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Sponsor asks committee to carry bill letting surviving spouses keep disabled-veteran tag; members seek clarifications
Summary
Representative Underwood proposed letting a surviving spouse retain a deceased disabled veteran's tag for life or until remarriage; members raised parking/handicap-law concerns and the sponsor asked to carry the bill to next week to draft clarifying amendment.
Representative Underwood (Speaker 12) described House Bill 102 after noting a constituent case in which a surviving spouse was required to return a disabled-veteran plate following the veteran's death. Underwood said the bill would "add a paragraph that says the surviving spouse, in recognition of their sacrifice as well, is to keep that tag for the remainder of their lifetime or until they remarry."
Members asked whether a surviving, non-disabled spouse retaining the plate would be permitted to use handicap parking; Speaker 4 noted that allowing the plate would violate handicap parking law, and the sponsor acknowledged the draft bill did not address parking privileges. Committee members discussed drafting an amendment to clarify scope and to consider adding language such as 'disabled veteran's wife' or other limitations.
Because the bill required technical fixes and additional consultation, Representative Stringer (Speaker 8) moved to carry the bill until members could resolve outstanding issues and prepare amendments; the chair agreed to carry HB102 to the next week's calendar at the sponsor's request.
