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A proposed 'I Believe' specialty-license-plate bill failed in Florida this year, but South Carolina |
BY MEGAN WILLIAMS
In South Carolina, drivers can support Boy Scouts, square dancing, the university of their choice and now Christianity.
South Carolina this spring became the first state in the nation to approve the "I Believe" plate.
A similar "I Believe" plate bill failed in the Florida legislature this year because of its controversial nature and threats of legal action.
Besides the phrase, the Florida prototype of the plate has an image of a cross and a stained-glass window.
Before the first South Carolina plate was designed and pressed, a group advocating separation of church and state filed a federal lawsuit this week to stop its issuance.
Despite the legal cloud, a state senator in Alabama said he plans to introduce the plate bill there.
In Virginia, the "I Believe" license plate has not yet become an issue. There were no bills during this year's General Assembly session allowing a license plate with a religious theme.
Any group in Virginia seeking a specialty plate must approach a lawmaker to introduce the legislation. It must then be passed by the assembly and approved by the governor, according to Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles policy.
"It has to be set in statute, in the Virginia code," said Pam Goheen, communications director at the DMV.
Although no bill for religious plates has been introduced in recent years, one was debated in the 1990s, Goheen said. It failed in committee.
Virginia has more than 200 specialty plates, but plates representing religion are not among them. Goheen said she's not aware of any discussion of introducing a bill that would allow such plates.
Approval of the "I Believe" plate in South Carolina brought protests by civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which believes government should not endorse religion.
On Thursday, the Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed suit, arguing that the plates constitute endorsement of Christianity by South Carolina.
The federal case was filed by the group on behalf of two Christian pastors, a humanist pastor and a rabbi in South Carolina, along with the Hindu American Foundation.
The group's director, the Rev. Barry Lynn, told The Associated Press that he is confident that the license plates will not make it onto vehicles.
The plates can't be issued to South Carolina drivers until the state motor-vehicle department collects a $4,000 deposit or obtains 400 prepaid orders, the AP reported.
Andre Bauer, South Carolina's lieutenant governor, announced last week that he's willing to put up $4,000 of his own money so that South Carolinians can have the "I Believe" plates. Bauer said he considers the plate a form of free speech, rather than a state endorsement.
Along with the plate legislation, South Carolina passed bills that could allow the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer, along with documents such as the Declaration of Independence, to be posted on walls in local government buildings.
Megan Williams: 540/374-5000, ext. 5661
Email: mewilliams@freelancestar.com
