​The deadliest mass shooting in modern American history could soon have a specialty Nevada license plate designed to generate funds to support those affected by the tragedy.
Assembly Bill 333, if approved, would create the “One October” license plate, intended to commemorate and memorialize the victims of the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival that left 58 dead and over 800 injured.
“It’s not something our city is ever going to forget, so I think it’s important to remember those 58 people and this would be another way to do that,” Robone said. “The money is going to a great cause, so I don’t see it as any kind of disrespect, but moreso a tribute to the people who didn’t make it.”
Robone said it’s important for shooting survivors to receive support for as long as they need it, and this plate could help.
Similar initiatives memorializing other tragic incidents have been put forward in Nevada and elsewhere. Fees from the license plate would go to the state treasurer's office, which would then send the money to the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center every three months. The center would use the funding to help those affected by the shooting through its resources and referrals.
Under the proposal, the plate would come with a $25 issuance fee and an additional $20 fee for renewal.
Nevada has a “United We Stand” specialty license plate, which was created to “reflect the public’s solidarity after the acts of terrorism committed on Sept. 11, 2001,” according to the state Emergency Response Commission’s website, the organization that backed the plate. Initial plate registration fees run $62, with $25 of that going to provide grant funds to combat terrorism for local planning committees in Nevada. The fund receives $20 from each annual renewal fee as well.
At least 12 other states have 9/11 inspired license plates, including New Jersey and Connecticut.
New York approved a similar memorial plate last year, with the proceeds from those plates going toward a scholarship fund for relatives of the victims. The plate was supposed to roll out this week, but the bill’s organizers failed to post the required $6,000 bond to begin the plates’ production, delaying the rollout, according to the New York Post.
In the early 2000s, Colorado approved the “Respect Life” specialty plate to recognize the victims and survivors of the 1999 Columbine High School mass shooting. When it was originally rolled out, officials hoped motorists would voluntarily donate to a special fund to help victims of the shooting but after lackluster donations, ties to it were severed by the state by 2004, according to the Denver Post. Since then the plates’ proceeds have gone directly to the state, the Denver Post reported.
In Florida, a proposal to create the “Orlando United” license plate to commemorate the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting was up for approval during the state’s legislative session. $25 per plate would have gone toward supporting mental health counseling for survivors. The plate failed to pass.

​Hawai’i Pacific Parks Association announced that it, along with its national park partners, has won an Honorable Mention Award in the Outstanding Public Engagement category at the Public Lands Alliance Convention and Trade Show in Denver.
This honor was awarded to the association’s Hawaii National Park Specialty License Plate Program to benefit Haleakala and Hawaii Volcanoes National Parks.
These awards celebrate the best in public lands partnerships and honor individuals, organizations, publications, products, programs and services that embody leading-edge achievements in the preservation of public lands and the enrichment of the visitors’ experiences.
The first specialty license plates in Hawaii became available from local DMV offices on Aug. 1, 2017, the 101st anniversary of the establishment of the two parks, originally known as Hawaii National Park. Designed by Ian Ryan of Sae Design, the plates feature colorful, iconic scenes, such as Kilauea Volcano erupting, and the nene, the revered Hawaiian state bird and a conservation success story. The program was authorized by a 2015 state law to raise funds for resource protection and education projects at Haleakala and Hawaii Volcanoes national parks.
The specialty license plates program is doubly beneficial because plate purchases and annual renewal fees mean an ongoing income stream for park programs. Because HPPA understands that nonresident park visitors still want to support the parks, it created merchandise items including a keychain spinner showing both national park plates and, for Haleakala National Park, a line that includes travel mugs, stickers, postcards and plate replicas.
​https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/license-plate-program-earns-award-parks-michael-towner