THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY PAYNE, GEIST, HESS, BARRAR, BOYD, GABLER, GROVE, KNOWLES, METZGAR, MILLER, MOUL, O'NEILL, PEIFER, PYLE, REICHLEY, ROCK, VULAKOVICH, MARSHALL AND DENLINGER, JANUARY 21, 2011

AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, MARCH 7, 2011   

AN ACT

Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

Statutes, further providing for the registered gross weight

limit of certain registration plates.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Sections 1307(a.1), 1338(a)(9), 1341, 1342(a),

(c) and (d), 1346, 1348, 1350, 1350.1, 1351, 1352, 1353,

1354(a), 1355, 1356, 1357, 1358, 1359(a), 1360, 1362, 1363, 1364

and 1365(a) of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

Statutes are amended to read:

§ 1307.  Period of registration.

* * *

(a.1)  Seasonal registration.--Upon application on a form

prescribed by the department, the owner or lessee of a passenger

car, recreational motor vehicle, motorcycle, truck [or], farm

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vehicle or antique, classic and collectible vehicle which does

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not have a gross vehicle weight rating of more than [10,000] 

14,000 pounds may register the vehicle with the department for a

period of successive months of less than one year. The applicant

shall specify the period of months during which the vehicle

shall be registered. Except when the department initially

converts a currently valid annual registration to a seasonal

registration, the annual fee prescribed for the vehicle by

Chapter 19 (relating to fees) shall be paid in full by the

applicant regardless of the number of months chosen for

registration by the applicant. Upon receipt of the appropriate

fee and the properly completed form, including all information

required by this chapter, the department shall issue a seasonal

registration that shall expire on the last day of the expiration

month chosen by the registrant. No insurer of a vehicle

belonging to any owner or lessee who obtains a seasonal

registration and who applies for or receives a reduced

automobile insurance premium on account thereof shall be

required to provide any contractual coverage, whether in the

form of the provision of a defense or the payment of first-party

or third-party benefits or otherwise, to the owner or lessee in

connection with any event occurring during that part of the year

in which the vehicle is not registered; and such owner or lessee

shall be treated for all purposes, including, without

limitation, ascertaining rights to stack coverages and to

uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, as a person who

does not own that vehicle and has no duty to carry financial

responsibility on it for that part of the year.

* * *

§ 1338.  Person with disability plate and placard.

(a)  Person with disability plate.--On the application of any

person who:

* * *

(9)  is a person in loco parentis of a person specified

in paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7) or (8);

the department shall issue a special registration plate for one

passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight of not

more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds, designating the vehicle so

licensed as being used by a person with a disability. Special

plates for persons with disabilities may also be issued for

vehicles operated exclusively for the use and benefit of persons

with disabilities. In the case of a motorcycle, the department

shall issue a decal containing the international symbol for

access for persons with disabilities for display on the

registration plate.

* * *

§ 1341.  Special registration plates generally.

Upon request by the applicant, the department may issue

registration plates consisting of any combination of numbers,

letters or numbers and letters. These special plates may be

issued for special groups or for special purposes and bear an

appropriate designation. Special groups may charge a fee for

authorization to request a registration plate bearing the name

of the group. They shall have the same force and effect as

regular registration plates. The department may refuse any

combination of letters and numbers for cause and shall adopt

reasonable rules and regulations for the issuance of the plates

and for carrying out the provisions of this section. The

applicant shall comply with all laws and regulations pertaining

to registration including the payment of any additional fees.

The department is authorized to reissue a combination of numbers

or letters for a personal plate if the department records reveal

that no activity, such as renewal or transfer of the personal

registration plate, has occurred for a period of five or more

consecutive years and provided that the personal registration

plate was never reported as lost or stolen. Whenever the

department reissues an inactive personal plate, the department

may purge its records of all references to the previous owners

of that personal plate. The department shall, however, note upon

its records the reissuance of the personal plate and to whom the

plate was issued. The special registration plate may be used

only on a passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight

of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds. If the vehicle is

licensed to a business that is not a member of the special

group, the department shall issue the plate as long as the

business owner or officer making application is a member of that

group.

§ 1342.  Veteran plates and placard.

(a)  Severely disabled veteran plate.--On the application of

a veteran whose service-connected disability is certified at

100% by the service unit of the armed forces in which the

veteran served or by the United States Veterans' Administration

or who has a service-connected disability of the type enumerated

in section 1338 (relating to person with disability plate and

placard), the department shall issue a special registration

plate designating the vehicle as belonging to a severely

disabled veteran. The registration plate shall have a white

background, shall have blue numbers or letters as the department

may determine, shall have the words "disabled veteran" in at

least ten-point bold type inscribed in red at the bottom of the

plate and shall include the international symbol for access for

persons with disabilities. Only one special registration plate

shall be issued to a veteran under this section. It may be used

only on a passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight

of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds. In the case of a

motorcycle, the department shall issue a decal containing the

international symbol for access for persons with disabilities

and the words "disabled veteran" for display on the registration

plate.

