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 66-3-424.24 - Registration plates; gold star families; submission of proof; penalty.

A. The division shall issue distinctive registration plates to the surviving parent, spouse, child or sibling of a service member killed in an armed conflict with an enemy of the United States upon the submission by the person of proof satisfactory to the division that the person's parent, spouse, child, or sibling was a service member killed in an armed conflict with an enemy of the United States. The submission of a United States department of defense form 1300 or department of defense form 3 by a surviving parent, spouse, child or sibling of a service member killed in armed conflict with an enemy of the United States shall be proof satisfactory to the division that the service member was killed in armed conflict.
B. No fee, including the regular registration fee applicable to the passenger motor vehicle, if any, shall be collected for issuance of the first special registration plate issued to a surviving parent or spouse of a service member described in Subsection A of this section. No fee other than the regular registration fee applicable to the passenger motor vehicle, if any, shall be collected for issuance of three additional special registration plates issued to a surviving parent or spouse of a service member described in Subsection A of this section.
C. Except as otherwise provided in Subsection B of this section, a fee of ten dollars ($10.00), which is in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee, shall be collected by the division for the original issuance of a special registration plate pursuant to this section. The fee shall be retained by the division and is appropriated to the division to defray the cost of making and issuing special registration plates pursuant to this section.
D. The special registration plate issued pursuant to this section shall be known as the "gold star families" special registration plate.
E. The division, with the advice and consultation of the gold star mothers, shall determine the color and design of the gold star families registration plate and provide for its issuance.
F. No person shall falsely claim to be a surviving parent, spouse, child or sibling of a service member killed in an armed conflict with an enemy of the United States so as to be eligible to be issued special registration plates pursuant to this section.
G. Any person who violates the provisions of Subsection F of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.
H. As used in this section:
(1) "child" includes a biological, adopted or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward or a child of a person standing in loco parentis;
(2) "parent" includes a biological, adoptive or foster parent, a stepparent or an individual who stands in loco parentis to a child; and
(3) "sibling" includes a stepsibling and a half-sibling.
History:
Laws 2009, ch. 88, § 1; 2018, ch. 7, § 1.
ANNOTATIONS
The 2018 amendment,
effective July 1, 2018, expanded who is eligible to receive a gold star family registration plate, amended the proof required to show the motor vehicle division that the service member was killed in armed conflict, authorized a $10.00 fee to defray the cost of making and issuing gold star family registration plates, and defined "child," "parent," and "sibling" for purposes of this section; in Subsection A, deleted "Except as provided in Subsection B of this section", after "distinctive registration plates to the surviving", deleted "mother, father, stepparent or spouse" and added "parent, spouse, child or sibling", after "that the person's", deleted "son, daughter, stepchild or spouse" and added "parent, spouse, child, or sibling", and added the last sentence; deleted former Subsection B and redesignated former Subsection C as Subsection B; in Subsection B, after "first special registration plate issued to", deleted "the mother" and added "a surviving parent", and after "additional special registration plates issued to", deleted "the family" and added "a surviving parent or spouse"; added a new Subsection C; in Subsection F, after "claim to be a surviving", deleted "mother, father, stepparent or spouse" and added "parent, spouse, child or sibling"; and added Subsection H.