Salt Lake City — Utah is set to join others states which have made “In God We Trust” license plates standard issue for motorists. It would be added to plates that highlight Utah’s ski industry and the famous red rock Delicate Arch near Moab.
There are currently 58 different special group licenses in Utah, with one on its way to become a standard issue. HB127 received a unanimous vote from the members of the House Transportation Standing Committee Feb. 2. The bill designates the ‘In God We Trust’ license plate as one of the standard issues alongside the most common Utah Skier and the Utah Arches license plates.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Val L. Peterson, R-Orem, said that the license plate was first introduced to Utah three years ago, and now three years later the state has sold more than 12,000 of them and over 5,000 in the last five months.
Peterson also said that this license plate is the No. 3 most popular special group plate with only the vintage vehicle license plate and the disability license plate exceeding it.
Supporters said that this particular specialized plate shows how Utahns value religious freedom, and that it shows what Utah is all about.
Mike Mower stated that this bill also has Gov. Gary Herbert’s and the Lt Gov. Spencer Cox’s full support, and that about 24 other states have already chosen this edition to be part of their standard collection.
“It’s a nice representation of our state, and it’s something nice that we can do for our citizens so they can show they are for our national motto.” Mower said.
During this year’s legislative session, several new special group license plates have been introduced and others have been modified. Many specialized group plates are issued for fundraisers or for group awareness. Others licenses indicate special privileges.
Of those being discussed on Capitol Hill are SB69 Children with Heart Disease license plate, SB64 National Professional Men’s Soccer Team license plate supporting Real Salt Lake, SB35 Veterans license plate, and HB97 Children with Cancer license plate.
In the same committee review, bills HB156 and HB167 were also discussed and passed unanimously.
Rep. Westwood presented HB156 which allows veterans to receive a specialized plate indicating if they have received a special award or badge relating to their military service. This is a unique class that honors veterans and allows them to display several different recognizable badges.
HB167, sponsored by Rep. Lee B. Perry, is a bill that authorizes a Utah Law Enforcement Memorial Support special group license plate. This bill was presented during the last session, but they had run out of time to complete it. This license plate is meant to generate funds for the law enforcement, especially towards families of fallen officers.
