To authorize Massachusetts Fallen Firefighter Memorial motorcycle license plates
Summary
This bill authorizes the Massachusetts registrar to issue a special distinctive Massachusetts Fallen Firefighter Memorial motorcycle license plate for privately owned motorcycles. The plate would be comparable to the existing Firefighters Memorial license plate for automobiles, and applicants would pay the standard special plate fee.
The bill also directs how the fee revenue is divided: $28 of the $40 special plate fee would support the Massachusetts Fallen Firefighter Memorial, and $12 would go to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for plate manufacturing. The memorial funding would support the statewide memorial at Ashburton Park at the Massachusetts State House, coordinated by the Massachusetts Fallen Firefighter Memorial charitable nonprofit. The act would be known as the Dave Condon Firefighter Memorial License Plate Act.
Impact
The bill would amend Chapter 90 of the Massachusetts General Laws by adding a new section authorizing a new class of specialty motorcycle plates. It would expand the state’s existing memorial plate program from automobiles to privately owned motorcycles and create a dedicated revenue stream for the Massachusetts Fallen Firefighter Memorial, while also providing funding to MassDOT for production costs. The measure affects motorcycle owners who choose the plate, the registrar’s plate-issuance duties, MassDOT, and the nonprofit that coordinates the memorial.
Sentiment
The available materials suggest a generally supportive and commemorative purpose, with the bill framed as a tribute to fallen firefighters and specifically named for Dave Condon. There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so there is no evidence of formal opposition or debate in the record supplied. The bill’s tone is ceremonial and fundraising-oriented rather than regulatory or controversial.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential issues that could arise from the bill’s structure include the allocation of a portion of the special plate fee to a nonprofit memorial, the use of state administrative resources to issue the plates, and whether the specialty plate program should be expanded to motorcycles. However, none of these concerns are shown in the available transcripts or votes.