VETERANS AFFAIRS -Week of April 9th

SF 2112 – Veterans driver’s license identification

FLOOR ACTION:

SF 2112 allows any U.S. military veteran to request that their veteran status be noted on their driver’s license or non-operator’s identification card issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). The person must provide satisfactory proof of veteran status as established by the DOT. The license or card will have the word “VETERAN” prominently on its face. The provisions will apply to new or renewal issuances, not to replacement, duplicate or substitute licenses or cards. The program would begin no later than July 1, 2013. The bill passed the Senate 50-0.

The House amended SF 2112 to allow the Commission of Veterans Affairs to allocate funding to pay for changes to the driver’s license design and to address recent concerns regarding a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) program in which surplus military vehicles are sold to the public and state agencies, some of which are ultimately purchased by local governments.

The disposal of surplus military vehicles by DOD has increased and the DOT has encountered a number of situations where a person bought a surplus military vehicle and was unable to title and register it in Iowa. The DOT also became aware of an Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) surplus military vehicle program used by local agencies. The DNR program, managed by the State Forestry Bureau working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Services agency, screens and passes excess military equipment on to local Iowa fire departments for use in fighting wildland fires.

Some military vehicles are uniquely designed for military purposes, and others are used for military purposes but are virtually identical to vehicles built and certified for use on public highways. Manufacturers selling directly to the U.S. Armed Forces must meet contractual specifications but are not required to certify the military vehicles as meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety (FMVS) standards, although many of the vehicles do. Iowa law requires that the vehicles be certified to be titled and registered for use on public roads. The House amendment allows the DOT or a county treasurer to title and register a military vehicle that is in “substantial compliance” with FMVS standards, if the owner presents satisfactory evidence to the DOT, which will propose administrative rules for the process. [4/9: 48-2 (Hancock, Sodders “no”)]