AUGUSTA, Maine — As Maine turns 200, history buffs and others who are excited about the state being free from Massachusetts for two centuries can show their love with a new license plate for their car if a bill approved by an unanimous vote of the Senate on Tuesday becomes law.
The bill, LD 1273, sponsored by Sen. Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon, would allow the Maine secretary of state, and Department of Motor Vehicles, to offer a commemorative plate starting in January 2018 and expiring in December 2020.
Maine became an independent state in 1820.
“We have much to be proud of, and our bicentennial is a milestone worth celebrating. The license plates will allow Mainers to express their pride in our state, while providing funding for a worthy cause,” Mason said in a prepared statement.
The law also directs the secretary of state to design the new plate, which would not replace a current license plate but would be displayed by covering only the front plate on a motor vehicle.
Mason said the reason for that was so that other specialty plates, which generate revenue for a variety of special funds, including everything from the University of Maine System to pet adoptions to cancer research to conservation, would not be undermined.
A portion of the fee from the bicentennial license plates will go to the Maine State Cultural Affairs Council.
The bill heads to the Maine House of Representatives for additional votes.