S 1512: Provides for distinctive license plates for gold star family members; eliminates the registration fee for gold star mother and gold star family member distinctive license plates.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1512 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. ASHBY, GRIFFO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to providing distinctive license plates for gold star family members and eliminat- ing the registration fee for gold star mother and gold star family member distinctive license plates The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 404-i of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by 2 chapter 277 of the laws of 1991 and renumbered by chapter 108 of the 3 laws of 1994, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 732 of the laws of 4 2004 and subdivision 3 as amended by chapter 486 of the laws of 1996, is 5 amended to read as follows: 6 § 404-i. Distinctive plates for gold star mothers and gold star fami- 7 lies. 1. Any gold star mother or the spouse of a gold star mother or 8 any gold star parent or the spouse of a gold star parent, or the surviv- 9 ing spouse of a fallen service member, or any child, step-child, 10 sibling, step-sibling, or grandparent of a fallen service member resid- 11 ing in this state shall, upon request, be issued a license plate bearing 12 the words "gold star mother" or "gold star family", respectively. If a 13 distinctive plate is issued to a gold star mother or gold star family 14 member pursuant to this section, additional distinctive plates may be 15 issued for every vehicle registered in the name of the gold star mother 16 recipient residing in this state or the spouse of such gold star mother, 17 or the gold star family member. Application for said license plate 18 shall be filed with the commissioner in such form and detail as the 19 commissioner shall prescribe. 20 2. The distinctive plate authorized herein shall be issued upon proof, 21 satisfactory to the commissioner, that the applicant or the spouse of 22 the applicant is a gold star mother or the applicant is any gold star 23 parent or the spouse of a gold star parent, or the surviving spouse of a EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01813-02-5 
 S. 1512 2 1 fallen service member, or any child, step-child, sibling, step-sibling, 2 or grandparent of a fallen service member. 3 3. A distinctive plate issued pursuant to this section shall be issued 4 in the same manner as other number plates [upon payment of the regular 5 registration fee prescribed by section four hundred one of this arti- 6 cle], provided, however, that no registration fee or service charge 7 shall be charged for such plate. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 9 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or 10 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 11 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed 12 on or before such date.