SECTION 1.  Section 2 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the 16th paragraph the following paragraph:—

The registrar shall furnish without charge to owners of private passenger motor vehicles who are veterans, who have been awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, upon presentation of satisfactory evidence of such status as determined by the registrar, distinctive registration plates for one private passenger motor vehicle owned and principally used by such survivor; provided, however, that the surviving spouse of a deceased survivor may elect to retain such distinctive registration plates for personal use upon payment of the established registration fee for private passenger motor vehicles and an additional annual $20 fee until such time as such spouse remarries or fails to renew or cancels such registration.