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H 7088Veterans & Military

Motor and Other Vehicles - Registration of Vehicles

Establishes a special vehicle license plate to fund the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub for veterans.

Signed into law67 Yea0 Nay8 Not voting
Population
Affected
5
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Introduced Jan 14, 2026Committee House Special Legislation

Plain-English Summary

This bill creates a new special license plate for Rhode Island drivers to honor the "Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub." This non-profit organization arranges free trips for World War II and Korean War veterans to visit war memorials in Washington, D.C. To get the plate, a minimum number of orders must be placed first. Drivers will pay a $40 surcharge when buying the plate (split between the state and the charity) and a $10 surcharge upon yearly renewal (all going to the charity). The organization must submit financial reports to receive the funds.

For younger readers

This new law lets car owners in Rhode Island buy a special license plate that honors veterans. The money raised from these plates goes to a group called the "Honor Flight Hub." This group helps older soldiers who fought in wars a long time ago travel to Washington, D.C. to see the monuments built for them, without having to pay for the trip. People who want this license plate have to pay a little extra money when they get it and when they renew it each year to help pay for the veterans' trips.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
VeteransVehicle OwnersRhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight HubDivision of Motor VehiclesRhode Island State Police
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Vehicle Owners: $40 issuance surcharge and $10 renewal surcharge
Estimated revenue
General Fund: $20 per plate issued, RI Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub: $20 per plate issued and $10 per renewal

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Generates funding for a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring and serving aging veterans, providing them with meaningful social and emotional experiences they might not otherwise afford.
  • Creates a voluntary contribution mechanism that allows community members to support social services for veterans without raising mandatory taxes on the working class.
  • Includes accountability measures by requiring the organization to submit annual accounting reports before receiving distributed funds, ensuring transparency in how the money is used.
  • Relies on a user-fee model and private charity to fund recognition and services for veterans rather than fully funding such initiatives through the state budget or progressive taxation.
  • Diverts a portion of the initial surcharge ($20) to the state's general fund rather than allocating the entire amount to the charitable cause it purports to support.
  • Continues the trend of fracturing the public commons by creating niche license plates based on ability to pay extra fees, rather than maintaining a uniform system for all drivers.
For Conservatives
  • Supports a patriotic cause by honoring veterans of WWII and the Korean War, aligning with traditional values of respect for the military and national service.
  • Utilizes a voluntary surcharge model rather than a tax increase, ensuring that only those who choose to participate bear the financial cost.
  • Generates incidental revenue for the state's general fund through the government's portion of the issuance surcharge without raising broad taxes.
  • Expands government bureaucracy by requiring the Division of Motor Vehicles to design, manage, and distribute another specific category of license plates.
  • Involves the state government in the collection and distribution of funds for a private non-profit entity, which may be seen as exceeding the core functions of government.
  • Creates potential administrative inefficiencies within the DMV by adding to the complex array of specialty plates that must be tracked and regulated.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 40 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 31-3 of the General Laws entitled "Registration of Vehicles" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 31-3-132. Special plate for Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub.

(a) The administrator of the division of motor vehicles is empowered to make available special motor vehicle registration plates for the not-for-profit entity Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub. The plates shall be designed to reference the not-for-profit Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub.

(b) The special plate shall be displayed upon the same registration number assigned to the vehicle for which it was issued and shall be used in place of and in the same manner as the registration plates issued to the vehicle. The original registration plates for the vehicle shall be removed from the vehicle and returned to the division of motor vehicles. The registration certificate for the plates shall be carried in the vehicle, in accordance with § 31-3-9. The registration certificate shall be in effect for the special plate.

(c) Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub motor vehicle plates shall be the same size as regular motor vehicle plates and shall be designed by the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub, in conjunction with the division of motor vehicles, with the design approved by the Rhode Island state police.

(d) The Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub plates shall be subject to compliance with § 31-3-117 relating to the number of minimum pre-paid order of plates per plate type (i.e. passenger, commercial, etc.) and any required payment. The Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub plates shall not be issued unless the minimum order requirements are met. The initial order will be handled by the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub and shall not be submitted to the division of motor vehicles for production until the minimum order(s) have been met and the proper paper work submitted to the division.

(e) The administrator of motor vehicles shall develop prepayment procedures, and any other procedures deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(f) In addition to the regular prescribed motor vehicle registration fee, Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub plates shall be subject to a forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge.

(g) The forty-dollar ($40.00) issuance surcharge shall be allocated as follows: twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be allocated to the general fund and the remaining twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be distributed annually to Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub in furtherance of its mission of "honoring our veterans by offering WWII and Korean War Veterans a no-cost trip to visit the memorials in Washington, DC."

(h) A ten-dollar ($10.00) surcharge for subsequent registration renewals shall be allocated to the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub.

(i) In consideration of the receipt of funds from the registration of the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub plates, the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub must use any Rhode Island sourced funds in and for the benefit of Rhode Island-based charitable organizations.

(j) Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub will be required to submit an annual accounting report before such monies are distributed.

(k) There shall be no refunds for early cancellation of Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub plates.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect six (6) months after passage.