Legislation watch
Most Recent Comments
1) Re: 2008 Senate Bill 1557 (Authorize Boy Scouts specialty plate ) [by E. Leslie on April 10, 2009]What is the status of this bill? Does it have a different number in the House?
Reply
Senator Kahn’s statement is as follows:
I rise at this time to speak again regarding Senate Bill No. 1557, which we passed today doing this body proud. That bill is one that will allow us to develop a specialty license plate for the Boy Scouts. These specialty license plates serve a dual function. One, they recognize and honor a particular group, such as the Boy Scouts. Two, they serve as a source to fund special projects by that recipient body.
A Boy Scout-friendly license plate would recognize the over 140,000 youths in Michigan who are Boy Scouts. It would create a funding source for Boy Scout projects, whether they be equipment, trips, scholarships, or campouts. The notion of specialty license plates here in Michigan is not new. We have over ten; I believe the number is actually in the neighborhood of 17. Those license plates that we currently use honor all of our state universities. They honor agricultural heritage, the Children’s Trust Fund, and even lighthouse preservation.
Michigan is not unique in having specialty license plates. In Florida, there are 119 specialty license plates honoring such things as the Indian River Lagoon to largemouth bass. Our neighbors in Ohio have 89 specialty license plates.
This bill, having passed here today, will now go to the House where it needs to be taken up. In the past, these bills—despite their honoring organizations that we value, in fact, cherish—have had difficulty reaching the Governor’s desk for signature. That is part of the reason to speak here today, to note that, in fact, this is not a unique request here in Michigan, or even across the United States.
The Boy Scouts have already raised the support funding necessary for this bill, if enacted and signed, to have the start-up funds necessary to go forward. The 2,000 license plates that need to be sold the first year of distribution are spoken for. The money, $15,000 as mentioned, has been raised. When we testified about this bill in Transportation, we had the honor of having an Eagle Scout come and give part of the testimony, Garret Backer from Gratiot County.
At the end of the day, I think we should remember that the leaders of our country—before, now, and in the future—are in the young men who receive this type of training and the young women and sister organizations like the Girl Scouts.
I thank this chamber for passing this bill and urge its prompt taking up by the House, its passage, and signature by the Governor.
Reply
Introduced in the Senate on November 5, 2008
The vote was 27 in favor, 8 opposed and 3 not voting
(Senate Roll Call 662 at Senate Journal 87)
Click here to view bill details.
Reply
View Full Conversation
