Florida lawmakers debate offering a Christian license plate

The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words "I Believe."

Rep. Edward Bullard, the plate's sponsor, said people who "believe in their college or university" or "believe in their football team" already have license plates they can buy. The new design is a chance for others to put a tag on their cars with "something they believe in," he said.

Some license plates include religious symbols but usually as part of a design such as a college logo.

If the new Florida plates were approved, they would almost certainly face a court challenge.

The problem with the state manufacturing the plate is that it "sends a message that Florida is essentially a Christian state" and, second, gives the "appearance that the state is endorsing a particular religious preference," said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

Rep. Kelly Skidmore said she is a Roman Catholic and goes to Mass on Sundays, but she thinks the "I Believe" plate is inappropriate for the government to produce.

"It's not a road I want to go down. I don't want to see the Star of David next. I don't want to see a Torah next. None of that stuff is appropriate to me," said Skidmore, a Democrat who voted against the idea when it came up for a committee vote in the House.

The "I Believe" license plates still have to be approved by both the Florida Senate and House before the Legislature's annual session ends May 2.

Drivers must pay additional fees to receive a specialty license plate in Florida. Some of the money goes to causes the plates endorse.

One plate approved in 2004, displaying the motto "Family Values," funds Sheridan House, which provides family programs but also sees its purpose as "sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Bible" and "information about the Christian faith."

In 1999, lawmakers approved a bright yellow "Choose Life" license plate with a picture of a boy and girl. It raises money for agencies that encourage women to not have abortions.

Abortion rights groups said the plate had religious overtones. But it was ruled legal, and about a dozen states now have similar plates.

Simon, of the ACLU, said approval of the plate could prompt other groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan to seek their own designs, and they could claim discrimination if their plans were rejected.

Bullard, the plate's sponsor, isn't sure all groups should be able to express their preference. If atheists came up with an "I Don't Believe" plate, for example, he would probably oppose it.

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On the Net:

ACLU: http://www.aclu.org

Faith in Teaching Inc.: http://www.faithinteaching.org

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