A 951: Creates a distinctive license plate for veterans honoring Borinqueneers; defines "veteran" as a person who is a resident of this state, who served in the armed forces of the United States, and was honorably discharged from the armed forces, or has a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, or is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 951 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. RIVERA, CONRAD, BENEDETTO, ANGELINO, TAGUE, MIKU- LIN, REYES, DINOWITZ, SIMON, JACKSON, RAMOS, McMAHON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to creating a distinctive license plate for veterans honoring Borinqueneers The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new 2 section 404-ff to read as follows: 3 § 404-ff. Distinctive license plates for veterans honoring Borinque- 4 neers. 1. Any veteran or the spouse of any such veteran shall, upon 5 request, be issued a distinctive Borinqueneers license plate. If a 6 distinctive plate is issued to a veteran pursuant to this section, such 7 distinctive plate shall not be issued to the spouse of such veteran. 8 Application for such license plate shall be filed with the commissioner 9 in such form and detail as the commissioner shall prescribe. 10 2. The distinctive plate authorized in subdivision one of this section 11 shall be issued upon proof, satisfactory to the commissioner, that the 12 applicant or the spouse of the applicant is a veteran. 13 3. For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a person who 14 is a resident of this state, who served in the armed forces of the 15 United States, and was (a) honorably discharged from the armed forces, 16 or (b) has a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of the 17 veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad 18 conduct or dishonorable from such service, or (c) is a discharged LGBT 19 veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and 20 has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from 21 such service. 22 4. A distinctive plate issued pursuant to this section shall be issued 23 in the same manner as other number plates upon payment of the regular EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00661-01-5 
 A. 951 2 1 registration fee prescribed by section four hundred one of this article 2 provided, however, that an additional one time service charge of twen- 3 ty-five dollars shall be charged for such plates. 4 5. Nothing contained herein shall require the issuance of a special 5 number plate under this section unless the commissioner is satisfied 6 that the aggregate amount of annual service charges collected pursuant 7 to subdivision four of this section will be sufficient to recover the 8 costs of the design and manufacture of such special plates. 9 § 2. 1. A distinctive plate established pursuant to section 404-ff of 10 the vehicle and traffic law as added by section one of this act shall 11 only be designed, produced and issued upon the delivery to the depart- 12 ment of a surety bond in the amount of six thousand dollars, which shall 13 be executed by a surety company authorized by the department of finan- 14 cial services to transact business in this state. Provided, however, 15 that if the commissioner of motor vehicles shall have received prior to 16 plate design, production and issuance at least two hundred orders for 17 such distinctive plate together with the additional annual service 18 charge applicable to each such order, which shall be non-refundable, no 19 such surety bond shall be required. All such service charges shall be 20 deposited pursuant to the provisions of section 404-oo of the vehicle 21 and traffic law to the credit of the department of motor vehicles 22 distinctive plate development fund established by section 95-g of the 23 state finance law and shall be used for the design, production, adver- 24 tising and distribution of distinctive license plates in accordance with 25 such section 95-g. 26 2. If, upon the expiration of two years following the date upon which 27 distinctive plates in the series are first available for sale two 28 hundred or more sets of such plates are sold, a bond delivered pursuant 29 to this section shall be discontinued. If fewer than two hundred sets of 30 such plates are sold by such time, such department shall be entitled to 31 recover against the bond in an amount proportionate to such shortfall. 32 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 33 section one of this act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth 34 day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addi- 35 tion, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for 36 the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to 37 be made and completed on or before such effective date.