Montana’s specialty license plates likely decreasing after new year - michael towner

Montana’s selection of more than 250 license plates may shrink after the new year as changes passed by the 2019 Montana Legislature go into effect.
Sponsored plates — ones with special designs that raise money for organizations of all kinds — will be discontinued if fewer than 400 Montana drivers choose those plates.
“It’s now that you have to not only meet that 400, but you have to maintain it throughout the existence of the plate sponsorship,” said Joann Loehr, the vehicle services bureau chief at the Montana Motor Vehicle Division.
The change comes from Senate Bill 353, which revised a variety of license plate and other vehicle-related laws. Making the plates easier to read for law enforcement officers, Loehr said, was part of the reason for the change.
Right now, Montana has 266 specialty license plates. All kinds of organizations sponsor plates: food banks, colleges, veterans associations and a variety of nonprofits. For some, the plates are a minor source of income and losing the revenue the plates bring wouldn’t be a big deal. For smaller and lesser-known organizations, it may mean scaling back operations and programs.
“We’re going to be phased out at the end of 2020 if we don’t have 400 plates,” said Brad Benne, who works with the Rocky Mountain Hemophilia & Bleeding Disorders Association. “That’s five, six grand. For us, a small nonprofit, it’s a big deal.”
All sponsors of specialty plates received a letter notifying them of the change in the fall of this year. Benne said the organization would be okay without the income from the plates, but that it may have to cut its scholarship program.
“Will we be fine if it goes away? Yes, absolutely,” he said. “But I think some folks out there really count on it. We’ve only had [the plate] for two years. I would love a little more time.”
The number of plates required to continue isn’t the only change stemming from the bill. Previously, sponsors only needed to certify once to be approved for a specialty plate. Now, that certification will need to happen annually. Another change is that at least 75% of the revenue that comes from the plate sales must be spent in Montana.
Project WET, a water education and resource nonprofit based in Bozeman, only recently received approval for its sponsored plates. Morgan Close, Project WET’s vice president of projects and programs, said since the plates were so new, the state is giving the organization a little more time to hit that 400 mark.
“My understanding is that we have three years, because ours was just released,” Close said. “It’s amazing to see the revenue that some organizations are bringing in. We’re hopeful that ours will get up there after it’s been available for a little bit longer.”

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