Section 2 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after line 380 the following new paragraph:

“The registrar shall furnish without charge to owners of private passenger motor vehicles who are veterans as defined in said clause forty-third of said section seven of said chapter four who have been awarded the Legion of Merit and upon evidence deemed satisfactory by the registrar, distinctive registration plates bearing the words “LEGION OF MERIT RECIPIENT” for one private passenger motor vehicle owned and principally used by such Legion of Merit recipient or a distinctive emblem to be affixed to a “VETERAN” registration plate for a motorcycle owned and principally used by such recipient; provided however, that the surviving spouse of a deceased recipient of the Legion of Merit may elect to retain such distinctive registration plates or emblem for personal use upon payment of the established registration fee for private passenger motor vehicles or motorcycles and an additional annual twenty dollar fee until such time as such spouse remarries or fails to renew or cancels such registration.”