Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Legislative Analysis
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WOMEN VETERANS SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES
                                                                            http://www.house.mi.gov/hfa
Senate Bill 788 (S-1) as passed by the Senate                     Analysis available at
Sponsor: Sen. Sylvia Santana                                      http://www.legislature.mi.gov
House Committee: Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure
Senate Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure
Complete to 11-7-24
                                                        (Enacted as Public Act 150 of 2024)
SUMMARY:
       Senate Bill 788 would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to allow a woman who meets either
       of the following to apply to the secretary of state (SOS) for a special license plate that has an
       appropriate vignette in front of the license plate number and the words “woman veteran”
       underneath:
           • The woman was a member of the Michigan National Guard, the U.S. Armed Forces
               Reserve, or any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and was called to active duty during
               a declared war or an armed conflict the United States participated in.
           • The woman was a member of any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces (including
               reservists and the National Guard) and has retired or been granted an honorable
               discharge from that branch.
       An application would have to be made on an SOS-approved form and be accompanied by any
       proof SOS requires that the applicant meets the above requirements. The application would not
       be subject to a service fee under section 804 of the code.
       Upon proper application, SOS would have to issue one or more special plates for each applicant
       for use on a passenger vehicle. An applicant who is disabled would have to be issued a tab for
       persons with disabilities for the plate, upon showing the same proof of disability as is required
       for a permanent windshield placard. The person issued the special plates would be subject to
       the applicable registration tax for the vehicle. The plates would expire on the vehicle owner’s
       birthday. Proof of eligible veteran status would not be required for renewals.
        Finally, the bill would provide that the use of a special woman veteran registration plate on a
        vehicle other than the one it was issued for, or by someone who does not qualify for it, is a
        misdemeanor, punishable under the code by imprisonment for up to 90 days or a fine of up to
        $100, or both.
        Proposed MCL 257.803t
FISCAL IMPACT:
        The bill would result in costs to the Department of State of approximately $60,000 to produce
        a new vehicle registration plate. Start-up costs include costs associated with design, computer
        programming, and materials. The bill would not require a service fee when applying for the
        new plate. The Department of State would likely be able to absorb all administrative and plate
        production costs within its annual appropriated budget. Revenue from vehicle registration taxes
House Fiscal Agency                                                                          Page 1 of 2
       would be deposited into the Michigan Transportation Fund, as are those for all other standard
       vehicle registration plates.
       The bill also would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on local units of government. The
       number of convictions that would result under provisions of the bill is not known. New
       misdemeanor convictions would result in increased costs related to county jails or local
       misdemeanor probation supervision, or both. Costs of local incarceration in county jails and
       local misdemeanor probation supervision, and how those costs are financed, vary by
       jurisdiction. The fiscal impact on local court systems would depend on how provisions of the
       bill affected court caseloads and related administrative costs. It is difficult to project the actual
       fiscal impact to courts due to variables such as law enforcement practices, prosecutorial
       practices, judicial discretion, case types, and complexity of cases. Any increase in penal fine
       revenue would increase funding for public and county law libraries, which are the
       constitutionally designated recipients of those revenues.
                                                            Legislative Analyst: E. Best
                                                               Fiscal Analysts: Michael Cnossen
                                                                                 Robin Risko
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their
deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
House Fiscal Agency                                         SB 788 (S-1) as passed by the Senate   Page 2 of 2
Statutes affected: 
Substitute (S-1): 257.1, 257.923
Substitute (H-2): 257.1, 257.923
Senate Introduced Bill: 257.1, 257.923
As Passed by the Senate: 257.1, 257.923
As Passed by the House: 257.1, 257.923
Senate Concurred Bill: 257.1, 257.923
Public Act: 257.1, 257.923
Senate Enrolled Bill: 257.1, 257.923