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01/03/2017 01:01 PMJanuary 3, 2017 - Representative Sean Scanlon (D-Guilford, Branford, [Stony Creek & Pine Orchard]) has introduced legislation to waive the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles fee required for any veteran awarded the Purple Heart to receive a Military Order of the Purple Heart license plate.
"Anyone awarded the Purple Heart has literally shed blood in service to our country and even if it's a nominal fee, it doesn't seem right to charge someone who has already given so much to our nation" said Scanlon who introduced the bill after learning of the fee from a Guilford Vietnam veteran who had trouble renewing his license plate.
According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, there are roughly 750 Purple Heart recipients statewide with a registered Military Order of the Purple Heart license plate. The fee for most specialty license plates including the Military Order of the Purple Heart plate is $10 though Scanlon notes that two with similarities to the Purple Heart are currently exempt: Disabled Veterans and Gold Star Families.
"The two plate fees that are currently exempt from the fee are available to individuals and families who have sacrificed a great deal for the United States but, as far as I'm concerned, a veteran awarded a Purple Heart should receive the same courtesy from the state for their sacrifice," said Scanlon.
Scanlon, the son of a United States Marine, is co-sponsoring the bill with State Senator Mae Flexer (D-Killingly), co-chair of the legislature's Veterans Committee.