Relating to municipal meters parking permits for purple heart recipients and wounded veterans, providing penalties, and making penalties applicable

This bill creates a new parking permit that allows purple heart recipients and wounded veterans with a service-connected disability rating by the United States department of veterans affairs to park in city-operated and maintained metered parking spaces, either on-street or off-street, free of charge for up to hours. The bill defines the term “purple heart recipients and wounded veterans municipal meters parking permit” to include both purple heart special registration plates and a new removable windshield placard. The bill requires the department of transportation (DOT) to create the new removable windshield placard for purple heart recipients and wounded veterans. The bill specifies certain placard requirements similar to the requirements under current law for persons with disabilities placards. An applicant is eligible to receive one removable windshield placard. There is no fee for the issuance of a removable windshield placard. The bill requires purple heart recipients and wounded veterans municipal meters parking placards to be returned to the DOT when the person to whom the placard was issued is deceased or has moved out of state, a person finds or possesses a placard not issued to that person, the placard has been revoked, or when the placard reported lost or stolen is later found or retrieved after a subsequent placard has been issued. The bill proscribes proper display and use requirements for a purple heart recipients and wounded veterans municipal meters parking permit. first hours the vehicle is parked. A person who provides false information with the intent to defraud on the application for a purple heart recipients and wounded veterans municipal meters parking placard is subject to a civil penalty of $300. A person who fails to return a purple heart recipients and wounded veterans municipal meters parking placard and subsequently misuses the placard commits a simple misdemeanor punishable by a scheduled fine of $200. Misuse of a purple heart recipients and wounded veterans municipal meters parking permit by a person who was not issued the permit also commits a simple misdemeanor punishable by a scheduled fine of $200. Proof of conviction of two or more violations involving improper use of a purple heart recipients and wounded veterans municipal meters parking permit is grounds for the court or the DOT to revoke the holder’s privilege to possess or use the parking permit.