Lawmakers Want to Create Boston Strong Specialty License Plates

State leaders are gearing up to discuss the prospect of creating and issuing specialty plates to commemorate and honor the victims of the Boston Marathon attack.

Later this week, the state’s Transportation Committee will meet on Beacon Hill and consider allowing drivers to purchase “Boston Strong” plates for their vehicles, and donating the proceeds from the purchase of the specialty license plates to the One Fund—the foundation created to collect and distribute money for those injured during the bombing on April 15, on Boylston Street.

The “Boston Strong” motto was made popular by two Emerson College students, who first came up with the slogan when they designed T-shirts with the phrase on it, using the Boston Marathon colors, and sold them online. Proceeds from their T-shirt sales has reached nearly $1 million since April, with proceeds supporting the One Fund.

According to the plan for the commemorative license plates, a concept proposed by State Representative Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr., D-Springfield, the state registrar would furnish the plates upon request to the owners of private passenger motor vehicles.

The proposed legislation states that a “Boston Strong” plate, if created, would be issued free of charge to the parent, child, sibling or spouse of a family member killed or severely injured as a result of the events on or related to the April 15 attack.

Everyone else would be subject to fees of up to $50 or more for the plates, in addition to the established registration fee for private passenger motor vehicles.

“The portion of the total fee remaining after the deduction of costs directly attributable to the issuance of such plates shall be directed to the One Fund Boston,” according to Puppolo’s proposal.

The state already has a handful of specialty plates that they offer drivers—for a fee—that allow them to show “their allegiance” to a certain cause, much like the One Fund. Current options that can be purchased include Patriots, Red Sox, Massachusetts Animal Coalition, Cure Breast Cancer, and Right Whale plates.