This bill modifies existing law to allow unmarried surviving spouses of veterans to use special veteran number plates indefinitely. Previously, the law stipulated that these plates would expire upon the death of the veteran and could be used by the surviving spouse for only one year thereafter. The new legislation removes this one-year limitation, enabling the surviving spouse to use the plates indefinitely until they remarry.

The bill also extends similar privileges to surviving spouses of retired members of the national guard of any state and active-duty members of the armed forces. It specifies that upon the death of an active-duty member, the surviving spouse is eligible to be issued special number plates for veterans, provided the deceased qualifies as a veteran. These changes are reflected by insertions in the legal text, which state that the special plates are non-transferable except that the surviving spouse may use them indefinitely after the veteran's death until they remarry. Deletions from the current law include the expiration of the plates upon the veteran's death and the one-year usage limit for the surviving spouse. The act is set to take effect on September 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 261:87-b, 261:91, 261-C:3
Version adopted by both bodies: 261:87-b, 261:91, 261-C:3
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 261:87-b, 261:91, 261-C:3