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S 2184Personal

Motor and Other Vehicles - Registration of Vehicles

This bill eliminates vehicle registration fees and service charges for recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross medal.

Introduced37 Yea0 Nay1 Not voting
Population
Affected
2
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Introduced Jan 16, 2026Committee Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the current state laws regarding vehicle registration for recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross medal. Under current law, recipients can obtain special license plates but are required to pay standard registration fees and transfer charges. This bill removes those financial requirements, stipulating that eligible recipients—or their surviving spouses—will no longer have to pay a registration fee or service charge for these specific plates. The waiver applies to automobiles and commercial vehicles weighing 12,000 pounds or less.

For younger readers

The Distinguished Service Cross is a very important medal given to soldiers who have been extremely brave in combat. Right now, soldiers who have earned this medal can get special license plates for their cars to show what they accomplished, but they still have to pay money to the state to get them. This new law changes the rules so that these heroes do not have to pay the usual fees to register their cars or get these plates. It is a way for the state to say "thank you" for their service.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Distinguished Service Cross recipientsVeteransSurviving spousesDMV employeesTaxpayers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Eliminates financial barriers for veterans who have served with distinction, ensuring that recognition of their bravery is not contingent on their ability to pay state fees.
  • Provides tangible financial relief to a specific group of veterans and their surviving spouses, potentially aiding those on fixed incomes or pensions.
  • Strengthens the community's commitment to social welfare by acknowledging and rewarding the sacrifices made by individuals for the collective good.
  • Reduces state revenue collected from vehicle registrations, which funds essential public infrastructure and services that benefit the entire community.
  • Creates a disparity where only recipients of a specific high-level military award receive financial relief, rather than applying aid based on financial need or disability status.
  • Subsidizes private vehicle ownership and use, rather than investing resources into public transportation systems that are more environmentally sustainable and equitable.
For Conservatives
  • Demonstrates strong respect for traditional patriotic values by honoring those who have displayed extraordinary heroism in service to the nation.
  • Reduces the financial burden of government on individuals by eliminating registration fees and service charges for deserving veterans.
  • Promotes a culture of gratitude and respect for the armed forces, reinforcing the importance of military service and sacrifice in society.
  • Creates a special class of citizens exempt from standard user fees, which could be viewed as a deviation from the principle that all users of public roads should contribute to their maintenance.
  • Extends the fee exemption to surviving spouses indefinitely, potentially creating a long-term unfunded mandate that persists long after the service member has passed.
  • Complicates the administrative process at the DMV by adding another specific exemption category that requires verification and distinct processing rules.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 3 additions · 2 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 31-3-48.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-3 entitled "Registration of Vehicles" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-3-48.1. Plates for recipients of Distinguished Service Cross.

(a) The administrator of motor vehicles is empowered to make available to recipients of the United States Army Distinguished Service Cross medal a special motor vehicle registration plate for any motor vehicle eligible for registration as an automobile or commercial vehicle having a gross weight of twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs.) or less, indicating the owner as a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross. The applicant shall be required to pay a registration fee and a transfer charge of five dollars ($5.00) for the plate.

(b) The plate shall contain the words “Distinguished Service Cross” across the top of the plate, shall bear an insignia for the distinguished service cross, and then a numeral or numerals.

(c) Upon the death of the holder of any “Distinguished Service Cross” plate, the plate shall be transferred to the surviving spouse for the spouse’s lifetime or until remarriage.

(d) The applicant shall not be required to pay a registration fee or service charge for the plates.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.