Bill Text: TX HCR124 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first license plate issued by the State of Texas.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-05-10 - Signed by the Governor [HCR124 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HCR124-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 124 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the | ||
| first license plate issued by the State of Texas; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Introduced in 1917, state-issued license plates | ||
| were originally made of sheet iron and featured embossed numbers | ||
| painted white on a dark blue background, with the abbreviation | ||
| "TEX" on the right-hand side; before that time, Texans were | ||
| responsible for obtaining their own license plates, which could be | ||
| either homemade or purchased from such places as saddle and | ||
| blacksmith shops; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The state prison system began manufacturing license | ||
| plates in 1935, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice | ||
| estimates that by 2016, inmates had created some 650 million | ||
| plates; in 1965, the Texas Highway Department, now known as the | ||
| Texas Department of Transportation, started offering personalized | ||
| vanity plates to the public for an additional fee; and | ||
| WHEREAS, As technology advanced through the decades, so did | ||
| the manufacture of Texas license plates; TxDOT began producing | ||
| digitally printed, vinyl-covered aluminum plates in 2009, and three | ||
| years later, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles unveiled the | ||
| current general-issue plate, which utilizes black type on a white | ||
| background and holographic security features; the Texas DMV now | ||
| offers 420 plate designs in addition to the general scheme, | ||
| including many that honor military veterans; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the past century, as the automobile industry | ||
| has evolved to become a vital sector of the U.S. economy and a | ||
| dominant influence on both American society and the national | ||
| landscape, vehicle license plates have themselves become a | ||
| ubiquitous, critical element of American life; their sale generates | ||
| revenue for a variety of state programs, and their role as | ||
| identifying markers provides essential aid to law enforcement | ||
| officers in the performance of their work; incidental to their | ||
| primary function, the plates have achieved a hold on the popular | ||
| consciousness, becoming collector's items, a means of personal | ||
| expression, and even a decorative feature, notably in countless | ||
| roadside diners; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A humble, unobtrusive object, the license plate | ||
| serves a number of purposes, from the essential to the whimsical, | ||
| and it is indeed fitting that this milestone anniversary be | ||
| recognized; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby commemorate the centennial of the first state-issued license | ||
| plate in the Lone Star State. | ||
| Pickett | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 124 was adopted by the House on | ||
| April 27, 2017, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 124 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 1, 2017, by a viva-voce vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
