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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 672
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WHEREAS, The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the |
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first license plate issued by the State of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Introduced in 1917, state-issued license plates |
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were originally made of sheet iron and featured embossed numbers |
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painted white on a dark blue background, with the abbreviation |
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"TEX" on the right-hand side; before that time, Texans were |
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responsible for obtaining their own license plates, which could |
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be either homemade or purchased from such places as saddle and |
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blacksmith shops; and |
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WHEREAS, The state prison system began manufacturing |
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license plates in 1935, and the Texas Department of Criminal |
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Justice estimates that by 2016, inmates had created some 650 |
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million plates; in 1965, the Texas Highway Department, now |
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known as the Texas Department of Transportation, started |
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offering personalized vanity plates to the public for an |
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additional fee; and |
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WHEREAS, As technology advanced through the decades, so |
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did the manufacture of Texas license plates; the Texas Department |
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of Transportation began producing digitally printed, |
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vinyl-covered aluminum plates in 2009, and three years later, the |
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Texas Department of Motor Vehicles unveiled the current |
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general-issue plate, which utilizes black type on a white |
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background and holographic security features; the Texas |
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Department of Motor Vehicles now offers 420 plate designs in |
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addition to the general scheme, including many that honor |
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military veterans; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the past century, as the automobile industry |
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has evolved to become a vital sector of the United States economy |
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and a dominant influence on both American society and the |
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national landscape, vehicle license plates have become a |
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ubiquitous, critical element of American life; their sale |
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generates revenue for a variety of state programs, and their role |
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as identifying markers provides essential aid to law enforcement |
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officers in the performance of their work; incidental to their |
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primary function, the plates now have a hold on the popular |
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consciousness and have become collector's items, a means of |
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personal expression, and even decorative features, notably in |
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countless roadside diners; and |
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WHEREAS, A humble, unobtrusive object, the license plate |
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serves a number of purposes, from the essential to the whimsical, |
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and it is indeed fitting that this milestone anniversary be |
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recognized; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th |
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Legislature, hereby commemorate the centennial of the first |
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state-issued license plate in the Lone Star State. |
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Nichols |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on April 25, 2017. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |