Upon receipt of a request from a retired member of the General Assembly, accompanied by the appropriate application and fee, the Secretary of State shall issue to such retired member plates bearing appropriate wording or abbreviations indicating that the holder is a retired member of the General Assembly. Such plates may be issued for a 2 year period beginning January 1st of each odd-numbered year and ending December 31st of the subsequent even-numbered year. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, upon the death of a retired member who has been issued a retired member of the General Assembly plate, that member’s surviving spouse shall be entitled to retain the plate so long as the surviving spouse is a resident of Illinois and transfers the registration to his or her name within 90 days of the death of the retired member.
     A retired member of the General Assembly who has a disability as defined under Section 1-159.1 may request one set of specialized plates which display the International Symbol of Access and shall be subject to the provisions within Section 3-616. The set of specialized plates displaying the International Symbol of Access shall only be issued along with the assignment of a corresponding disability placard that must be displayed in the vehicle. The surviving spouse of the retired member shall not be entitled to retain this plate.
     “Retired member” means any individual who (a) has served as a member of the General Assembly for a minimum of 6 years, or (b) is 62 or older, has served as a member of the General Assembly for a minimum of 4 years, and retired prior to the convening of the 83rd General Assembly.
     The fees and procedures relating to such plates for retired members of the General Assembly shall be the same as the fees and procedures applicable to personalized plates issued under this Code.