GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 1391

Short Title:  Shriner Emblem Registration Plates.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Representatives Hightower; Smith, Bowman, Spears, Joye, Mitchell, Stewart, Fussell, and C. Preston.
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Referred to:  Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House.
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May 13, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF SHRINERS, A.A.O.N.M.S., SPECIALIZED REGISTRATION PLATES.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 20-79.4(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Types. – The Division shall issue the following types of special registration plates:
(1)	Administrative Officer of the Courts. – Issuable to the Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. The plate shall bear the phrase 'J-20'.
(2)	Amateur Radio Operator. – Issuable to an amateur radio operator who holds an unexpired and unrevoked amateur radio license issued by the Federal Communications Commission and who asserts to the Division that a portable transceiver is carried in the vehicle. The plate shall bear the phrase 'Amateur Radio.' The plate shall bear the operator's official amateur radio call letters, or call letters with numerical or letter suffixes so that an owner of more than one vehicle may have the call letters on each.
(3)	Civil Air Patrol Member. – Issuable to an active member of the North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. The plate shall bear the phrase 'Civil Air Patrol'. A plate issued to an officer member shall begin with the number '201' and the number shall reflect the seniority of the member; a plate issued to an enlisted member, a senior member, or a cadet member shall begin with the number '501'.
(4)	Class D Citizen's Radio Station Operator. – Issuable to a Class D citizen's radio station operator licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. The plate shall bear the operator's official Class D citizen's radio station call letters.
(5)	Clerk of Superior Court. – Issuable to a clerk of superior court. The plate shall bear the phrase 'Clerk Superior Court' and the letter 'C' followed by a number that indicates the county the clerk serves.
(6)	Coast Guard Auxiliary Member. – Issuable to an active member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. The plate shall bear the phrase 'Coast Guard Auxiliary'.
(6a)	Collegiate Insignia Plate. – Issuable to the registered owner of a motor vehicle in accordance with G.S. 20-81.12. The plate may bear a phrase or an insignia representing a public or private college or university.
(7)	Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. – Issuable to a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
(8)	Disabled Veteran. – Issuable to a veteran of the armed forces of the United States who suffered a 100% service-connected disability.
(9)	District Attorney. – Issuable to a North Carolina or United States District Attorney. The plate issuable to a North Carolina district attorney shall bear the letters 'DA' followed by a number that represents the prosecutorial district the district attorney serves. The plate for a United States attorney shall bear the phrase 'U.S. Attorney' followed by a number that represents the district the attorney serves, with 1 being the Eastern District, 2 being the Middle District, and 3 being the Western District.
(10)	Fire Department or Rescue Squad Member. – Issuable to an active regular member or volunteer member of a fire department, rescue squad, or both a fire department and rescue squad. The plate shall bear the words 'Firefighter', 'Rescue Squad', or 'Firefighter-Rescue Squad'.
(11)	Historic Vehicle Owner. – Issuable for a motor vehicle that is at least 35 years old measured from the date of manufacture. The plate for a vehicle that is 35 to 50 years old shall bear the phrase 'Antique'. The plate for a vehicle that is at least 50 years old shall bear the phrase 'Horseless Carriage'.
(11a)	Historical Attraction Plate. – Issuable to the registered owner of a motor vehicle in accordance with G.S. 20-81.12. The plate may bear a phrase or an insignia representing a publicly owned or nonprofit historical attraction located in North Carolina.
(12)	Honorary Plate. – Issuable to a member of the Honorary Consular Corps, who has been certified by the U. S. State Department, the plate shall bear the words 'Honorary Consular Corps' and a distinguishing number based on the order of issuance.
(13)	Judge or Justice. – Issuable to a sitting or retired judge or justice in accordance with G.S. 20-79.6.
(14)	Legislator. – Issuable to a member of the North Carolina General Assembly. The plate shall bear the words 'Senate' or 'State House' followed by the Senator's or Representative's assigned seat number.
