Iowans could soon purchase a license plate that features the yellow “don’t tread on me” Gadsden flag, with the fees collected going to fund training and education by National Rifle Association-affiliated groups.
The flag, which features a coiled rattlesnake and the slogan “Don’t tread on me,” has become a symbol of individual liberty favored by Libertarians and conservatives. It has its origins in the American Revolutionary War and was designed by Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress.
House File 2424, which would make the plates an option for drivers in Iowa, was passed out of the Ways and Means committee by majority Republicans on Wednesday, making it eligible for a vote in the full House.
The specialized plates would cost $50 to register and require a $50 annual fee. The money collected by the plate registration would be directed to the Department of Public Safety, which would distribute grants for education and training on the right to keep and bear arms under the constitutions of the U.S. and Iowa.
The bill would direct the department to give first consideration for those grants to “any official state association of the National Rifle Association or similar nonprofit organizations.” The Iowa Firearms Coalition, an influential gun rights lobbying group, is the official Iowa state association of the NRA. The coalition is the only group registered in favor of the bill.
“We do a lot with different plates, right? We direct funds to different commodity groups or other organizations.” said Rep. Phil Thompson, a Republican from Boone and chair of the House Public Safety Committee. “It was kind of a brainchild of senators that wanted to do the same thing with Second Amendment advocacy.”
Iowans have the option to pay for plates associated with the state’s three public universities, natural resources, emergency medical services, firefighters, and motorcycle riders, among many others. The fees for those plates are also directed to specific state funds to benefit those groups.
The bill originally called for a $35 registration fee and a $10 annual fee, but Republicans amended the bill in the Ways and Means committee meeting on Wednesday to increase those fees to $50 each.
Based on estimates from the Legislative Services Agency, adjusted for the new cost, the bill would bring in more than $157,000 in fees during the first year. The agency expected around 3,150 plates would be issued.
Democrats opposed the bill in committee and offered an amendment to redirect the funding to mental health support and school shooting counseling by the state’s area education agencies, which was voted down by Republicans.
“We’ve heard for years and years and years, the question is on mental health,” said Rep. David Jacoby, a Democrat from Coralville. “Well, after years and years and years of that question, here’s an answer. That we divert those funds toward mental health or our children in the state of Iowa.”
Jacoby also proposed an amendment to reduce the fees for the plates to what was originally proposed in the bill, which was voted down. He said he was not opposed to offering the flag as an option for Iowa drivers, but he did not want to see the money collected going to the NRA-affiliated groups.
Thompson said he supports directing the money to gun rights organizations because they are the groups that offer education around the second amendment and right to bear arms.
The bill was also amended to allow vehicle owners to place frames around a license plate that obscure the name of the plate's county, as long as they do not obscure the other numbers and letters on the plate.
Twelve other states, including Texas, Florida and Virginia, offer Gadsden flag license plates.
Senate lawmakers advanced a similar bill last year, but it did not include the provision to direct funds to gun rights groups. The bill did not reach a floor vote.
www.thegazette.com
The flag, which features a coiled rattlesnake and the slogan “Don’t tread on me,” has become a symbol of individual liberty favored by Libertarians and conservatives. It has its origins in the American Revolutionary War and was designed by Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress.
House File 2424, which would make the plates an option for drivers in Iowa, was passed out of the Ways and Means committee by majority Republicans on Wednesday, making it eligible for a vote in the full House.
The specialized plates would cost $50 to register and require a $50 annual fee. The money collected by the plate registration would be directed to the Department of Public Safety, which would distribute grants for education and training on the right to keep and bear arms under the constitutions of the U.S. and Iowa.
The bill would direct the department to give first consideration for those grants to “any official state association of the National Rifle Association or similar nonprofit organizations.” The Iowa Firearms Coalition, an influential gun rights lobbying group, is the official Iowa state association of the NRA. The coalition is the only group registered in favor of the bill.
“We do a lot with different plates, right? We direct funds to different commodity groups or other organizations.” said Rep. Phil Thompson, a Republican from Boone and chair of the House Public Safety Committee. “It was kind of a brainchild of senators that wanted to do the same thing with Second Amendment advocacy.”
Iowans have the option to pay for plates associated with the state’s three public universities, natural resources, emergency medical services, firefighters, and motorcycle riders, among many others. The fees for those plates are also directed to specific state funds to benefit those groups.
The bill originally called for a $35 registration fee and a $10 annual fee, but Republicans amended the bill in the Ways and Means committee meeting on Wednesday to increase those fees to $50 each.
Based on estimates from the Legislative Services Agency, adjusted for the new cost, the bill would bring in more than $157,000 in fees during the first year. The agency expected around 3,150 plates would be issued.
Democrats opposed the bill in committee and offered an amendment to redirect the funding to mental health support and school shooting counseling by the state’s area education agencies, which was voted down by Republicans.
“We’ve heard for years and years and years, the question is on mental health,” said Rep. David Jacoby, a Democrat from Coralville. “Well, after years and years and years of that question, here’s an answer. That we divert those funds toward mental health or our children in the state of Iowa.”
Jacoby also proposed an amendment to reduce the fees for the plates to what was originally proposed in the bill, which was voted down. He said he was not opposed to offering the flag as an option for Iowa drivers, but he did not want to see the money collected going to the NRA-affiliated groups.
Thompson said he supports directing the money to gun rights organizations because they are the groups that offer education around the second amendment and right to bear arms.
The bill was also amended to allow vehicle owners to place frames around a license plate that obscure the name of the plate's county, as long as they do not obscure the other numbers and letters on the plate.
Twelve other states, including Texas, Florida and Virginia, offer Gadsden flag license plates.
Senate lawmakers advanced a similar bill last year, but it did not include the provision to direct funds to gun rights groups. The bill did not reach a floor vote.
Fees for proposed Iowa ‘don’t tread on me’ license plates would fund NRA-affiliated gun trainings
The flag, which features a coiled rattlesnake and the slogan “Don’t tread on me,” has become a symbol of individual liberty favored by Libertarians and conservatives.
www.thegazette.com
