Iowa-2023-HF2142-Introduced

H.F. 2142 Section 1. Section 321.34, subsection 10, paragraphs a, b, 1 and d, Code 2024, are amended to read as follows: 2 a. An owner referred to in subsection 12 who Upon 3 application and payment of the proper fees, the director may 4 issue fire fighter plates to the owner of a motor vehicle 5 subject to registration under section 321.109, subsection 1, 6 autocycle, motor truck, motor home, multipurpose vehicle, 7 motorcycle, trailer, or travel trailer if the owner is 8 a current or retired member of a paid or volunteer fire 9 department may, upon written application to the department, 10 order . The special registration plates, designed by the 11 department in cooperation with representatives designated by 12 the Iowa fire fighters’ associations, which signify that the 13 applicant is a current or retired member of a paid or volunteer 14 fire department. 15 b. The application shall be approved by the department 16 in consultation with representatives designated by the Iowa 17 fire fighters’ associations, and the special registration 18 plates shall be issued to the applicant in exchange for the 19 registration plates previously issued to the person. An 20 applicant who is the owner of a business-trade truck or special 21 truck shall not be issued special fire fighter registration 22 plates for more than one vehicle. The fee for the special 23 plates is twenty-five dollars which shall be paid in addition 24 to the regular annual registration fee. An applicant may 25 obtain personalized fire fighter plates upon payment of 26 the additional fee for personalized plates as provided in 27 subsection 5 in addition to the special fire fighter fee and 28 the regular registration fee. Personalized plates authorized 29 by this subsection shall be limited to no more than five 30 initials, letters, or combinations of numerals and letters. 31 The department shall validate the special plates in the same 32 manner as regular registration plates are validated under this 33 section at the regular annual registration fee. 34 d. For purposes of this subsection , a person is considered 35 -1- LSB 5770YH (3) 90 th/ns 1/ 4

H.F. 2142 to be retired if the person is recognized by the chief of the 1 fire department where the individual served, and on record, 2 as officially retired from the fire department. Special fire 3 fighter registration plates with a fire fighter emblem shall 4 be surrendered , as provided in subsection 12 , in exchange for 5 regular registration plates upon termination of the motor 6 vehicle owner’s membership in the paid or volunteer fire 7 department, unless the person is a retired member in good 8 standing. 9 Sec. 2. Section 321.34, subsection 10A, Code 2024, is 10 amended to read as follows: 11 10A. Emergency medical services plates. 12 a. The owner of a motor vehicle referred to in subsection 13 12 who is a current member of a paid or volunteer emergency 14 medical services agency may, upon written application to 15 the department, order special registration plates with an 16 emergency medical services distinguishing processed emblem , 17 designed by the department in cooperation with representatives 18 designated by the Iowa emergency medical services association, 19 which plates signify emblem signifies that the applicant is 20 a current member of a paid or volunteer emergency medical 21 services agency. The application shall be approved by the 22 department, in consultation with representatives designated 23 by the Iowa emergency medical services association , and the 24 special registration plates shall be issued to the applicant in 25 exchange for the registration plates previously issued to the 26 person. The fee for the special plates is twenty-five dollars 27 which is in addition to the regular annual registration fee. 28 The department shall validate the special plates in the same 29 manner as regular registration plates are validated under this 30 section at the regular annual registration fee . 31 b. The special plate fees collected by the director under 32 this subsection subsection 12, paragraph “a” , from the annual 33 validation of letter-number designated emergency medical 34 services plates, and subsection 12, paragraph “c” , from the 35 -2- LSB 5770YH (3) 90 th/ns 2/ 4

H.F. 2142 issuance and annual validation of personalized emergency 1 medical services plates shall be paid monthly to the treasurer 2 of state and deposited in the road use tax fund. The treasurer 3 of state shall transfer monthly from the statutory allocations 4 fund created under section 321.145, subsection 2 , to the 5 emergency medical services fund created in section 135.25 the 6 amount of the special fees collected in the previous month for 7 issuance of emergency medical services plates. 8 EXPLANATION 9 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 10 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 11 Under current law, an owner of a motor vehicle who is 12 a current or retired member of a paid or volunteer fire 13 department may order fire fighter special registration plates 14 signifying the owner is an active or retired fire fighter. The 15 plates are designed by the department of transportation (DOT) 16 in cooperation with representatives designated by the Iowa fire 17 fighters’ associations. The design is such that the plates 18 do not match the color and design of regular registration 19 plates (alternate design plates), as authorized by Code section 20 321.166 (vehicle plate specifications). 21 Likewise, under current law, an owner of a motor vehicle 22 who is a current member of a paid or volunteer emergency 23 medical services (EMS) agency may order special registration 24 plates, designed by the DOT in cooperation with representatives 25 designated by the Iowa EMS association, signifying that the 26 person is a current member of a paid or volunteer EMS agency. 27 The design is such that the plates match the color and design 28 of regular registration plates but contain a distinguishing 29 processed emblem (emblem plates). 30 This bill authorizes the DOT to issue personalized fire 31 fighter and EMS registration plates, in accordance with Code 32 sections 321.34(5) and 321.34(12), as applicable. The fee for 33 personalized plates is $25, which is in addition to all other 34 registration fees. The annual fee for personalized plates is 35 -3- LSB 5770YH (3) 90 th/ns 3/ 4

H.F. 2142 $5, and is also in addition to all other fees. Due to the 1 plates’ respective designs, the bill limits the number of 2 characters on a personalized fire fighter or EMS plate to five 3 numerals and letters. 4 The bill makes further changes to align the plate provisions 5 with the respective language used for other, similar plates 6 (alternate design plate language for fire fighter plates, and 7 emblem plate language for EMS plates). For purposes of emblem 8 plates, Code section 321.34(12) contains provisions relating 9 to the default $25 fee, personalized emblem plates, and the 10 exchange or surrender of such plates. Therefore, the EMS plate 11 provision is updated to include relevant references and exclude 12 duplicative provisions. 13 -4- LSB 5770YH (3) 90 th/ns 4/ 4