* * *

(c)  Disabled veteran plates.--On the application of any

veteran having a disability certified by the service unit of the

armed forces in which the veteran served or by the United States

Veterans' Administration as service-connected, the department

shall issue a special registration plate designating the vehicle

as belonging to a disabled veteran. The registration plate shall

have a white background, shall have numbers or letters as the

department may determine and shall have the words "disabled

veteran" in at least ten-point bold type inscribed at the bottom

of the plate. Only one special registration plate shall be

issued to a veteran under this section. It may be used only on a

passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight of not

more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

(d)  Prisoner of war plate.--On the application of an ex-

prisoner of war whose imprisonment while in the service of the

armed forces of the United States is certified by the

appropriate branch of the armed forces, the department shall

issue a special registration plate designating the vehicle as

belonging to an ex-prisoner of war. The registration plate shall

contain the letters "POW" and such other numbers or letters as

the department may determine and shall have the words "prisoner

of war" in at least ten-point bold type inscribed at the bottom

of the plate. Only one special registration plate shall be

issued to an ex-prisoner of war under this subsection. The

special registration plate may be used only on a passenger car

or truck with a registered gross weight of not more than

[10,000] 14,000 pounds.

* * *

§ 1346.  Special plates for recipients of Purple Heart.

Upon application of any person who is a recipient of the

Purple Heart, the department shall issue to such person a

special registration plate designating the vehicle so licensed

as belonging to a person who is a recipient of the Purple Heart.

A severely disabled veteran, as described in section 1342(a)

(relating to veteran plates and placard), who is qualified to

receive a plate under this section may also elect to receive a

placard under section 1342(b). The special registration plate

may be used only on a passenger car or truck with a registered

gross weight of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

§ 1348.  Special plates for Pearl Harbor survivors.

Upon application of any person who is a survivor of Pearl

Harbor, accompanied by a fee of $20 which shall be in addition

to the annual registration fee and by such documentation as the

department shall require, the department shall issue to such

person a special registration plate designating the vehicle so

licensed as belonging to a person who is a survivor of Pearl

Harbor. The special registration plate may be used only on a

passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight of not

more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

§ 1350.  Special plates for veterans of Korean War.

Upon application of any person who is a veteran of the Korean

War, accompanied by a fee of $20, which shall be in addition to

the annual registration fee, and by such documentation as the

department shall require, the department shall issue to the

person a special registration plate designating the vehicle so

licensed as belonging to a person who is a veteran of the Korean

War. The special registration plate may be used only on a

passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight of not

more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

§ 1350.1.  Special plates for recipients of Korean Defense

Service Medal.

Upon application of any person who is a recipient of the

Korean Defense Service Medal, accompanied by a fee of $20 which

shall be in addition to the annual registration fee and by such

documentation as the department shall require, the department

shall issue to the person a special registration plate

designating the vehicle so licensed as belonging to a person who

is a recipient of the Korean Defense Service Medal. The

department shall design and produce the special registration

plate. The special registration plate may be used only on a

passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight of not

more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

§ 1351.  Special plates for veterans of Persian Gulf War.

Upon application of any person who is a veteran of the

Persian Gulf War, accompanied by a fee of $20, which shall be in

addition to the annual registration fee, and by such

documentation as the department shall require, the department

shall issue to the person a special registration plate

designating the vehicle so licensed as belonging to a person who

is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. The special registration

plate may be used only on a passenger car or truck with a

registered gross weight of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

§ 1352.  Wild resource conservation plate.

The department, in consultation with the Wild Resource

Conservation Board, shall design a special wild resource

conservation registration plate. Upon application of any person,

accompanied by a fee of $35 which shall be in addition to the

annual registration fee, the department shall issue the plate

for a passenger car, motor home, trailer or truck with a

registered gross weight of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

The Wild Resource Conservation Fund shall receive $15 of each

additional fee for this plate.

§ 1353.  Preserve our heritage registration plate.

The department, in consultation with the Pennsylvania

Historical and Museum Commission, shall design a special

preserve our heritage registration plate. Upon receipt of an

application, accompanied by a fee of $35 which shall be in

addition to the annual registration fee, the department shall

issue the plate for a passenger car, motor home, trailer or

truck with a registered gross weight of not more than [10,000] 

14,000 pounds. The Historical Preservation Fund shall receive

$15 of each additional fee for this plate.

§ 1354.  Flagship Niagara commemorative registration plate.

(a)  Plate.--The department, in consultation with the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, shall design a

Flagship Niagara commemorative registration plate. Upon

application of any person, accompanied by a fee of $35 which

shall be in addition to the annual registration fee, the

department shall issue the plate for a passenger car, motor

home, trailer or truck with a registered gross weight of not

more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

* * *

§ 1355.  Zoological plate.

