2019 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 66 - Motor Vehicles
Article 3 - Registration Laws; Security Interests; Anti-Theft Provisions; Bicycles; Equipment; Unsafe Vehicles; Off-Highway Motor Vehicles; Other Vehicles
Part 5 - SPECIAL REGISTRATION PLATES
Section 66-3-424.9 - Standardized special registration plates; retired firefighters.

A. The department shall issue a standardized special registration plate with a logo specified in Section 66-3-424 NMSA 1978 indicating that the recipient is a person who is a retired New Mexico firefighter upon submission by the person of proof satisfactory to the department that the person has retired from active employment as a firefighter.

B. A person shall not falsely represent that the person is a retired New Mexico firefighter if the person is not, in fact, a retired New Mexico firefighter. The secretary shall determine what constitutes proof of previous active employment as a firefighter and proof of retirement.

C. A person who violates the provisions of Subsection B of this section is guilty of a penalty assessment misdemeanor.

D. A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00), which is in addition to the regular motor vehicle registration fee, shall be collected by the department for the original issuance of the special registration plate for retired New Mexico firefighters.

E. Ten dollars ($10.00) of the fee collected pursuant to Subsection D of this section shall be retained by the department and is appropriated to the department to defray the cost of making and issuing special registration plates for retired New Mexico firefighters.

F. The amount of the fee collected pursuant to this section less any amount distributed pursuant to Subsection E of this section shall be deposited in the motor vehicle suspense fund for distribution in accordance with Section 66-6-23 NMSA 1978.

G. The secretary shall approve the final logo design for the special registration plates for retired New Mexico firefighters.

History: 1978 Comp., § 66-3-424.1, enacted by Laws 2003, ch. 181, § 2; 2018, ch. 74, § 22.

Compiler's notes. — This section was originally enacted as 66-3-424.1 NMSA 1978, but was renumbered as 66-3-424.9 NMSA 1978 by the compiler to accommodate a similarly numbered section enacted by an earlier 2003 act.

The 2018 amendment, effective July 1, 2018, reduced the penalty for falsely representing oneself as a retired New Mexico firefighter to a penalty assessment misdemeanor, and made technical changes; in Subsection A, replaced "division" with "department" throughout the subsection; and in Subsection C, after "guilty of a", deleted "petty" and added "penalty assessment", and after "misdemeanor", deleted "and shall be sentenced pursuant to Section 31-19-1 NMSA 1978".