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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 ~end~
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