A BILL to authorize the issuance of special license plates for supporters of Quail Forever bearing the legend QUAIL FOREVER; fees.
HB1371 authorizes the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to issue special license plates for supporters of Quail Forever with the legend “QUAIL FOREVER.” Applicants would pay the standard special-plate fee structure plus an additional annual $25 fee. The bill follows the general special-plate procedures in § 46.2-725, but it specifically exempts these plates from certain provisions that normally govern plate issuance and fee disposition.
The bill also creates a dedicated funding mechanism tied to plate sales. For each $25 fee collected above 1,000 registrations, $15 would be deposited into a special nonreverting Quail Forever Fund within the Department of Accounts and paid annually to Pheasants Forever, Inc. to support Quail Forever operations in Virginia. The remaining fees would go to the DMV to cover administrative costs. In effect, the measure links a specialty license plate program to support for a conservation-oriented nonprofit and its Virginia activities.
HB1371 would amend Virginia’s motor vehicle and special license plate framework by adding a new specialty plate category for Quail Forever supporters and by creating a new special fund associated with the plate program. It would affect DMV plate issuance procedures, fee collection, and the distribution of revenues under the special-plate statutes, while carving out exceptions from portions of § 46.2-725. The bill would primarily affect motorists who choose the plate, the DMV, and Pheasants Forever, Inc./Quail Forever as the beneficiary organization.
The available legislative history suggests limited public controversy and a generally routine, supportive posture toward the bill. There are no recorded committee transcripts or floor vote details indicating substantive opposition, and the measure was continued to the next session in the House Transportation Committee by voice vote. That procedural outcome suggests the bill was not actively advanced in the session, but the absence of recorded dissent implies no major debate was captured in the available materials.
The main policy questions are likely administrative and financial rather than ideological: whether the specialty plate should be authorized, how much of the fee should be retained for DMV costs, and how the revenue threshold and fund distribution should operate. Any concern would likely come from legislators or administrators focused on special-plate proliferation, fee allocation, or the use of state-administered funds to support a private nonprofit’s operations. No specific opposition or competing viewpoints are documented in the provided record.