Special Gold Star License Plates

(a)The Motor Vehicle Division of the Department of Revenue and Taxation shall, upon application, issue gold star license plates. The type and style of the gold star license plates shall be determined by the Director of the Department of Revenue and Taxation and the Office of Veterans Affairs, except that a gold star shall appear on one

(1)side of the license plate. Applicants shall apply on forms prescribed by the Director of the Department of Revenue and Taxation, and the applicant’s eligibility will be certified by the Office of Veterans Affairs. The license plates shall be re-issued only to the original holder of the license plates. The Director of the Department of Revenue and Taxation may adopt rules to implement the provisions of this Section. Except for a new or renewed registration, applications for the issuance of gold star license plates shall be processed in the order received by the Department subject to normal workflow considerations. The fee for the issuance of gold star license plates is hereby waived.

(b)Eligibility for Issuance. Gold Star License Plates shall only be issued to parents, inclusive of mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother through adoption, father through adoption, and foster parents who stood in loco parentis, and widows and widowers of members of the armed services:

(1)who lost their lives during World War I, World War II, or during any subsequent period of armed hostilities in which the United States was engaged before July 1, 1958;

(2)who lost their lives after June 30, 1958:

(A)while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;

(B)while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or

(C)while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party against an opposing armed force; or

(3)who lost their lives after March 28, 1973, as a result of:

(A)an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of Defense; or

(B)military operations while serving outside the United States (including the commonwealths, territories, and possessions of the United States) as part of a peacekeeping force.