Gator plates have Georgia lawmakers seeking parity

Some Georgia lawmakers are irate that the state is issuing vanity plates to Georgia's longtime football nemesis - the University of Florida. A bill has been introduced in the Georgia House seeking parity. To get approval for a vanity tag in Georgia, you must have your application approved and line up 1,000 people to plunk down $25 apiece before the plates get printed. But in Florida, the state requires that any vanity plate applicant pay $60,000 and conduct a survey verifying interest. The tag must be created by an act of the Florida Legislature and must continue to sell a 1,000 plates a year to stay in existence.

Georgia lawmakers want parity -- otherwise, they say they will discontinue the Gator-oriented tags just won from the state Department of Revenue by an Atlanta group of University of Florida grads. The Atlanta Journal Constitution quotes Georgia House Minority Leader Barry Fleming on the subject: "Just like we have reciprocity for bar exams, just as we have reciprocity on tuition and all kinds of licensing and whatnot, it would make sense to have reciprocity in this area, too."

I guess the Tennessee Legislature can't get fired up enough to call on the Arkansas Legislature to do the same. Or they've realized that they must go through Chris Thyer if they want a new plate here.