AN ACT CONCERNING THE INDICATION OF A PERSON'S STATUS AS A VETERAN ON A MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR'S LICENSE AND IDENTITY CARD AND THE ISSUANCE OF FREE PASSES FOR ANY STATE PARK, FOREST OR STATE RECREATIONAL FACILITY TO CERTAIN DISABLED VETERANS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 14-36h of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2013):
(a) Each motor vehicle operator's license issued by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles in accordance with section 14-36 and each identity card issued by said commissioner in accordance with section 1-1h shall contain the following: (1) The person's full legal name; (2) the person's date of birth; (3) the person's gender; (4) the person's height and eye color; (5) the person's assigned operator's license or identity card number; (6) the person's address of principal residence in this state; (7) the person's signature; [and] (8) the person's color photograph or digital image; and (9) if applicable, the person's status as a veteran, as provided in subsection (d) of this section.
(b) The commissioner shall provide that each such license or identity card document contains physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting or duplication of the document.
(c) Each such document shall also contain one or more machine-readable technology feature or component, including, but not limited to, a bar code or magnetic strip.
(d) Any person who is a veteran may submit a request to the Department of Veterans' Affairs to have his or her status as a veteran contained on his or her motor vehicle operator's license or identity card. Said department shall, not later than thirty days after receipt of such request, verify whether such person is a veteran and, if so, notify the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles of such request and verification. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall indicate such person's status as a veteran on any motor vehicle operator's license or identity card issued to such person upon original issuance or renewal of a motor vehicle operator's license or identity card or upon issuance of a duplicate motor vehicle operator's license or identity card.
[(d)] (e) As used in this section: [, the term "full] (1) "Full legal name" means the most complete version of the name that appears on a person's certificate of birth, official passport or other document or documents accepted by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles to verify the person's identity, unless the person presents a marriage license or certificate, a certificate of civil union, a divorce decree or an order of a court of competent jurisdiction pertaining to a permanent change of the person's name; and (2) "veteran" has the same meaning as provided in subsection (a) of section 27-103.
Sec. 2. Subsection (d) of section 23-26 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(d) The commissioner shall issue to any resident of the state who is sixty-five years of age or older and to any resident of this state who is a disabled veteran, as defined in section 14-254, or under federal law, without fee, upon application of such resident, a nontransferable lifetime pass which shall permit free parking, admission and boat access parking for use at any state park, forest or state recreational facility, provided the commissioner shall not be required to issue such a pass for use of any park, forest or facility which is wholly managed by a private concessionaire and may require payment of fees for special events.
Approved July 8, 2011