WHEREAS, on October 7, 2001, four weeks after the tragic
September 11th terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C., and New York City, the
United States Military began combat operations in Afghanistan with the
objective of destroying terrorist training camps and infrastructure in
Afghanistan, capturing al-Qaeda leaders and ending terrorist activities in
Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS,
on March 20, 2003, the United States Military launched Operation Iraqi Freedom
to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction and remove the Iraqi Regime
of Saddam Hussein from power; and
WHEREAS,
military operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom continue to this
day; and
WHEREAS,
members of the Delaware National Guard have served and continue to serve
honorably and with distinction in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation
Iraqi Freedom; and
WHEREAS,
the 144th General Assembly, through the passage of Senate Bill 201 (76 Del.
Laws c. 204, §2), designated a special license plate for veterans of Operation
Iraqi Freedom; and
WHEREAS,
the General Assembly believes it is also appropriate to designate a special
plate for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom;
NOW,
THEREFORE:
BE IT ENACTED
BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE (Three-fifths of all members
elected to each house thereof concurring therein):
Section 1. Amend Subchapter II, Chapter 21, Title 21 of
the Delaware Code by inserting a new section 2139N as indicated by underlining
as follows:
§
2139N. Special license plates for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom.
(a)
(1) The owner of any vehicle described
in paragraph (a)(2) of this section may apply to the Department for assignment
to that vehicle of a special Operation Enduring Freedom veterans registration
number; provided however, that the owner of the vehicle must possess official
documentation which indicates that such owner is a veteran of Operation
Enduring Freedom.
(2) This section applies only to:
a. A private passenger vehicle; or
b. A truck with a three-fourths ton or less
manufacturer’s rated capacity.
(b) Special registration may be issued by the
Department under this section if the United States Department of Defense
certifies that the applicant is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.
(c) No fee in addition to the annual registration
fee otherwise required by this title is required for registration under this
section; provided however, that an original application under this section be
subject to a $10 administrative fee, which shall be deposited into a special
fund and used by the Division of Motor Vehicles for the purpose of
administering this section and to fund Department projects notwithstanding the
provisions of Chapter 13 and 14 of Title 2 to the contrary.
(d) Only 1 such plate shall be issued to an
applicant.
(e)
The Department shall reserve sufficient special license plates including the
letters “OEF” and numbered consecutively beginning with the numeral “1” as are
necessary to implement this section.
(f) Upon receipt by the Department of information
that the individual to whom the special plate has been issued has died, the
Department shall write to the representative of that person’s estate,
requesting that such plate be returned to the Department within 90 days.
