Make wishtv.com your home page

10 specialty license plates get OK to stay; new one recommended

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Check your license plates.

If you have an Indiana specialty plate, things might be changing. Those plates were up for discussion Wednesday at the Statehouse.

Maggy Kacmar is one of 517,340 Hoosiers with a specialty license plate.

“I have a Purdue University one,” Kacmar said. “I went there and I support the university.”

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles said 86 choices exist for specialty plates, with organizations benefiting from the fees you pay.

“I could see supporting breast cancer (license plates). I definitely support and would want those still around,” Kacmar said.

But others might disappear.

Wednesday, legislators met at the Statehouse partly to talk about license plates.

Ten agencies are up for a 10-year renewal, which the committee voted to recommend.

Those agencies are:

  • Franklin College
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Hanover College
  • Huntington University
  • Indiana Finance Committee (otherwise known as the Indianapolis Colts plate)
  • Indiana Tech
  • Ivy Tech
  • St. Mary’s College
  • University of Saint Francis
  • Indiana Association of Pregnancy Centers (otherwise known as the Choose Life plate)

But Bethel College’s license plates could vanish because of lackluster sales.Joe Hoage, general counsel for the BMT, said, “Bethel College has been in the 300s for the last five years or so. If they don’t get up to that 500 threshold by the end of the year, then they would automatically be removed from the program.”

If that happens, what should you do?

Hoage said, “We don’t go out and take the plates from them. It would just come up in the next natural registration cycle.”

Ashley Shearin has an Indiana University plate and doesn’t like the idea of losing that.

“I’d be disappointed. I’d still like to keep my IU plate,” Shearin said. “I guess if that happens, it happens.”

The BMV will take the committee’s recommendations. The bureau plans to send letters to the organizations by the end of the year.

Hoage said the committee also voted to add Purdue University Northwest, located in Hammond, to the list of specialty plates.

You might be wondering which plates are most popular?

Here’s the top four, according to Hoage:

  • Indiana University with 58,000 license plates.
  • Purdue University with 46,000 plates.
  • Environmental Plate with 38,000 license plates.
  • Indianapolis Colts plate with 32,000 plates.

Hoage also said Bethel College can re-apply next year if they want to.