S 0378 General Bill, By Peeler and Rose
 A BILL TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE
 108 TO CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR
 VEHICLES SHALL ISSUE COMBAT-RELATED DISABLED VETERAN SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES.

   01/18/11  Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 4)
   01/18/11  Senate Referred to Committee on Transportation
                     (Senate Journal-page 4)

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE 108 TO CHAPTER 3, TITLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES SHALL ISSUE COMBAT-RELATED DISABLED VETERAN SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Chapter 3, Title 56 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Article 108

Section 56-3-10810.    (A) The department may issue 'Combat Related Disabled Veteran' special motor vehicle license plates for use on private passenger motor vehicles or motorcycles registered in a person's name in this State who is a veteran classified as at least fifty percent disabled due to a combat-related injury as determined from medical records on file with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. An application for these special motor vehicle license plates must include official military documentation showing the applicant has at least a fifty percent combat-related disability and who was honorably discharged from service. Only two plates may be issued to a person.

(B)    The provision in Section 56-3-8100(A)(1) that requires the department to receive four hundred prepaid applications for a special license plate before it may be produced does not apply for the production of this special license plate. The biennial fee for this plate is the regular registration fee set forth in Article 5, Chapter 3 of this title. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall imprint the special license plates with the words 'Combat-Related Disabled Veteran', with numbers the department may determine.

(C)    A license plate issued pursuant to this article may be transferred to another vehicle of the same weight class owned by the same person upon application being made and being approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It is unlawful for a person to whom the plate has been issued to knowingly permit it to be displayed on any vehicle except the one authorized by the department.

(D)    The provisions of this article do not affect the registration and licensing of motor vehicles as required by other provisions of this chapter but are cumulative to those other provisions. A person violating the provisions of this article or a person who (1) fraudulently gives false or fictitious information in any application for a special license plate, as authorized in this article, (2) conceals a material fact, or (3) otherwise commits fraud in the application or in the use of a special license plate issued is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days, or both."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.