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HB 1432

AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 39-04 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to military sacrifice number plates; and to amend and reenact section 39-04-10.3 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to personalized plates.

69th Legislative Assembly (2025-26) Introduced by Michelle Axtman and 6 co-sponsors

Creates military sacrifice license plates for immediate family of service members who died outside a combat zone; exempts these plates from the $25 personalized-plate surcharge.

Filed with Secretary Of State 03/24
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Bill Summary · HB 1432

Summary — HB 1432 (North Dakota)

AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 39‑04 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to military sacrifice number plates; and to amend and reenact section 39‑04‑10.3, relating to personalized plates.

Main purpose and intent

HB 1432 creates a new special motor vehicle license plate category—“military sacrifice” plates—to recognize immediate family members of service members who died while serving honorably outside a combat zone. The bill also amends the personalized-plate statute to exempt military sacrifice plates (along with gold star and prisoner-of-war plates) from the usual personalized-plate surcharge.

Key provisions

  • New statutory section “Military sacrifice plates”:

    • Director of the Department of Transportation (DOT) shall issue distinctive number plates to eligible individuals after:
    • receiving required registration fees for the vehicle, and
    • verification of eligibility as determined by DOT.
    • Eligibility: an individual is eligible if they are an immediate family member of a person who died outside a combat zone while serving honorably (as a current member of any branch of U.S. armed forces, reserves, national guard, or Coast Guard) and the deceased was not found guilty of willful misconduct under the cited federal regulation.
    • DOT may request certification of eligibility from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
    • Plate design requirement: plates must bear a distinctive emblem and the words “military sacrifice.”
    • Definition of “immediate family member”: spouse; parent, step‑parent, or in‑loco‑parentis; sibling (whole, half, or by adoption); child (including adopted and stepchildren); or grandparent.
    • Vehicle eligibility: plates may be issued only to the owner of a passenger vehicle, a truck with registered gross vehicle weight rating not exceeding 20,000 pounds (9,071.85 kg), or a motorcycle.

  • Amendment to section 39‑04‑10.3 (personalized plates):

    • DOT may continue to provide personalized plates (up to seven characters; motorcycles up to six).
    • Additional fee: a $25 surcharge per registration period applies for personalized plates — except there is no additional charge for gold star, military sacrifice, or prisoner-of-war plates.
    • The special‑plate fee for vehicles registered under section 39‑04‑10.6 remains a one‑time $100 fee.
    • Rules on restricted characters, transfer on sale/transfer, and renewal retention remain in force.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: immediate family members of qualifying deceased service members (eligible to request and display the military sacrifice plate).
  • State agencies: Department of Transportation (issuance, verification procedures, plate production) and Department of Veterans’ Affairs (eligibility certification on request).
  • Vehicle owners who formerly would have paid the $25 personalized-plate surcharge will not pay that surcharge for this plate.

Fiscal and administrative impact

  • The bill does not specify fees for the new plate beyond existing registration and applicable special-plate fees; it expressly exempts the plate from the $25 personalized surcharge.
  • Anticipated impacts are administrative (issuing, verifying eligibility, producing a distinctive plate). No fiscal note is included in the bill text; expected costs are likely modest and absorbed within agency operations unless the state elects to set a specific special‑plate production fee.

Procedural status / timeline (as provided)

  • Introduced (North Dakota): filed and introduced in the Sixty‑ninth Legislative Assembly. Committee substitute adopted by Transportation Committee (Jan 31, 2025). Passed House and Senate (unanimous recorded votes in enrollment text). Received by Governor and filed with Secretary of State on 03/24/2025 (bill information lists filed with Secretary of State 03/24). (Check official legislative records for the exact effective date — the text does not specify an explicit effective date.)

If you want, I can:
- Draft suggested DOT guidance language for implementing eligibility verification; or
- Prepare a short legislative digest suitable for a public information sheet.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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