Fallen Firefighter Special License Plate

Second Regular Session Seventy-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED HOUSE BILL 26-1032 LLS NO. 26-0322.01 Eden Rolland x2373 HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Richardson and Velasco, SENATE SPONSORSHIP Pelton B., House Committees Senate Committees Finance A BILL FOR AN ACT CONCERNING THE CREATION OF A FALLEN FIREFIGHTER SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE.

Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.) The bill creates the fallen firefighter special license plate. An applicant becomes eligible to use the plate by providing a certificate to the department of revenue (department) confirming that the applicant has made a donation to a nonprofit organization (organization) designated by the department based on the organization's provision of services to the families of firefighters who have died in the line of duty. Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.

Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law. Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.

In addition to the normal fees for a license plate, a person must pay 2 additional one-time fees in the amount of $25, one of which is credited to the highway users tax fund and the other to the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 42-3-272 as follows:

42-3-272. Special plates - fallen firefighter.

(1) BEGINNING ON THE EARLIER OF JANUARY 1, 2027, OR WHEN THE DEPARTMENT IS ABLE TO ISSUE THE PLATES, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ISSUE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES TO QUALIFIED APPLICANTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SECTION FOR MOTORCYCLES, PASSENGER CARS, TRUCKS, OR NONCOMMERCIAL OR RECREATIONAL MOTOR VEHICLES THAT DO NOT EXCEED SIXTEEN THOUSAND POUNDS EMPTY WEIGHT.

(2) (a) THE FALLEN FIREFIGHTER SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE IS ESTABLISHED.

(b) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL APPROVE AND USE A DESIGN FOR THE LICENSE PLATE, WHICH DESIGN MUST CONFORM TO STANDARDS SET BY THE DEPARTMENT.

(3) (a) AT LEAST ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DESIGNATE ONE OR MORE ORGANIZATIONS TO QUALIFY APPLICANTS TO BE ISSUED THE FALLEN FIREFIGHTER SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE. AN ORGANIZATION IS ELIGIBLE TO BE DESIGNATED IF THE ORGANIZATION IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION EXEMPT FROM TAXATION AND:

(I) IS LOCATED IN COLORADO;

(II) HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR AT LEAST FIFTEEN YEARS; AND

(III) PROVIDES COUNSELING, SUPPORT, LEGAL AID, EDUCATION ASSISTANCE, OR JOB TRAINING TO THE FAMILIES OF FIREFIGHTERS WHO HAVE DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY OR OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS TO THE CHILDREN OF FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS.

(b) A PERSON MAY APPLY FOR A FALLEN FIREFIGHTER SPECIAL LICENSE PLATE IF THE PERSON PAYS THE TAXES AND FEES REQUIRED UNDER THIS SECTION AND PROVIDES TO THE DEPARTMENT A CERTIFICATE ISSUED BY THE ORGANIZATION DESIGNATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION (3)(a) OF THIS SECTION CONFIRMING THAT THE APPLICANT HAS MADE A DONATION TO THE ORGANIZATION. THE ORGANIZATION MAY ESTABLISH A MINIMUM DONATION AMOUNT TO QUALIFY FOR THE LICENSE PLATE.

(c) THE ORGANIZATION DESIGNATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION (3)(a) OF THIS SECTION SHALL FILE WITH THE DEPARTMENT AN ANNUAL STATEMENT VERIFYING THAT THE ORGANIZATION IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.

(4) THE AMOUNT OF THE TAXES AND FEES REQUIRED FOR SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES UNDER THIS SECTION IS THE SAME AS THE AMOUNT OF THE TAXES AND FEES FOR REGULAR MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSE PLATES; EXCEPT THAT THE DEPARTMENT SHALL COLLECT THE FEE SPECIFIED IN SECTION 42-3-312 AND AN ADDITIONAL ONE-TIME FEE OF TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS FOR ISSUANCE OR REPLACEMENT OF THE SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL TRANSMIT THE ADDITIONAL ONE-TIME FEE TO THE STATE TREASURER, WHO SHALL CREDIT THE FEE TO THE HIGHWAY USERS TAX FUND CREATED IN SECTION 43-4-201.

AN APPLICANT MAY APPLY FOR PERSONALIZED FALLEN FIREFIGHTER SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES.

ADDITIONAL FEE REQUIRED BY UPON SECTION PAYMENT OF THE 42-3-211 (6)(a) FOR PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES, THE DEPARTMENT MAY ISSUE THE PLATES IF THE APPLICANT COMPLIES WITH SECTION 42-3-211. IF AN APPLICANT HAS EXISTING PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE, THE APPLICANT MAY TRANSFER THE COMBINATION OF LETTERS OR NUMBERS TO A NEW SET OF FALLEN FIREFIGHTER SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES FOR THE VEHICLE UPON PAYING THE FEE REQUIRED BY SECTION 42-3-211 (6)(a) AND UPON TURNING IN THE EXISTING PLATES TO THE DEPARTMENT. A PERSON THAT HAS OBTAINED PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES UNDER THIS SUBSECTION (5) SHALL PAY THE ANNUAL FEE IMPOSED BY SECTION 42-3-211 (6)(b) FOR RENEWAL OF THE PERSONALIZED PLATES. THE FEES ASSESSED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION (5) ARE IN ADDITION TO ALL OTHER APPLICABLE TAXES AND FEES.

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, amend 42-3-312 as follows:

42-3-312. Special license plate surcharge.

In addition to any other fee imposed by this article 3, an applicant for a special license plate created by rule in accordance with section 42-3-207, as the section existed when the plate was created, personalized plates issued under section 42-3-211, or special license plates issued under sections 42-3-212 to 42-3-214, sections 42-3-217 to 42-3-218, sections 42-3-221 to 42-3-234 42-3-229, SECTIONS 42-3-231 TO 42-3-234, sections 42-3-237 to 42-3-258, sections 42-3-260 to 42-3-265, and sections 42-3-267 to 42-3-271 42-3-272 shall pay an issuance fee of twenty-five dollars; except that the fee is not imposed on special license plates exempted from additional fees for the issuance of a military special license plate by section 42-3-213 (1)(b)(II). The department shall transfer the money from the fee to the state treasurer, who shall credit it to the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account created in section 42-1-211

SECTION 3. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August 12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.