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S 2418Veterans & Military

Motor and Other Vehicles - Registration Fees

This bill allows more disabled and elderly veterans to obtain driver's licenses and vehicle registrations without paying fees.

Signed into law73 Yea0 Nay2 Not voting
Population
Affected
8
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 30, 2026Committee Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends Rhode Island's vehicle registration laws to expand the list of veterans eligible for fee exemptions. Currently, veterans with 100% disability ratings or specific physical losses (like amputations) are exempt from paying registration and license fees. This bill extends this benefit to two new groups: veterans aged 75 or older with a 70% service-connected disability rating, and veterans deemed "individually unemployable" due to their service-connected disability. These eligible veterans can receive "Disabled Veteran" plates for their vehicle without charge.

For younger readers

This law helps soldiers who were hurt while serving our country. Right now, some veterans (people who used to be in the military) do not have to pay money to register their cars or get a driver's license if they were very badly hurt. This new rule says that more veterans can get this free benefit. It specifically helps veterans who are 75 years or older with serious injuries, and veterans who cannot work because of their injuries. This helps them save money on driving costs.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Veterans over 75 with 70% disabilityIndividually unemployable veteransDivision of Motor VehiclesSpouses of disabled veteransGeneral taxpayers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Strengthens the social safety net by providing financial relief to veterans who are unable to work due to service-connected disabilities, ensuring they have fewer barriers to essential transportation.
  • Supports a vulnerable population by extending benefits to elderly veterans with significant disabilities, acknowledging that those on fixed incomes often struggle with rising cost-of-living expenses.
  • Demonstrates a commitment to community welfare by waiving state fees for individuals who have suffered long-term health consequences in service to the public, ensuring they are not penalized for their physical limitations.
  • Reduces state revenue collected from registration fees, which could otherwise be utilized to fund broad social programs, education, or public infrastructure that benefits all residents, not just a specific group.
  • Prioritizes subsidies for private vehicle ownership and fossil fuel usage rather than investing resources into accessible public transportation solutions that would benefit the entire disabled community.
  • Creates a specific carve-out for military veterans while leaving other low-income disabled residents subject to standard fees, potentially creating an inequality in how the state supports different segments of the disabled population.
For Conservatives
  • Honors the sacrifices of military service members by extending tangible financial benefits to those who have suffered significant injuries or are unable to work due to their service to the nation.
  • Reduces the financial burden of government fees on individuals, allowing veterans to keep more of their own money rather than paying it into the state bureaucracy.
  • Reinforces traditional patriotic values by ensuring the government provides adequate care and recognition for those who fought to defend the country's freedoms and rule of law.
  • Creates a specific exemption that shifts the cost burden of road maintenance to other taxpayers, potentially violating the principle that users of government services (roads) should pay for them.
  • Expands the complexity of the administrative state by requiring the DMV to verify additional medical and employment classifications, potentially increasing bureaucratic overhead and inefficiency.
  • Reduces state revenue streams, which could inadvertently lead to calls for tax increases elsewhere to balance the budget, rather than forcing the government to cut spending.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 4 additions · 1 deletion

SECTION 1. Section 31-6-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-6 entitled "Registration Fees" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-6-8. Disabled veterans.

(a) Any veteran who has been honorably discharged from the service of the armed forces or the Merchant Marine of the United States in any of the wars or campaigns in which the United States has been engaged and who, while engaged in these wars or campaigns or as a result of engagement in these wars or campaigns, by reason of amputation, has lost one or both of the veteran’s arms, hands, feet, or legs, or who, by reason of other permanent injury, has lost the use of one or both of the veteran’s arms, hands, feet, or legs, or to whom has been granted a motor vehicle under chapter 870-2D, United States Public Laws 663, enacted 1946, 79th Congress, or has suitable documentation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to establish that the veteran:

(1) Has a combined service connected disability rating of one hundred percent (100%); or

(2) Is seventy-five (75) years of age or older with a combined service connected disability rating of seventy percent (70%); or

(3) Is considered “individually unemployable” due to the veteran’s service-connected disability, shall be exempt from the payment of any fee for the annual registration of and a license to operate that motor vehicle.

(b) The administrator for the division of motor vehicles shall issue to an eligible veteran for use on an automobile, or on a commercial vehicle having a gross weight of twelve thousand pounds (12,000 lbs.) or less, registration plates designated “Disabled Veteran.” Upon the death of the holder of “Disabled Veteran” plates, the plates may be transferred to the veteran’s surviving spouse for the spouse’s lifetime or until the spouse remarries. Only one set of “Disabled Veteran” plates shall be issued to an eligible veteran and only after certification of eligibility from the Veterans’ Administration or other satisfactory documentation of eligibility is presented.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.