To amend section 4501.21 and to enact section 4503.717 of the Revised Code to create the "Blue Knights L.E.M.C." license plate.
Summary
HB378 would create a new optional specialty license plate in Ohio for the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, a law-enforcement motorcycle organization. The bill authorizes owners or lessees of qualifying vehicles, including passenger cars, noncommercial vehicles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, trailers, and other approved classes, to apply for the plate through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Applicants would receive the special plate if they pay the standard registration costs and an additional $10 administrative fee, and if they otherwise comply with existing vehicle registration laws.
The bill also specifies that the plate design may include a logo and wording selected by Blue Knights International and approved by the registrar, while still displaying county identification stickers as required under current law. The $10 administrative fee would be deposited into the public safety - highway purposes fund to help cover BMV administrative costs associated with issuing the plate.
Impact
HB378 would add a new section to the Revised Code, section 4503.717, creating a new specialty license plate program and establishing the fee, design approval process, and fund deposit rules for that plate. It would not change general vehicle registration requirements, but it would expand the list of available special plates and direct the BMV to administer the new plate under existing registration procedures. The bill’s fiscal impact is limited to the administrative fee structure and the allocation of those fees to the public safety - highway purposes fund.
Sentiment
The available legislative history suggests the bill was noncontroversial and received favorable treatment in committee, with a House committee vote of 8-0 for favorable passage. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous vote indicates broad support and little visible opposition at that stage. The bill appears to have been treated as a routine specialty plate measure rather than a contested policy proposal.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The only likely areas for discussion are the appropriateness of creating a specialty plate for a specific private organization, the use of state administrative resources to issue it, and the $10 fee structure. However, no recorded objections or competing viewpoints appear in the provided materials, and the unanimous committee vote suggests any concerns were not significant enough to block the bill.
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