PA Could Get New Specialty License Plate Option

PENNSYLVANIA — New license plates already are being implemented across the state, but residents could have an opportunity to have another specialty option under a proposal being advanced by a legislator.

Republican Josh Bashline of Clarion County plans to introduce legislation to create a Fish PA license plate.

"Pennsylvania has a rich history of fishing and conservation, yet we do not currently have a license plate to honor that history," he stated in a recent memo to colleagues. "To that end, my legislation seeks to create the Fish PA license plate to acknowledge Pennsylvania’s fishing heritage."

Pennsylvania already is distributing new license plates as part of a redesign unveiled last year. Out is the blue, white and gold design promoting the state tourism website VisitPA.com. In is the all-white plate with blue numerals bearing the slogan "Let Freedom Ring" in red and an illustration of the Liberty Bell.

Bashline's legislation would require PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) to offer a design contest for students in kindergarten through fifth grade across Pennsylvania to offer a winning design for the Fish PA license plate. The design of the overall plate must be based on the winning design, must include the phrase “Fish PA” and must feature the depiction of a Brook Trout, which is Pennsylvania’s state fish.

"This is a unique way to offer community engagement for students across Pennsylvania, and increase youth involvement in fishing and conservation," Bashline said.

Bashline's legislation would require a portion of the funds collected from the Fish PA license to be used for the Trout in the Classroom program, which is offered by the fish and boat commission. This program introduces students to watershed conservation efforts, ecosystems, habitats, natural resources, management strategies, and recreational opportunities.

In this program, students raise trout in their classrooms throughout the year and then release their trout into a stocked trout waterway in a state-approved stream near their school, or within a nearby watershed. Bashline contends that allocating a portion of the funds from the Fish PA license plate to the Trout in the Classroom program can ensure continued youth involvement in watershed conservation and recreational fishing opportunities, while offering increased engagement in the program across Pennsylvania.