A. The department shall issue distinctive registration plates for up to two vehicles, including motorcycles, to a person who is a veteran of the armed forces of the United States and was fifty percent or more disabled while serving in the armed forces of the United States, upon the submission by the person of proof satisfactory to the department that the person was fifty percent or more disabled while serving in the armed forces of the United States. No fee, including the regular registration fee applicable to the passenger motor vehicle or regular motorcycle registration fees, if any, shall be collected for issuance of up to two special registration plates pursuant to this section. A person eligible for a special registration plate pursuant to this section and also eligible for one or more special registration plates pursuant to the Motor Vehicle Code shall be issued up to two special registration plates for which the person is eligible, in any combination of the person's choice free of charge, notwithstanding any fee that would otherwise be charged for a special registration plate.
B. No person shall falsely make any representation as having been fifty percent or more disabled while serving in the armed forces of the United States so as to be eligible to be issued special registration plates pursuant to this section when the person in fact was not fifty percent or more disabled while serving in the armed forces of the United States.
C. A person who violates the provisions of Subsection B of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.
D. As used in this section, "veteran" means an individual who was regularly enlisted, drafted, inducted or commissioned, who was accepted for and assigned to active duty in the armed forces of the United States and who was not separated from such service under circumstances amounting to dishonorable discharge.
History: Laws 1979, ch. 299, § 2; 1980, ch. 44, § 1; 1987, ch. 268, § 22; 1993, ch. 180, § 4; 1994, ch. 125, § 1; 1995, ch. 8, § 3; 1999, ch. 174, § 1; 2003, ch. 204, § 1; 2011, ch. 147, § 1; 2016, ch. 4, § 3; 2019, ch. 42, § 1.
ANNOTATIONSThe 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, allowed veterans that are rated fifty percent or more disabled to apply for up to two registration plates for which the veteran is eligible, in any combination of the veteran's choice, without being charged fees; in Subsection A, after "shall be collected for issuance of", added "up to two", after "special registration plates pursuant to", deleted "Sections 66-3-406, 66-3-409, 66-3-411 and 66-3-412.1 NMSA 1978" and added "the Motor Vehicle Code", after "shall be issued", deleted "only one" and added "up to two", after the next occurrence of "special registration", added "plates for which the person is eligible, in any combination", and after "the person's choice", added "free of charge, notwithstanding any fee that would otherwise be charged for a special registration plate".
The 2016 amendment, effective May 18, 2016, amended the definition of "veteran", removing the requirement that a veteran be a citizen of the United States; and in Subsection D, after "'veteran' means", deleted "a citizen of the United States" and added "an individual".
The 2011 amendment, effective June 17, 2011, changed the percentage of disability from one hundred percent to fifty percent or more and added Subsection D to define "veteran".
The 2003 amendment, effective July 1, 2003, in Subsection A, inserted "including motorcycles" following "to two vehicles", inserted "or regular motorcycle registration fees" following "passenger motor vehicle", and inserted the reference to "66-3-412.1".
The 1999 amendment, effective July 1, 1999, in Subsection A substituted "department" for "division" in two places and inserted "for up to two vehicles" in the first sentence; deleted Subsection C, relating to eligible persons being allowed one special registration plate, redesignating the subsequent subsection accordingly; and made minor stylistic changes.
The 1995 amendment, effective June 16, 1995, deleted former Subsection E which barred issuance of special registration plates under this section after July 1, 1995.
The 1994 amendment, effective May 18, 1994, in Subsection A, added "is a veteran of the armed forces of the United States, as defined in Section 28-13-7 NMSA 1978, and" and substituted "while serving in the armed forces of the United States" for "by an enemy of the United States during any armed conflict" and "by an enemy of the United States during a period of armed conflict"; and in Subsection B, substituted "while serving in the armed forces of the United States" for "by an enemy of the United States during a period of armed conflict," and also added the substituted language at the end of the subsection.
The 1993 amendment, effective July 1, 1993, inserted "including the regular registration fee applicable to the passenger motor vehicle, if any" and deleted "or for the issuance of special registration plates for the New Mexico rangers and members of the New Mexico mounted patrol" from the end, in the second sentence of Subsection A; and added Subsection E.