Prisoners of war entitled to free registration and special plates

301.443. Prisoners of war entitled to free registration and special plates — prisoner of war defined — eligibility — plate design. — 1. Any legal resident of the state of Missouri who is a veteran of service in the Armed Forces of the United States and has been honorably discharged from such service and who is a former prisoner of war and any legal resident of the state of Missouri who is a former prisoner of war and who was a United States citizen not in the Armed Forces of the United States during such time is, upon filing an application for registration together with such information and proof in the form of a statement from the United States Veterans Administration or the Department of Defense or any other form of proof as the director may require, entitled to receive annually one certificate of registration and one set of license plates or other evidence of registration as provided in section 301.130 for a motor vehicle other than a commercial motor vehicle licensed in excess of twenty-four thousand pounds gross weight. There shall be no fee charged for license plates issued under the provisions of this section.

2. Not more than one certificate of registration and one corresponding set of motor vehicle license plates or other evidence of registration as provided in section 301.130 shall be issued each year to a qualified former prisoner of war under this section.

3. Proof of ownership and vehicle inspection of the particular motor vehicle for which a registration certificate and set of license plates is requested must be shown at the time of application. Proof of status as a former prisoner of war as required in subsection 1 of this section shall only be required on the initial application.

4. As used in this section, "former prisoner of war" means any person who was taken as an enemy prisoner during World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, or the Vietnam Conflict.

5. The director shall furnish each former prisoner of war obtaining a set of license plates under the provisions of subsections 1 to 4 of this section special plates which shall have the words "FORMER P.O.W." on the license plates in preference to the words "SHOW-ME STATE" as provided in section 301.130 in a form prescribed by the advisory committee established in section 301.129*. Such license plates shall be made with fully reflective material, shall have a white background with a blue and red configuration at the discretion of the advisory committee established in section 301.129*, shall be clearly visible at night, and shall be aesthetically attractive, as prescribed by section 301.130.

6. Registration certificates and license plates issued under the provisions of this section shall not be transferable to any other person except that any registered co-owner of the motor vehicle will be entitled to operate the motor vehicle for the duration of the year licensed in the event of the death of the qualified former prisoner of war.

7. (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 6 of this section to the contrary, the surviving spouse of a former prisoner of war who has not remarried and who has been issued license plates described in subsection 5 of this section shall be entitled to transfer such license plates to the motor vehicle of the surviving spouse and receive annually one certificate of registration and one set of license plates or other evidence of registration as provided in section 301.130 as if a former prisoner of war until remarriage. There shall be no fee charged for the transfer of such license plates.

(2) The department of revenue shall promulgate rules for the obtaining of a set of license plates described in subsection 5 of this section by the surviving spouse of the former prisoner of war when such license plates are not issued prior to the death of the former prisoner of war. The surviving spouse shall be entitled to receive annually one certificate of registration and one set of license plates or other evidence of registration as provided in section 301.130 as if a former prisoner of war until remarriage. There shall be no fee charged for the license plates issued pursuant to this subdivision.