



    (625 ILCS 5/3-622)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-622)



    Sec. 3-622. The Secretary, upon receipt of an application 
made in the
form prescribed by the Secretary of State, may 
issue to
members of the
United States Armed Forces Reserves who 
reside in Illinois, and to Illinois
residents who are either 
former members of the United States Armed Forces
Reserves or 
the surviving spouses of United States Armed Forces Reserve

members who resided in Illinois, special
registration plates.  
The special plates issued pursuant to 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
subject
to the staggered 
registration system.  The design and color of such 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 or personalized plates in accordance with 
Section 3-405.1 of this Code.


(Source: P.A. 92-545, eff. 6-12-02; 92-699, eff. 1-1-03; 
revised 8-23-02.)

 


    (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 application 
applications, may also issue these special registration plates 
to an Illinois resident who is the surviving spouse of a person 
who was killed in a foreign war and 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 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. 93-846, eff. 7-30-04; 94-93, eff. 1-1-06; 94-343, 
eff. 1-1-06; revised 10-20-05.)

 



    (625 ILCS 5/3-624)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-624)



    Sec. 3-624. The Secretary, upon receipt of an application 
made in the
form prescribed by the Secretary of State, may 
issue to retired members of
the United States Armed Forces who 
reside in Illinois, special
registration plates.  The special 
plates issued pursuant to 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
and subject to the staggered registration system.  The 
design and color of
such 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 or 
personalized plates  in accordance with Section 3-405.1 of this 
Code.


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

 



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



    Sec. 3-625. Pearl Harbor Plates. The Secretary, upon 
receipt of an
application made in the form prescribed by the 
Secretary of State, may
issue special registration plates to 
any Illinois resident who, while a
member of the armed forces 
of the United States, participated in the battle
of Pearl 
Harbor on December 7, 1941, or to the widowed spouse of any 
Illinois
resident who, while a member of the armed forces of 
the United States,
participated in the battle of Pearl Harbor 
on December 7, 1941, provided that
the widowed spouse was 
married to the battle of Pearl Harbor participant at the
time 
of the participant's death and is a single person at the time 
of
application.  The special plates issued pursuant to
this 
Section should be affixed only to passenger vehicles of the 1st

division, 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 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.

(Source: P.A. 92-545, eff. 6-12-02; 92-699, eff. 1-1-03; 
revised 8-23-02.)

 



    (625 ILCS 5/3-806.1)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 3-806.1)



    Sec. 3-806.1. Additional fees for vanity license plates. In 
addition to
the regular registration fee, an applicant for a 
vanity license plate, other than a vanity plate in any military 
series   or a vanity plate issued under Section 3-806.4, shall be 
charged $94
for each set of vanity license plates issued to a 
motor vehicle of the first
division or a motor vehicle of the 
second division registered at not more than
8,000 pounds or to 
a recreational vehicle and $50 for each set of
vanity plates 
issued to a motorcycle.  In addition to the regular renewal fee,

an applicant for a vanity plate, other than a vanity plate in 
any military series   or a vanity plate issued under Section 
3-806.4, shall be charged $13 for the renewal of each set of

vanity license plates. There shall be no additional fees for a 
vanity license plate in any military series of plates   or a 
vanity plate issued under Section 3-806.4.


(Source: P.A. 91-37, eff. 7-1-99.)

 



    (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. 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. Through the 2006 registration year, 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. Beginning with the 2007 registration year, an 
applicant shall be charged only the appropriate registration 
fee.


(Source: P.A. 93-140, eff. 1-1-04; 94-311, eff. 1-1-06; 94-343, 
eff. 1-1-06; revised 8-19-05.)

 



    (625 ILCS 5/3-806.5)



    Sec. 3-806.5. Additional fees for personalized license 
plates. For
registration periods commencing after December 31, 
2003, in addition to the
regular registration fee, an applicant 
for a personalized license plate, other than a personalized 
plate in any military series   or a personalized  plate issued 
under Section 3-806.4, shall be charged $47 for each set of

personalized license plates issued to a motor vehicle of the 
first division or
a motor vehicle of the second division 
registered at not more than 8,000 pounds
or to a recreational 
vehicle and $25 for each set of personalized plates issued
to a 
motorcycle.  In addition to the regular renewal fee, an 
applicant for a personalized plate other than a personalized 
plate in any military series   or a personalized  plate issued 
under Section 3-806.4, shall be
charged $7 for the renewal of 
each set of personalized license plates. There shall be no 
additional fees charged for a personalized plate in any 
military series of plates   or a personalized  plate issued under 
Section 3-806.4.  Of the
money received by the Secretary of 
State as additional fees for personalized
license plates, 50% 
shall be deposited into the Secretary of State Special
License 
Plate Fund and 50% shall be deposited into the General Revenue 
Fund.

(Source: P.A. 93-32, eff. 7-1-03.)