Ohio is one step closer to offering the popular blackout license plates.
The Ohio Senate unanimously advanced Senate Bill 358 on May 20, which would allow drivers to purchase license plates with a black background, white lettering and no designs. The simple, sleek look has become popular in states that allow it.
The state would charge $40 for the plate and a $10 administrative fee. Money collected from license plates would support first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder and fund highway safety.
Ohio lawmakers considered creating a blackout license plate last year, but ultimately removed language about it from the state’s two-year budget. Now, the idea is advancing.
“It’s a clean, aesthetic look for a license plate,” said state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, who introduced the bill. “It’s just giving another option for people on what they want on their vehicles.”
Only a few states offer blackout license plates. Iowa has sold the blackout plate for years, and it’s the state’s second-most popular license plate after the standard design, the Des Moines Register reported.
Since 2021, Colorado, Indiana, North Dakota, Kansas and Wisconsin have approved selling blackout license plates.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@usatodayco.com or @jbalmert on X.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio moves closer to approving blackout license plates
Reporting by Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
