Relating to the design of special registration plates with a distinguishing processed emblem associated with military service, and including applicability provisions

Under current law, a person registering a motor vehicle may order special registration plates, including a variety of special registration plates with a distinguishing processed emblem. The special registration plates must be consistent with the design and color of regular registration plates but with a space reserved for a processed emblem on the left side of the plates. Certain special registration plates, including gold star, medal of honor, collegiate, fire fighter, natural resources, blackout, and flying our colors plates are not required to match the design of regular plates. This bill authorizes a person applying for certain processed emblem special registration plates, including ex-prisoner of war plates; legion of merit plates; national guard plates; Pearl Harbor plates; purple heart plates; United States armed forces retired plates; silver or bronze star plates; distinguished service, navy, or air force cross plates; soldier’s, navy and marine corps, or airman’s medal plates; combat infantryman badge, combat action badge, combat action ribbon, air force combat action medal, and combat medical badge plates; gold star plates; or United States veteran plates to request, at no additional cost, that the issued plates be navy along the top and red along the bottom, containing a white space in the middle of the plate displaying the plate’s letters and numbers in black, with a gray image of a bald eagle behind the plate’s letters and numbers. This plate design matches the current design for special flying our colors plates. A person may exchange previously issued special registration plates for the applicable special registration plates for which the person is eligible with a plate design described in the bill at no additional cost. The bill also makes conforming changes. The bill applies on and after December 1, 2028, or the date the department of transportation (DOT) submits to the Iowa administrative code editor for publication in the Iowa administrative bulletin a statement by the director of transportation that the applicable phase of the DOT’s new records system is implemented, whichever is earlier. The DOT is also required to forward a copy of the statement to the Iowa Code editor.