The House Transportation Committee is expected to debate — if it can be called that — no less than seven pieces of legislation today that do nothing more than create new vanity license plates, change the designs of current vanity plates or alter the way other vanity plates are distributed.
There are bills on tap to create special license plates for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and “Gold Star Families,” as well as others honoring Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Another measure would change the current design of the existing Purple Heart Plate.
Most new license plates require at least 1,000 orders to remain on the books — and on cars — but that may change today. Rep. Karen Carter Peterson, a New Orleans Democrat, is pushing House Bill 569 to eliminate the requirement, but only for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated prestige plates. Big surprise: Her official biography shows that she’s a member of the organization.
While it’s a big day for the transportation committee, its work is nowhere near done for the ongoing regular session, which ends in late June. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Baton Rouge Republican, has legislation creating new plates for Rotary members that has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.