2023 New Mexico Statutes › Chapter 66 - Motor Vehicles › Article 3 - Registration Laws; Security Interests; Anti-Theft Provisions; Bicycles; Equipment; Unsafe Vehicles; Off-Highway Motor Vehicles; Other Vehicles › Part 5 - SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATES › Section 66-3-412.1 - Special motorcycle registration plates for armed forces veterans.

A. The department shall issue distinctive motorcycle registration plates indicating that the recipient is a veteran of the armed forces of the United States or is retired from the national guard or military reserves, if that person submits proof satisfactory to the department of honorable discharge from the armed forces or of retirement from the national guard or military reserves.
B. For a fee of seven dollars ($7.00), which is in addition to the regular motorcycle registration fees, a motorcycle owner who is a veteran of the armed forces of the United States or is retired from the national guard or military reserves may apply for the issuance of a special motorcycle registration plate as defined in Subsection A of this section. No two owners shall be issued identically lettered or numbered plates.
C. An owner shall make a new application and pay a new fee each year the owner desires to obtain a special motorcycle registration plate. The owner will have first priority on that plate for each subsequent year that the owner makes a timely and appropriate application.
D. Each armed forces veteran may elect to receive a veteran-designation decal to be placed across the top of the special motorcycle registration plate, centered above the registration number. Replacement or different veteran-designation decals shall be available for purchase from the department at a reasonable charge to be set by the secretary. The department shall furnish the following veteran-designation decals with the armed forces veteran motorcycle registration plate to a:
(1) medal of honor recipient;
(2) silver star recipient;
(3) bronze star recipient;
(4) navy cross recipient;
(5) distinguished service cross recipient;
(6) air force cross recipient;
(7) ex-prisoner of war;
(8) disabled veteran;
(9) purple heart veteran;
(10) atomic veteran;
(11) Pearl Harbor survivor;
(12) Navajo code talker;
(13) Vietnam veteran;
(14) Korean veteran;
(15) disabled Korean veteran;
(16) World War II veteran;
(17) World War I veteran;
(18) Grenada veteran;
(19) Panama veteran;
(20) Desert Storm veteran; or
(21) Iraqi Freedom veteran.
E. The revenue from the fee imposed pursuant to Subsection B of this section shall be retained by the department and is appropriated to the department for the manufacture and issuance of the special motorcycle registration plates for armed forces veterans.
F. A person shall not falsely represent that the person was honorably discharged from the armed forces or retired from the national guard or military reserves so as to be eligible to be issued a special registration plate pursuant to this section. A person who violates the provisions of this subsection is guilty of a penalty assessment misdemeanor.
History:
Laws 2001, ch. 243, § 1; 2018, ch. 74, § 12.
ANNOTATIONS
The 2018 amendment,
effective July 1, 2018, made it unlawful to falsely represent oneself as being honorably discharged from the armed forces or retired from the national guard or military reserves so as to be eligible to be issued a special armed forces registration plate, provided a penalty for the violation of this section, and made technical changes throughout the section; in Subsection A, after "United States", deleted "as defined in Section 28-13-7 NMSA 1978", added subparagraph (21); and added Subsection F.