SALT LAKE CITY — A state lawmaker wants to make the "In God We Trust" specialty license plate a standard option at the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles.
Rep. Val Peterson, R-Orem, is sponsoring HB127, which would make the "In God We Trust" plate a standard option for motorists, along with the "Greatest Snow on Earth" and Delicate Arch plates.
Peterson said the "In God We Trust" license plate has become the third-most popular specialty plate since being introduced three years ago. In the past nine months alone, 5,000 of the specialty plates have been issued.
"Right now, I think the main thrust is just people seeing it on the freeway when they're driving," he said.
Gayle Ruzicka, president of the Utah Eagle Forum, said that the two current standard plates show people what the state of Utah is about.
"This particular plate will show people what the people of Utah think and are about," Ruzicka said.
Gov. Gary Herbert's deputy chief of staff, Mike Mower, expressed the governor and lieutenant governor's support of the bill.
HB127 received unanimous approval from the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday, as did two other bills related to specialty license plates.
Utahn Arnie Breitenbach served in the combat infantry during the Vietnam War and received a Purple Heart in 1969, said Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara.
"He's incredibly proud of his service, and he's incredibly proud of his country," Snow told the committee.
But when Breitenbach tried to get his specialty license plate personalized to include a reference to his Combat Infantryman Badge and the year he earned the Purple Heart — CIB and 69 — he was denied during a check for potentially offensive combinations by the DMV.
Snow is sponsoring HB156, which would allow certain veterans to select any combination of numbers and letters relating to honors they have received, a military branch or the years they served for a personalized license plate.
Veterans included in the proposed change are survivors of Pearl Harbor, former prisoners of war, Purple Heart recipients, disabled veterans and recipients of a Gold Star issued by the U.S. secretary of defense.
The bill would allow the DMV to retain the right to deny character combinations currently in use and numbers-only requests shorter than four digits.
HB167, sponsored by Rep. Lee Perry, R-Perry, seeks to fund maintenance of the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol grounds.
Perry said he's confident that between residents wishing to honor fallen officers and the families of those officers, the 500 applications needed for the production of the license plates wouldn't be hard to get.
"I think it is a creative way to fund a need," said Rep. Sophia DiCaro, R-West Valley City. "I'll be buying one myself."
Email: elarson@deseretnews.com