The department, in consultation with the Pennsylvania

Zoological Council, shall design a special zoological

registration plate. Upon application of any person, accompanied

by a fee of $35 which shall be in addition to the annual

registration fee, the department shall issue the plate for a

passenger car, motor home, trailer or truck with a registered

gross weight of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds. The

Zoological Enhancement Fund shall receive $15 of the fee paid by

the applicant for the plate.

§ 1356.  Special plates for recipients of Expeditionary Forces

Medal.

Upon application of any person who is a recipient of the

Expeditionary Forces Medal, accompanied by a fee of $20 which

shall be in addition to the annual registration fee and by such

documentation as the department shall require, the department

shall issue to such person a special registration plate

designating the vehicle so registered as belonging to a person

who is a recipient of the Expeditionary Forces Medal. The

special registration plate may be used only on a passenger car

or truck with a registered gross weight of not more than

[10,000] 14,000 pounds.

§ 1357.  Special plates for World War II veterans.

Upon application of any person who is a veteran of World War

II, accompanied by a fee of $20 which shall be in addition to

the annual registration fee and by such documentation as the

department shall require, the department shall issue to such

person a special registration plate carrying the symbol of a

ruptured duck designating the vehicle so registered as belonging

to a person who is a veteran of World War II. The special

registration plate may be used only on a passenger car or truck

with a registered gross weight of not more than [10,000] 14,000

pounds.

§ 1358.  DARE plate.

The department, in consultation with the Pennsylvania

Commission on Crime and Delinquency, shall design a special drug

abuse resistance education (DARE) registration plate which

utilizes the DARE logo or slogan in the design. Upon application

of any person, accompanied by a fee of $35 which shall be in

addition to the annual registration fee, the department shall

issue the plate for a passenger car, motor home, trailer or

truck with a registered gross weight of not more than [10,000] 

14,000 pounds. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program shall

receive $15 of each additional fee for this plate.

§ 1359.  Special plates for steelworkers.

(a)  General rule.--Upon application of any person who is a

steelworker, accompanied by a fee of $20 which shall be in

addition to the annual registration fee and by such

documentation as the department shall require, the department

shall issue to such person a special registration plate

designating the vehicle so licensed as belonging to a person who

is a steelworker. The special registration plate may be used

only on a passenger car or a truck with a registered gross

weight of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds. The plate shall

bear the likeness of the official emblem of the American Iron

and Steel Institute.

* * *

§ 1360.  Special plates for veterans of Vietnam Conflict.

Upon application of any person who is a veteran of the

Vietnam Conflict as that term is defined for the awarding of the

Vietnam Service Medal, accompanied by a fee of $20 in addition

to the annual registration fee and by such documentation as the

department shall require, the department shall issue to the

person a special registration plate designating the vehicle so

licensed as belonging to a person who is a veteran of the

Vietnam Conflict. The special registration plate may be used

only on a passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight

of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

§ 1362.  Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans plate.

Upon application of any person who is a veteran of the

liberation or occupation of Iraq, accompanied by a fee of $20

which shall be in addition to the annual registration fee and by

documentation as the department shall require, the department

shall issue to the person a special registration plate

designating the vehicle so licensed as belonging to a person who

is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The special

registration plate may be used only on a passenger car or truck

with a registered gross weight of not more than [10,000] 14,000

pounds.

§ 1363.  Operation Enduring Freedom veterans plate.

Upon application of any person who is a veteran of the

liberation or occupation of Afghanistan, accompanied by a fee of

$20 which shall be in addition to the annual registration fee

and by documentation as the department shall require, the

department shall issue to the person a special registration

plate designating the vehicle so licensed as belonging to a

person who is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. The

special registration plate may be used only on a passenger car

or truck with a registered gross weight of not more than

[10,000] 14,000 pounds.

§ 1364.  Special plates for veterans.

Upon application of any person who is an honorably discharged

veteran of the armed forces of the United States or a reserve

component of the armed forces as defined in 51 Pa.C.S. § 7301 

(relating to definitions), accompanied by a fee of $20 which

shall be in addition to the annual registration fee and by such

documentation as the department shall require, the department

shall issue to the person a special registration plate

designating the vehicle as belonging to a person who is a

veteran of the armed forces of the United States. The special

registration plate may be used only on a passenger car or truck

with a registered gross weight of not more than [10,000] 14,000

pounds.

§ 1365.  Gold Star Family plate.

(a)  General rule.--Upon application of a family member of a

person who was killed while serving on active duty in the

military, accompanied by a fee of $20 which shall be in addition

to the annual registration fee and by such documentation as the

department shall require, the department shall issue to the

family member a special registration plate designating the

vehicle so licensed as belonging to a family member of a person

who was killed while serving on active duty in the military. The

department shall design and produce the special registration

plate carrying the Service Flag Gold Star rimmed with blue which

represents sacrifice to the cause of liberty and freedom. The

words "Gold Star Family" shall be clearly displayed along the

bottom of the plate. The special registration plate may be used

only on a passenger car or truck with a registered gross weight

of not more than [10,000] 14,000 pounds.

* * *

Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.