A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to authorize the division of motor vehicles to issue a Distinguishing registration plate decal.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑37.5 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(1a)	Distinguishing registration plate decal.– A decal of suitable size to be placed on a registration plate that displays the International Symbol of Access and the registration plate number of the vehicle."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 20‑37.6 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20‑37.6.  Parking privileges for handicapped drivers and passengers.
(a)	General Parking. – Any vehicle that is driven by or is transporting a person who is handicapped and that displays a distinguishing license plate, distinguishing registration plate decal, a removable windshield placard, or a temporary removable windshield placard may be parked for unlimited periods in parking zones restricted as to the length of time parking is permitted. This provision has no application to those zones or during times in which the stopping, parking, or standing of all vehicles is prohibited or which are reserved for special types of vehicles. Any qualifying vehicle may park in spaces designated as restricted to vehicles driven by or transporting the handicapped.
(b)	Handicapped Car Owners; Distinguishing License Plates; Distinguishing Registration Plate Decal. – If the handicapped person is a registered owner of a vehicle, the owner may apply for and display a distinguishing license plate. This license plate shall be issued for the normal fee applicable to standard license plates. In the alternative, the owner may request a distinguishing registration plate decal to be placed on the registration plate of a vehicle already registered with the Division. The fee for a distinguishing registration plate decal shall be ten dollars ($10.00). Any vehicle owner who qualifies for a distinguishing license plate or distinguishing registration plate decal shall be notified by the Division at the time the plate or decal is issued that the applicant is also eligible to receive one removable windshield placard and, upon request, shall be issued a placard at that time.
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(c1)	Application and Renewal; Medical Certification. – The initial application for a distinguishing license plate, distinguishing registration plate decal, removable windshield placard, or temporary removable windshield placard shall be accompanied by a certification of a licensed physician, a licensed ophthalmologist, a licensed optometrist, a licensed physician assistant, a licensed nurse practitioner, or the Division of Services for the Blind that the applicant is handicapped or by a disability determination by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that the applicant is handicapped. For an initial application for a temporary removable windshield placard only, the certification that the applicant is handicapped may be made by a licensed certified nurse midwife. The application for a temporary removable windshield placard shall contain additional certification to include the period of time the certifying authority determines the applicant will have the disability. Distinguishing license plates and distinguishing registration plate decals shall be renewed annually, but subsequent applications shall not require a medical certification that the applicant is handicapped. Removable windshield placards shall be renewed every five years, and, except for a person certified as totally and permanently disabled at the time of the initial application or a prior renewal under this subsection, the renewal shall require a medical recertification that the person is handicapped; provided that a medical certification shall not be required to renew any placard that expires after the person to whom it is issued is 80 years of age. Temporary removable windshield placards shall expire no later than six months after issuance.
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(c3)	It shall be unlawful to sell a distinguishing license plate, a distinguishing registration plate decal, a removable windshield placard, or a temporary removable windshield placard issued pursuant to this section. A violation of this subsection shall be a Class 2 misdemeanor and may be punished pursuant to G.S. 20‑176(c) and (c1).
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(e)	Enforcement of Handicapped Parking Privileges. – It shall be unlawful:
(1)	To park or leave standing any vehicle in a space designated with a sign pursuant to subsection (d) of this section for handicapped persons when the vehicle does not display the distinguishing license plate, distinguishing registration plate decal, removable windshield placard, temporary removable windshield placard as provided in this section, a disabled veteran registration plate issued under G.S. 20‑79.4, or a partially disabled veteran registration plate issued under G.S. 20‑79.4;
(2)	For any person not qualifying for the rights and privileges extended to handicapped persons under this section to exercise or attempt to exercise such rights or privileges by the unauthorized use of a distinguishing license plate, distinguishing registration plate decal, removable windshield placard, or temporary removable windshield placard issued pursuant to the provisions of this section;
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SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective February 1, 2020.