Bill Caption

Relating to eligibility for surviving spouses of disabled veterans specialty license plates.

Fiscal Notes

From the Legislative Budget Board: no significant fiscal implication to the state is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

SB 441 would amend the Transportation Code so that a person would be eligible for specialty license plates if the person is a surviving spouse of a person who had been entitled to specialty plates for veterans with disabilities, regardless of whether or not the deceased spouse was issued plates.

Vote Recommendation Notes

A vehicle with a disabled veteran plate is entitled to free vehicle registration. We have no objection to allowing surviving spouses to obtain a specialty license plate that honors the service of their spouse. However, we are unconvinced that a surviving spouse should obtain the benefits of a disabled veteran license plate which the veteran entitled to the plate never applied for in the first place. Still, the benefits are minimal and do not qualify as a special exemption in the same way as a property tax carveout. For these reasons we remain neutral on SB 441.