RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION FEES
Summary
S2418 amends Rhode Island’s motor vehicle registration fee law for disabled veterans. It expands eligibility for “Disabled Veteran” registration plates and the related fee exemption to include veterans who are 75 years of age or older and have a combined service-connected disability rating of 70%, in addition to existing categories such as veterans with certain amputations, loss of use of limbs, a 100% service-connected disability rating, or a finding of individual unemployability. The bill also preserves the existing authority for eligible veterans to receive the special plates for an automobile or qualifying commercial vehicle.
The measure further provides that the annual registration and license-to-operate fees are waived for eligible veterans, and that upon the death of the plate holder, the plates may be transferred to a surviving spouse for life or until remarriage. The act takes effect upon passage.
Impact
The bill would amend Section 31-6-8 of the Rhode Island General Laws, broadening the class of veterans who qualify for disabled veteran registration plates and fee exemptions. It affects the Division of Motor Vehicles’ plate issuance and fee collection practices, and it may reduce registration fee revenue while increasing access to veteran benefits for older disabled veterans and their surviving spouses.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong bipartisan or at least unanimous support, as the bill passed the Senate 36-0. No committee transcript is available, but the bill’s purpose is framed as a veteran benefit expansion, which typically draws favorable sentiment. The absence of recorded opposition in the provided materials indicates broad agreement on the measure’s intent.
Contention
No specific committee debate or opposition is included in the record provided, so there are no documented points of contention. Potential policy questions implied by the bill include whether age should be used as an additional eligibility criterion for a disability-based benefit and whether the expanded exemption should apply to all qualifying veterans with a 70% rating at age 75 or older. The bill also leaves unchanged the existing requirement for certification or satisfactory documentation from the Veterans’ Administration or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Includes an individual who is seventy-five (75) years of age or older with a combined disability rating of fifty percent (50%), as eligible for disabled veterans license plates.
Establishes a system of electronic registration and titling of motor vehicles. Rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this chapter to be promulgated by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles.
Empowers the division of motor vehicles to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.
Provides that when a registrant voluntarily cancels the registrant's motor vehicle registration, that person receives a credit for the time remaining on the original registration to be applied to a future registration.
Establishes a system of electronic registration and titling of motor vehicles. Rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this chapter would be promulgated by the administrator of the division of motor vehicles.