ABATE of Ohio Legislative Committee members joined Governor Strickland on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at the Ohio Statehouse in a ceremony to sign Am. Sub. HB 27 of the 128th General Assembly. The bill creates Purple Heart license plates for motorcycles as well as names several Ohio highways in memory of fallen veterans and a few other specialty license plates for vehicles, such as the Special Olympics.

   Six veteran’s families of the fallen heroes and ABATE representatives watched as Governor Strickland put pen to paper in the final step of a bill becoming law. The 9 year-old son of Sgt. Jeremy Murray, put his hand over the Governor’s as he signed the bill, which includes a Memorial Highway designated for his father who was killed in the battle for freedom overseas.

   Governor Strickland served on Veteran’s Affairs committee when he was Congressman of the 6th District and while in Washington DC, he consistently showed support for motorcycling issues. Governor Strickland stated, “I was proud to sign a bill into law that would ensure that Ohio’s Purple Heart recipients receive the honor and acknowledgement they deserve as these distinguished veterans ride motorcycles across our state.”

History:
    Originally the Purple Heart license plate bill was submitted as a “standalone bill,” House Bill 234, introduced in February 2009 sponsored by Representative Moran (D-42). As bills go through the process of committee hearings and floor votes, they can be combined or amended to include bills that are germane to subject of the original bill. In this case, HB 27 began the process as designating a highway in Mahoning County as the “Korean War Veteran’s Memorial Highway.” Several bills had similar objectives, like the Purple Heart license plate bill, and were lumped into HB 27 as amendments prior to passage as Amended Substitute House Bill 27.

How to get the license plate:
    Purple Heart recipients will have the option of purchasing the special license plates through the local BMV office. Documentation of the award will need to be provided at the time of application. The license plates and validation stickers shall be issued without the payment of any registration fee and service fee and without the payment of any local motor vehicle license tax levied. Once enough interest is generated through applications, printing of the new plates will begin. Contact your local BMV to get details.

    ABATE applauds the effort of the motorcycling community, veterans and the 128th General Assembly to pass this bill and give the option for proud veterans who earned the Purple Heart to be recognized with special license plate for their motorcycles. We look forward to see them out on the roadways!

ABATE of Ohio, Inc. (American Bikers Aimed Toward Education) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the rights, improving the image, and promoting safe operating practices of Ohio Motorcyclists.
www.abate.com