License Plate Oversight Committee approves multiple specialty tags pending legibility testing

The License Plate Oversight Committee approved a slate of specialty license plates at its meeting, voting to advance each design pending final legibility testing and recording one abstention on the Alabama Wildlife Federation reissue.

The most prominent application was for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. A presenter for the Dollywood Foundation said the program is “a free book gifting program for children 0 to 5 years old,” and described Alabama’s funding model as split roughly 50% by the state and 50% by local nonprofits. The presenter said the statewide program enrolls “just under a 111,000 children” and asked that proceeds from a specialty plate be distributed to local nonprofits that run the program in each county. The committee moved to approve the plate “pending legibility” and recorded a 5–0 vote in favor.

The committee similarly approved plates for local education and nonprofit groups. Representatives from a Dolphin Foundation program in Gulf Shores said the foundation funds education and arts-related items for Gulf Shores City Schools and wanted plate revenue to help cover teacher support and classroom needs; the committee approved that plate pending legibility testing. Lance Walker, representing the Trustful City Schools Foundation, said the foundation supports all five district schools and hoped plate proceeds would expand classroom support; that plate was also approved pending legibility testing.

Kevon Chess, Alabama state director for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated, presented a plate application the fraternity had previously pursued; the committee approved it pending legibility testing. Dan Weinreb, a board member of Friends of Rickwood Field, told members Rickwood Field was built in 1910 and said proceeds would support preservation, artifacts and public education; the baseball-history plate was approved pending legibility testing.

The committee approved a reissue and redesign for a Florida State University plate and approved the reissue for the Alabama Wildlife Federation’s long-standing plate, with the latter recorded as approved “pending legibility,” 4 yeas, 0 nays and one abstention. Tim McArthur, executive director of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, thanked the committee and outlined conservation and restoration programs supported by the tag; during that vote a committee member said, “I’d strongly support this effort, and I am a member, so I will have to abstain in the vote.”

Votes at a glance: Dolly Parton Imagination Library — approved pending legibility (5–0); Dolphin Foundation (Gulf Shores) — approved pending legibility (5–0); Trustful City Schools Foundation — approved pending legibility (5–0); Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity — approved pending legibility (5–0); Friends of Rickwood Field (baseball history) — approved pending legibility (5–0); Florida State University reissue — approved pending legibility (5–0); Alabama Wildlife Federation reissue — approved pending legibility (4–0, 1 abstention).

The committee’s approvals were uniformly conditional on legibility testing performed by staff; staff members indicated they did not anticipate problems with the submitted designs. With no further business, the chair adjourned the meeting.