License plates, special; supporters of Washington Commanders.
Summary
HB2721 amends Virginia’s special license plate law for supporters of the Washington Commanders football team. The bill updates the statutory language to reflect the team’s current name, changing references from the Washington Redskins to the Washington Commanders in the plate program and in the associated foundation fund. It continues the existing special plate option for supporters who apply and pay the required fee.
The bill also preserves the fee structure: an annual $25 fee is charged in addition to the regular state license plate fee. For collections above 1,000 registrations, $15 from each annual fee is deposited into a special nonreverting fund in the state treasury and then paid annually to the Washington Commanders Foundation for community programs in Virginia. Existing plates issued under the prior version of the law remain valid until expiration and may be renewed under the updated statute.
Impact
The bill amends and reenacts Virginia Code § 46.2-749.73, updating the legal name of the special license plate program and the related fund from the Washington Redskins Leadership Council/Washington Redskins Foundation references to the Washington Commanders Foundation. It does not create a new plate category or materially change the fee amount, but it modernizes the statute and preserves the revenue-sharing mechanism that supports community programs in Virginia. Current plate holders are protected, as their plates remain valid until expiration and can be renewed under the revised law.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It advanced unanimously or near-unanimously through subcommittee and committee votes in both chambers, and it passed the House 92-5 and the Senate 40-0. The vote pattern suggests general agreement with updating the statute to match the team’s new name while retaining the charitable/community-program funding structure.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The only likely point of discussion is the statutory name change from the former team name to the Washington Commanders, along with the corresponding update to the foundation name. Any disagreement appears minimal, as reflected by the strong committee support and overwhelmingly favorable floor votes. No committee transcript issues or objections are provided in the record.