Bill
HB 5048
Creates a Cold War veteran license plate in Michigan with a dedicated design, eligibility rules, and renewals, benefiting Cold War veterans and their families.
Status and timeline
- Introduced/Filed: March 13, 2025 (electronically reproduced/introduced Sept 24, 2025 by Rep. Nancy DeBoer).
- Legislative action: Read a first time and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Sept. 24, 2025).
- Effective date if enacted: 365 days after enactment.
- Legal update: Amends MCL 257.803e (section 803e of the Michigan Vehicle Code, as previously amended by 2022 PA 143).
Purpose
- To add and revise the eligibility and design rules for several veteran- and family-oriented special vehicle registration plates, specifically creating a plate option for veterans of the Cold War era and clarifying associated application, fee, and renewal rules.
Key provisions
- Cold War veteran plate (subsec. 2)
- Authorizes a special registration plate for persons who were members of the U.S. Armed Forces (or whose spouse was) during the Cold War era (defined Sept 2, 1945–Dec 26, 1991).
- Plate design: an appropriate vignette preceding the registration number and the word “veteran” beneath the number.
- The plate may not be combined with another registration plate.
- Existing/other special plates (subsecs. 1, 3–4, 9–10)
- EX-POW plate: for former prisoners of war (letters “EX-POW” and “ex-prisoner of war” inscription).
- Pearl Harbor survivor plate: for service members present at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, with “Pearl Harbor survivor” beneath the number.
- Purple Heart plate: for Purple Heart recipients, inscribed “combat wounded veteran” and includes a vignette of the official Purple Heart Medal.
- Gold Star Family and Blue Star Family plates: continue to be authorized, with specified insignia and inscriptions.
- Application and proof (subsec. 5)
- Applications must use Secretary of State forms and include any proof the Secretary requires of eligibility.
- No service fee required for initial application or renewal under section 804 for these special plates.
- Fees, taxes, and exemptions (subsec. 6)
- One EX-POW plate per household is exempt from the tax imposed under section 801; additional EX-POW plates and all plates under subsections (2), (3), (4), (9), and (10) are subject to the tax in section 801.
- Disability accommodation (subsec. 6)
- If a disabled person obtains one of these plates, a persons-with-disabilities registration tab (per sec. 803f) must be issued for that special plate; the same proof as for a permanent windshield placard (sec. 675) applies.
- Renewal and expiration (subsec. 8)
- Plates expire on the vehicle owner’s birthday in years when new plates are issued by the Secretary of State.
- Renewals do not require the applicant to re-submit the eligibility proof required at initial application.
- Enforcement (subsec. 7)
- Using one of these plates on a vehicle other than the one registered to the plate, or by a person who does not qualify, is a misdemeanor.
- Definitions (subsec. 11)
- Defines “Cold War era,” “Blue star family member” (including an enumerated set of immediate family relationships), and “Gold star family member” (referencing 10 USC 1126 eligibility criteria for gold star lapel buttons).
Who is affected
- Eligible veterans (Cold War-era, Pearl Harbor survivors, Purple Heart recipients, ex-POWs), spouses of eligible veterans (where specified), Gold Star and Blue Star family members, households of ex-POWs, and the Michigan Secretary of State (administration, verification, plate issuance).
- Potential fiscal impacts on state plate production costs and limited tax revenue effects because of the one-plate tax exemption for ex-POWs and continued taxation of most other special plates.
Possible administrative and policy impacts
- Secretary of State will implement verification processes, produce new plate vignettes/designs, and manage renewals without repeated proof submissions.
- Small administrative costs to produce and issue additional specialized plates; limited effect on state revenue depending on take-up and the existing tax exemption structure.
For further reading
- Amends section 803e of 1949 PA 300 (MCL 257.803e); consult the bill text for exact statutory language and formatting.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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