Bill Summary
HB26-1057 updates Colorado’s disabled veteran registration exemption so a qualifying disabled veteran can choose another license plate instead of being limited to the “D.V.” disabled veteran plate or the United States disabled woman veteran plate.
- Keeps the current exemption: a qualifying disabled veteran may register one vehicle without paying the required taxes and fees.
- Allows an eligible individual to elect another plate in lieu of the disabled veteran plate or disabled woman veteran plate, if the individual meets the qualifications for that plate.
- Requires payment of any additional fees for the chosen plate that exceed the fees for a standardized plate under section 42-3-203, unless the selected plate is a military license plate.
- Clarifies the exemption does not apply to commercial vehicles, implements of husbandry, or a truck or truck tractor registered to be taxed under section 42-3-306 (4).
- Clarifies the exemption applies only to individuals and only to one vehicle at a time.
- Clarifies a second or subsequent disabled veteran plate is subject to the fees or taxes required for that additional plate.
Position: Support
This is a simple, fair bill. It respects disabled veterans, keeps the exemption limited to one vehicle, and avoids turning this into a backdoor giveaway for fleets, commercial rigs, or specialty taxed vehicles.
It also moves policy in the right direction: more personal choice, less one-size-fits-all government labeling, and clearer boundaries so the program stays defensible and sustainable.
Why I Am Taking This Position
Principle: Veterans who qualify for this exemption should not be boxed into a single plate design as the price of receiving a benefit they earned. Government should not be in the business of forcing a label on someone’s bumper.
Local impact: The bill keeps strong guardrails in place: one vehicle at a time, and individuals only. It also draws clean lines around what does not qualify, including commercial vehicles, implements of husbandry, and certain reduced-rate trucks and truck tractors. When programs get fuzzy, costs shift and honest taxpayers end up holding the bag.
Accountability: If a veteran chooses an alternate plate that carries extra fees beyond a standardized plate, those add-on fees are paid by the applicant unless the plate is a military license plate. That is the right balance. The exemption stays targeted, and the add-ons are not pushed onto everyone else.
Administration: The bill also tightens up how this is applied at the counter by clarifying when the department does and does not charge fees, and by making clear that second or subsequent disabled veteran plates are not free. Good policy should be easy to administer and hard to abuse. This fits that test.
Call to Action – What You Should Do!
Contact your state representative and state senator. Ask them to pass HB26-1057 and keep the exemption tight: one vehicle at a time, individuals only, and noncommercial use.
If you are a veteran or you have helped a veteran navigate this plate issue, share your experience with your legislators. Real-world feedback helps keep implementation clear and fair.
