Vehicles: veterans' organizations license plates: fees.

Under existing law, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues environmental and other specialized license plates, including veterans' organizations license plates. Veterans' organizations license plates are required to have a distinctive design or decal. The Department of Veterans Affairs may modify the plate design or decals, but is prohibited from issuing those plates or decals, as modified, until all existing plates or decals have been issued. This bill would authorize prescribed persons to apply for a special interest license plate that honors all veterans or veterans who served in a particular war or armed conflict. This bill would require the department to issue by July 1, 2013, decals for plates issued under this program that honor all veterans or veterans who served in a particular war or armed conflict to an applicant, to make available to an applicant, upon request, in lieu of this decal, a "yellow ribbons/support our troops" decal, and to eliminate from inventory any decals for which the department determines that demand is insufficient to maintain that inventory in a cost-effective manner. These special interest license plates are subject to fees for issuance, renewal, or personalization that are additional to those required for nonspecialized license plates. Existing law requires that the revenue from those additional fees, less the DMV's costs, be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund. Existing law requires money in the Veterans Service Office Fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Veterans Affairs for allocation and disbursement to counties for the operation of county veterans service offices. This bill would increase the amount of those additional fees.