The "blackout" license plate was introduced in Iowa in July 2019. In that short amount of time, more than 93,600 of the plates have been sold, generating more than $3.2 million in revenue for the state.
Iowa’s 10 most popular specialty plates account for 86% of the more than 221,000 specialty plates through the end of December. Revenue generated from the plates is deposited in the state’s Road Use Tax Fund.
The following are the top 10 most popular specialty plates sold in Iowa through end of December:
Blackout – 93,634
University of Iowa – 25, 617
Iowa State University – 16,740
DNR Goldfinch – 13,133
Firefighter – 11,860
Veteran – 9,505
Cattlemen – 6,426
DNR Eagle – 4,600
Business Trade – 4,258
DNR Pheasant – 3,738

​Two bills winding their way through the Iowa Legislature would provide Iowans with more choices of specialty license plates while generating revenue for the state.
Bills for both plates – “The Corn State” and “Flying Our Colors” (mockup pictured) – have passed out of the Senate’s transportation committee.
If the legislation is approved, the two license plate designs would join Iowa’s more than 70 other specialty plates from which vehicle owners may select. Five percent, or more than 221,000, of the 4.5 million vehicles registered in Iowa have specialty plates, according to the Legislative Services Agency.
Iowa in July began offering "blackout" license plates, which were approved by the state Legislature during the 2019 session. The specialty plates sold out in most counties the first week they were available. 
Iowa Sen. Tim Kapucian, R-Keystone, said after seeing how popular the blackout plates were, he thought about reintroducing a vintage plate that included the slogan “The Corn State.”
“I know they won’t be as popular as the blackout plates, but I think farmers would like them,” said Kapucian, who grows corn and soybeans on his Benton County farm. “Farmers take pride in what they do, and it would state it right there on their pickup or their car and people would see and say, ‘This guy’s a farmer.”
“The Corn State'' was the first slogan used on an Iowa license plate, according to the website Licenseplates.TV. Those plates were first issued in 1953.
Under Senate File 2297, the license plate would be white and include the phrase “The Corn State” across the top. An image of an ear of corn would appear behind the plate's letters and numbers, which would be black.
The Legislative Services Agency estimated 6,000 of the corn state plates would be sold during the first two years they were available. Sale of the plates, which would cost $35 plus an annual $10 fee, would raise $289,500 during the first two years they were available, according to the agency. Money generated by the plates’ sale would be deposited in the state’s Road Use Tax Fund. 
The cost to produce the plates was estimated at $13,500, according to the agency.
Senate File 2181 proposes creating a “Flying Our Colors” license plate that would include a navy stripe across the top, red stripe on the bottom and white in the middle that would include a gray image of a bald eagle. The image would appear behind the plate’s letters and numbers.
The plate would include features that are similar to Iowa’s state flag.
Plates would cost $35 plus an additional $10 annually. Money raised from the sale of the plates through July 1, 2023, would be deposited in the state’s flood mitigation fund. 
Revenue from the sale of the plates “would help flood victims in southwest Iowa or other flood victims in Iowa,” Kapucian said. 
The Legislative Services Agency estimates that 3,500 “Flying Our Colors” licenses plates would be sold during the first two years they were available. The estimated $175,000 generated from the sale of the plates would be put in the state’s flood mitigation fund. The cost to produce the plates is estimated at $7,400, according to the agency. 
Kapucian, chairperson of the senate’s transportation committee, said the “Flying Our Colors” license plate has “plenty of support. I think 'The Corn State' will, too.”
Kapucian said he expects the bills to be debated on the Senate floor within the next two weeks.

​The Washington Wine Institute, in partnership with the Washington State Wine Commission, is working with prime sponsor Rep. Kelly Chambers (RPuyallup) and lawmakers in Olympia this session to create a specialty license plate. If approved, revenue from the plate would be donated to the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) to support tourism efforts throughout the state.
“It would be thrilling to see a license plate to celebrate our state’s world-class wine industry,” said Steve Warner, President of the Washington State Wine Commission. “WTA is a perfect benefactor considering our 1,000+ wineries are a major tourism driver in the Northwest.”
The Washington wine industry accounts for $8.4B in-state economic impact including 36,500 related jobs and $2.4B in wine revenue. In 2018, an estimated 2.6 million people visited wineries across the state.
The Washington Wine Institute is currently collecting the 3,500 signatures needed for a new specialty plate as part of the approval process. Click here to sign the petition to push the wine plate forward.

Sales of the Florida Endless Summer specialty license plate have grown 272% since 2013, now surpassing $2 million in 2019.

​Funds are used for programs which include educating the general public regarding the history of surfing as a sport and as a recreational activity; providing support for lifeguards at high risk beaches to aid in the protection of the public who utilize such beaches; providing support for environmentally friendly activities; providing educational programs, including publication of articles and hosting and supporting forums and events; and for developing and supporting activities designed to assist in preserving and protecting the shoreline and the delicate ecosystems residing therein.  

The Endless Summer slogan is used under license from Bruce Brown Films, LLC.

Prior to 1964, the media saw surfers as rebellious thugs, and Hollywood made them out to be a bunch of idiots. Filmmaker Bruce Brown single- handedly changed that with The Endless Summer. It portrayed the wave as a kind of Holy Grail and surfers as knights on a quest. In one stroke, he replaced Hollywood’s buffoonery with the popular mythology that endures today. 

The Endless Summer was Brown’s sixth surfing film in a career that started almost accidentally and proceeded according to the guerrilla template of the times — shoot all winter, edit in the spring, run your ass off all summer showing the damn thing (including doing your own live narration) in school auditoriums and small halls, then pack up for another winter on the road and do it all over again. With The Endless Summer, Brown broke that mold.