(15)	Marshal. – Issuable to a United States Marshal. The plate shall bear the phrase 'U.S. Marshal' followed by a number that represents the district the Marshal serves, with 1 being the Eastern District, 2 being the Middle District, and 3 being the Western District.
(16)	Military Reservist. – Issuable to a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States. The plate shall bear the name and insignia of the appropriate reserve component. Plates shall be numbered sequentially for members of a component with the numbers 1 through 5000 reserved for officers, without regard to rank.
(16a)	Military Retiree. – Issuable to an individual who has retired from the armed forces of the United States. The plate shall bear the phrase 'U.S. Armed Forces Retired' and the name of the branch of service from which the individual retired. 
(17)	National Guard Member. – Issuable to an active or a retired member of the North Carolina National Guard. The plate shall bear the phrase 'National Guard'. A plate issued to an active member shall bear a number that reflects the seniority of the member; a plate issued to a commissioned officer shall begin with the number '1'; a plate issued to a noncommissioned officer with a rank of E7, E8, or E9 shall begin with the number '1601'; a plate issued to an enlisted member with a rank of E6 or below shall begin with the number '3001'. The plate issued to a retired or separated member shall indicate the member's retired status.
(18)	Partially Disabled Veteran. – Issuable to a veteran of the armed forces of the United States who suffered a service connected disability of less than 100%.
(19)	Pearl Harbor Survivor. – Issuable to a veteran of the armed forces of the United States who was present at and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The plate will bear the phrase 'Pearl Harbor Survivor' and the insignia of the Pearl Harbor Survivors' Association.
(20)	Personalized. – Issuable to the registered owner of a motor vehicle. The plate will bear the letters or letters and numbers requested by the owner. The Division may refuse to issue a plate with a letter combination that is offensive to good taste and decency. The Division may not issue a plate that duplicates another plate.
(21)	Prisoner of War. – Issuable to a member or veteran member of the armed forces of the United States who has been captured and held prisoner by forces hostile to the United States while serving in the armed forces.
(22)	Purple Heart Recipient. – Issuable to a recipient of the Purple Heart award. The plate shall bear the phrase 'Purple Heart Veteran, Combat Wounded' and the letters 'PH'.
(22a)	Shriner. – Issuable to a member of the Shriners, A.A.O.N.M.S.  The plate shall bear the phrase 'Shriner' and shall bear the insignia of the organization pursuant to G.S. 20-81.12(b1).
(23)	State Government Official. – Issuable to elected and appointed members of State government in accordance with G.S. 20-79.5.
(24)	Street Rod Owner. – Issuable to the registered owner of a modernized private passenger motor vehicle manufactured prior to the year 1949 or designed to resemble a vehicle manufactured prior to the year 1949. The plate shall bear the phrase 'Street Rod'.
(25)	Transportation Personnel. – Issuable to various members of the Divisions of the Department of Transportation. The plate shall bear the letters 'DOT' followed by a number from 1 to 85, as designated by the Governor.
(26)	U.S. Representative. – Issuable to a United States Representative for North Carolina. The plate shall bear the phrase 'U.S. House' and shall be issued on the basis of Congressional district numbers.
(27)	U.S. Senator. – Issuable to a United States Senator for North Carolina. The plates shall bear the phrase 'U.S. Senate' and shall be issued on the basis of seniority represented by the numbers 1 and 2."
Sec. 2.  G.S. 20-81.12 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"( b1)	Shriners Plates. – The Division must receive 300 or more applications for a Shriners plate before a plate may be developed.  In developing the plate, the Commissioner shall consult with the Oasis Shrine Temple, Charlotte; the Amran Shrine Temple, Raleigh; and the Sudan Shrine Temple, New Bern, and if there are 300 or more applications from any of these individual organizations, the Commissioner may vary the insignia and wording appearing on the Shriner plates to reflect the membership of the applicant in the local temple."
Sec. 3.  This act is effective upon ratification.