New specialty license plates on their way to approval in Tennessee

Erin McCullough
·6 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A bill passed out of a House committee Tuesday would make some changes to the types of specialty license plates Tennesseans can purchase for their vehicles. HB1608 adds a new specialty plate designation for certain arts, hobbies, social groups and more, as well as changing language for combat-related plates.

According to the Tennessee Department of Revenue, there are more than 200 different styles of license plates Tennesseans can purchase for their vehicle, including plates for law enforcement organizations, social clubs and fraternities, service organizations, and universities, and sports teams.

Combat badges, medals, and ribbons

According to the bill, it would alter the language contained in Tennessee Code relating to the issuance of specialty plates for receiving combat badges, medals, and ribbons, including the Combat Action Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Combat Medical Badge, Combat Action Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon.

📧 Have breaking come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →

The Combat Action Ribbon plates come in two distinct designs, according to the bill: one for the Navy and Marine Corps and another for the Coast Guard.

Proof of eligibility is required for the purchase of those plates, including valid military identification or veteran’s paperwork designating the person’s former service in the armed forces, as well as proof that they received the corresponding medal or ribbon that matches the plate they seek to purchase.

Blacksmithing

New for 2024 and beyond is a specialty plate designation for blacksmithing. According to the bill, funds from the sale of blacksmithing specialty plates would benefit the Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths, a statewide organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of blacksmithing. The group was founded in 1965 and is an affiliate of the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America. The group has 10 different forge groups throughout Tennessee, including five in Middle Tennessee. The bill stipulates funds from the plate sales must benefit “artisan blacksmiths in this state and promote the art of blacksmithing.”

Bill reduces proposed cuts to TSU Board of Trustees

Rolling Thunder

Another new category added for specialty plates is one benefitting the veterans’ charity Rolling Thunder. The organization is a nonprofit that serves to “publicize the POW-MIA issue.” The group also assists veterans of all wars, according to the group. According to the bill, the funds from the sale of the plates “must be used exclusively to support the organization’s programs and activities in this state to help military veterans, active duty service members, and their families, including the provision of financial aid, food, clothing, children’s toys and other essentials.” The bill would cover both standard vehicle plates and motorcycle plates.

Prince Hall Masons

Those members of the Prince Hall Affiliated Masonic Family will also have a new specialty plate starting this year, per the bill. The plates will be designed in consultation with a representative of the Prince Hall Masons and contain a design distinctive to the Prince Hall Masons. The funds from the plate sales must be used to support “youth mentorship in this state by the Prince Hall Masons,” according to the bill.

Rutherford County Historical Society

Down in Rutherford County, the Rutherford County Historical Society will also have a new specialty plate designed. All the funds from these plate sales will be used to provide “financial support for history museums in the county” in keeping with the Rutherford County Historical Society’s mission of preservation.

Madison/Goodlettsville Rotary Club and Promote Peace Foundation

The bill would change an existing portion of state law governing a specialty plate for the Rotary Club of Madison/Goodlettsville, changing the name to the Madison-Goodlettsville Rotary Club and supporting its Promote Peace plate. The club has been working to get a new plate as a “recurring fundraiser” for the club and received enough support to get the job done this year. Funds from the plate sales will “support peacebuilding and conflict resolution initiatives across this state in cooperation with Tennessee Rotary organizations to provide outreach to their communities focusing on the importance of promoting peace and resolving conflicts, including providing funding to local schools and camps for educational materials related to peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and anti-bullying,” according to the bill text.

According to the local club, the first 1,000 reservations of the plate will receive it for free for one year, then a $35 annual fee will be attached to the vehicle’s registration renewals.

Volunteer Tennessee

The beneficiaries of this specialty plate will be Friends of Volunteer Tennessee, according to the omnibus bill. The money will be used to support Volunteer Tennessee programs and services, including “fundraising and managing donations, overseeing grants, training services, and supporting the Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service-Learning and the Governor’s Volunteer Stars Awards.”

Nashville Humane Association

Sales of this specialty license plate will assist the Nashville Humane Association’s work of “finding responsible homes for at-risk, homeless, and adoptable pets, controlling pet overpopulation, and promoting the humane treatment of animals, while supporting pets and pet families in the community, and specifically to fund and support the organization’s community pet food bank through the purchase of food, litter, treats, leashes, collars, bedding, and other pet-related items provided to the public free of charge at community pet food bank events,” according to the bill.

Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom

Grand Ole Opry

One of country music’s most iconic venues will also be receiving a new specialty license plate. According to the bill, the plate funds will be earmarked for the Opry Trust Fund, Inc., in order to “provide financial assistance in time of extraordinary need, emergency, or catastrophe to individuals residing in this state who are or have been employed full time in a fact of the country music industry.”

The Hermitage

Additionally, the home of the nation’s seventh president is set to receive a specialty plate. According to the bill, the funds from the plate sales will benefit the Andrew Jackson Foundation and must be used to support the organization’s mission of preserving The Hermitage and “create learning opportunities, outreach, and scholarship about Jackson and Jacksonian America.”

Other organizations receiving specialty plates include:

  • Flatrock Motorsports Park

  • Tennessee Society for Respiratory Care

  • Hustle Recovery, Inc.

  • Tennessee Grocers Education Foundation

  • Addie Ray Racing, Inc.

  • Tennessee in Teal

  • The Muse Knoxville

  • The Grayson Foundation

  • Southern Appalachian Ronald McDonald House Charities, Inc.

  • Northeast State Community College

Deadlines

Finally, the omnibus bill extends or sets deadlines for previously created specialty plates. A plate outlined in current law that would benefit a Johnson City country club will now have until July 1, 2025 to meet all its issuance requirements, as will a college plate for the University of North Carolina.

Deadlines were extended for these plates:

  • Look Twice Save a Life

  • Historic Jonesborough

  • A Soldier’s Child

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

The bill advanced out of the House Transportation Committee Tuesday, March 19. It now heads to the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee – its final stop before being heard by the full chamber. The Senate version of the bill was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee on March 13. It still needs to be heard by the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee before it can be heard by the full Senate.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.