Still waiting for the Smokey Bear license plate for your car? Me, too.
In fact, a number of folks are waiting for specialty license plates to represent their love for Mount St. Helens, the state sport of pickleball and the LeMay-America’s Car Museum.
But license plates have to be approved by the state Legislature and signed off by the governor before incarcerated workers can start creating the plates for the Department of Licensing. This year, House Bill 1368 acts as an omnibus bill to get 10 new specialty plates approved.
There are two ways to go about getting a specialty license plate listed in the infamous license plate bill: gather the required signatures (like Smokey and Pickleball) or hope that a well-meaning lawmaker pitches it like Rep. Ed Orcutt (R-Kalama) did with the Mount St. Helens plate.
“Some people think these license plates are silly, I don’t think they’re silly,” he told the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 20. “I think they have a very important purpose to them.”
For example, the funds garnered from the plates ($40 for first issue, $30 for renewal) go to various causes. The Mount St. Helens plate raises money for the Mount St. Helens Institute and environmental stewardship, while money from the pickleball plate would go toward building more pickleball courts across Washington.
Lawmakers on the transportation committee voted HB 1368 out of committee to the full House with a pass recommendation.
WTD is published online Mondays and in print Fridays. Have a suggestion for a "What's the Deal With?" inquiry? Email us at newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
