Section 2 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the 17th paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

The registrar shall furnish, at the request of an owner of a motorcycle or a motor vehicle who has been issued “VETERAN” plates pursuant to this section, a distinctive emblem to be affixed to such plates which identifies the branch of the armed services in which such owner served, the receipt of the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, or Air Medal by such owner or the wartime service in which such owner served as defined in clause forty three of section 7 of chapter 4.  The registrar may charge a fee directly attributable to the cost of issuance of such emblem, provided, however, that the registrar shall furnish without charge to owners of private passenger motor vehicles and motorcycles who received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross or Air Medal a “VETERAN” plate and an emblem representing the awarding of said Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross or Air Medal for one private passenger motor vehicle or motorcycle owned and principally used by such recipient.  The surviving spouse of a deceased recipient may elect to retain the distinctive registration plate and distinctive emblem for personal use upon payment of the established registration fee and an additional $20 fee until such time as the spouse remarries or fails to renew or cancels the registration.