Act No. 681

Public Acts of 2018

Approved by the Governor

December 28, 2018

Filed with the Secretary of State

December 28, 2018

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 26, 2019

STATE OF MICHIGAN

99TH LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2018

Introduced by Reps. VanderWall, Sheppard, Lucido, Hoitenga, Griffin, Barrett, Wentworth, Lower, Yaroch, Bellino, Leutheuser, Ellison, Chirkun, Jones, Marino, Kahle, Green, Sabo, Glenn, Graves, Canfield, Vaupel, Alexander, Howell, Hauck and Farrington

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 4319

AN ACT to amend 1949 PA 300, entitled “An act to provide for the registration, titling, sale, transfer, and regulation of certain vehicles operated upon the public highways of this state or any other place open to the general public or generally accessible to motor vehicles and distressed vehicles; to provide for the licensing of dealers; to provide for the examination, licensing, and control of operators and chauffeurs; to provide for the giving of proof of financial responsibility and security by owners and operators of vehicles; to provide for the imposition, levy, and collection of specific taxes on vehicles, and the levy and collection of sales and use taxes, license fees, and permit fees; to provide for the regulation and use of streets and highways; to create certain funds; to provide penalties and sanctions for a violation of this act; to provide for civil liability of manufacturers, the manufacturers of certain devices, the manufacturers of automated technology, upfitters, owners, and operators of vehicles and service of process on residents and nonresidents; to regulate the introduction and use of certain evidence; to regulate and certify the manufacturers of certain devices; to provide for approval and certification of installers and servicers of certain devices; to provide for the levy of certain assessments; to provide for the enforcement of this act; to provide for the creation of and to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state and local agencies; to impose liability upon the state or local agencies; to provide appropriations for certain purposes; to repeal all other acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act or contrary to this act; and to repeal certain parts of this act on a specific date,” by amending section 803f (MCL 257.803f), as amended by 1998 PA 68.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 803f. (1) A person who is a totally disabled veteran with an honorable discharge from the armed services may make an application to the secretary of state if he or she owns a private passenger motor vehicle, and the secretary of state may issue a special registration plate inscribed with special identification numbers preceded by the letters “DV” and the words “disabled veteran” inscribed beneath the registration number. For the purposes of this section, “private passenger motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle that is personally owned by the disabled veteran and is used for the primary purpose of transporting the disabled veteran and family members of the disabled veteran, but does not include a motor home.

(2) Application for the special registration plate must be on a form prescribed by the secretary of state and must be accompanied by a service fee of $5.00 and proof that the applicant was honorably discharged from the armed services and either 1 of the following:

(a) That the applicant has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to have a service-connected total or permanent total disability rating for compensation.

(b) That the applicant has been determined to have a service-connected total or permanent total disability rating and is receiving disability retirement pay from a branch of the uniformed armed services.

(3) A special registration issued under this section is exempt from payment of the tax provided in section 801.

(4) The special registration plate expires on the birthday of the disabled veteran in a year in which new plates are issued by the secretary of state. Application for renewal of the special registration plate must be accompanied by a $5.00 service fee. The applicant shall not be required to furnish the proof provided in subsection (2).

(5) The surviving spouse of a person who is a totally disabled veteran with an honorable discharge from the armed services may use a special registration plate issued under this section after the death of the totally disabled veteran and may renew a special registration plate issued under this section after the death of the totally disabled veteran in the same manner as provided under this section for a totally disabled veteran. If applicable, a surviving spouse shall apply for registration of the vehicle upon which he or she wishes to place the disabled veteran plate before using or renewing the plate as described in this section.

(6) The secretary of state may issue to a disabled person who has been issued a special registration plate under this section a tab for persons with disabilities. The tab for persons with disabilities must be an adhesive tab displaying the international wheelchair symbol or a reasonable facsimile of that symbol. The tab for persons with disabilities may be attached only to the special registration plate issued to the disabled person under this section.

(7) An application for a tab for persons with disabilities shall be on a form prescribed by the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall require the same proof that the applicant is a disabled person as is required for issuance of a permanent windshield placard under section 675. If the surviving spouse of a totally disabled veteran is a disabled person, he or she may apply to the secretary of state for a tab for persons with disabilities in the same manner as provided for a totally disabled veteran under this subsection.

(8) The tab for persons with disabilities must be issued free of charge.

(9) When a disabled person who has been issued a tab for persons with disabilities renews his or her special registration plate under this section, the secretary of state shall issue a new tab for persons with disabilities to the disabled person, free of charge. The disabled person shall not be required to again furnish the proof required under subsection (7).

(10) The use of the special registration plate or a tab for persons with disabilities on a motor vehicle other than the motor vehicle for which the special registration plate is issued, or by a person who does not qualify under this section, is a misdemeanor.

Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 180 days after the date it is enacted into law.

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved

Governor