1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to motor vehicles; establishing an Air Medal special veterans license plate;
1.3 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 168.123, subdivision 2.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 168.123, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.6 		Subd. 2.Design. The commissioner of veterans affairs shall design the emblem for the 
1.7 	veterans' special plates, subject to the approval of the commissioner, that satisfy the following 
1.8 	requirements:
1.9 	(a) For a Vietnam veteran who served after July 1, 1961, and before July 1, 1978, in the 
1.10 	active military service in a branch of the armed forces of the United States or a nation or 
1.11 	society allied with the United States the special plates must bear the inscription "VIETNAM 
1.12 	VET."
1.13 	(b) For a veteran stationed on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, or offshore, during the attack 
1.14 	on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the special plates must bear the inscription "PEARL 
1.15 	HARBOR SURVIVOR."
1.16 	(c) For a veteran who served during World War II, the plates must bear the inscription 
1.17 	"WORLD WAR VET."
1.18 	(d) For a veteran who served during the Korean Conflict, the special plates must bear 
1.19 	the inscription "KOREAN VET."
1.20 	(e) For a combat wounded veteran who is a recipient of the Purple Heart medal, the 
1.21 	plates must bear the inscription "COMBAT WOUNDED VET" and have a facsimile or an 
1.22 	emblem of the official Purple Heart medal.
2.1 	A member of the United States armed forces who is serving actively in the military and 
2.2 	who is a recipient of the Purple Heart medal is also eligible for this license plate. The 
2.3 	commissioner of public safety shall ensure that information regarding the required proof of 
2.4 	eligibility for any applicant under this paragraph who has not yet been issued military 
2.5 	discharge papers is distributed to the public officials responsible for administering this 
2.6 	section.
2.7 	(f) For a Persian Gulf War veteran, the plates must bear the inscription "GULF WAR 
2.8 	VET." For the purposes of this section, "Persian Gulf War veteran" means a person who 
2.9 	served on active duty after August 1, 1990, in a branch of the armed forces of the United 
2.10 	States or a nation or society allied with the United States or the United Nations during 
2.11 	Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, or other military operation in the Persian 
2.12 	Gulf area combat zone as designated in United States Presidential Executive Order No. 
2.13 	12744, dated January 21, 1991.
2.14 	(g) For a veteran who served in the Laos War after July 1, 1961, and before July 1, 1978, 
2.15 	the special plates must bear the inscription "LAOS WAR VET."
2.16 	(h) For a veteran who is the recipient of:
2.17 	(1) the Iraq Campaign Medal, the special plates must be inscribed with a facsimile of 
2.18 	that medal and must bear the inscription "IRAQ WAR VET" directly below the special 
2.19 	plate number;
2.20 	(2) the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the special plates must be inscribed with a facsimile 
2.21 	of that medal and must bear the inscription "AFGHAN WAR VET" directly below the 
2.22 	special plate number;
2.23 	(3) the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the special plates must be 
2.24 	inscribed with a facsimile of that medal and must bear the inscription "GWOT VETERAN" 
2.25 	directly below the special plate number; or
2.26 	(4) the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the special plates must bear an appropriate 
2.27 	inscription that includes a facsimile of that medal.
2.28 	(i) For a veteran who is the recipient of the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, 
2.29 	the special plates must be inscribed with a facsimile of that medal and must bear the 
2.30 	inscription "GWOT VETERAN" directly below the special plate number. In addition, any 
2.31 	member of the National Guard or other military reserves who has been ordered to federally 
2.32 	funded state active service under United States Code, title 32, as defined in section 190.05, 
2.33 	subdivision 5b, and who is the recipient of the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, is 
3.1 	eligible for the license plate described in this paragraph, irrespective of whether that person 
3.2 	qualifies as a veteran under section 197.447.
3.3 	(j) For a veteran who is the recipient of the Korean Defense Service Medal, the special 
3.4 	plates must be inscribed with a facsimile of that medal and must bear the inscription 
3.5 	"KOREAN DEFENSE SERVICE" directly below the special plate number.
3.6 	(k) For a veteran who is a recipient of the Bronze Star medal, the plates must bear the 
3.7 	inscription "BRONZE STAR VET" and have a facsimile or an emblem of the official Bronze 
3.8 	Star medal.
3.9 	(l) For a veteran who is a recipient of the Silver Star medal, the plates must bear the 
3.10 	inscription "SILVER STAR VET" and have a facsimile or an emblem of the official Silver 
3.11 	Star medal.
3.12 	(m) For a veteran who is the recipient of the Air Medal, the special plates must be 
3.13 	inscribed with a facsimile of that medal and must bear the inscription "AIR MEDAL 
3.14 	VETERAN" directly below the special plate number.
3.15 	(m) (n) For a woman veteran, the plates must bear the inscription "WOMAN VETERAN" 
3.16 	and have a facsimile or an emblem as designated by the commissioners of veterans affairs 
3.17 	and public safety.

3.18 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective January 1, 2024, and applies to Air Medal 
3.19 	veteran special license plates issued on or after that date.