Confederate License Plates May Soon Hit Texas

Proposed Confederate Vanity License Plate

The request for the plates comes from the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), a nonprofit group dedicated to honoring and preserving the legacy of Confederate soldiers. In recent years, the group has deemed state license plates the next backdrop for such reverence. Unsurprisingly, the request has been met with strong opinions on both sides.

The SCV is not new to this game. It has already won the battle to allow Confederate plates in nine states, and is in the appeal process in several others.

The Texas DMV first voted on this license plate possibility in April, which resulted in a tie. The rescheduled June vote was postponed due to the death of one of the DMV's board members, and Gov. Rick Perry must appoint a new member before a new vote may be held.

Should the board approve the request, proceeds from the sales of these plates would go to marking the graves of Confederate soldiers and building monuments to people and events they deem relevant. A portion of the proceeds would also go to the Texas General Land Office, the agency that is supporting the SCV's request. Specialty plates in Texas cost between $30-$40, depending on the design.

The SCV maintains that the proposed plate is an effort to honor Texans who died fighting in the Civil War. When a mock plate was posted on the DMV's website in March, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

Ray James is the former SCV commander in Texas, and is also an engineering professor at Texas A&M. He thinks the situation is pretty simple.

"We don't know how to answer when someone is offended," he told the Houston Chronicle. "It's really frustrating."

The Texas DMV is encouraging anyone with an opinion on the matter to email them with comments or suggestions.