Havre groups get extension on selling specialty license plates

Local groups that were losing specialty license plates, which are sold as fundraising resources for non-profit groups, are getting an extension to try to sell enough to continue the funding source.

State Sen. Mary Cohenour, D-East Helena, who sponsored a bill last session requiring the state to cancel specialty plates that had not been purchased by at least 400 people, asked the state Department of Justice, which oversees the sales of license plates, to give groups until July 1 to raise their sales to meet the minimum, the Associated Press reported.

The Montana law always had a 400-unit sale goal for specialty plates, but had no recourse to enforce the requirement. Cohenour's Senate Bill 353 that passed in 2019 changed the language to require DOJ's motor vehicle division to cancel plates that fell short of the requierment.

The law went into effect in January, and affected 85 groups around the state including Havre's St. Jude Thaddeus School and Havre Wrestling Club.

 Montana Motor Vehicle Division Bureau Chief Joann Loehr said the division is making sure the legislation is implemented, but the Department of Justice is giving a grace period for the of 85 organizations that did not meet that minimum requirement.

The legislation went into effect Jan. 1, 2020.

"Before it was that there was a snapshot taken between their second and third year, and they still had to meet that same minimum requirement, but once that second or third year snapshot was over then there wasn't an annual requirement to meet minimum," she said.

Cohenour had not responded to calls asking for comment by print deadline this morning.

Havre Wrestling Club President Shaylee Lewis said the club started selling speciality vehicle license plates in 2012, and the loss will hit the club's budget by more than $7,000 a year.

"It is a major effect, that's $7,000 going to a non-profit project that they are cutting into," She said.

The club's plate just says "Wrestling" on it, not specifically Havre wrestling, so anyone in the state of Montana who likes wrestling can purchase one, she said.

She said the money the club receives from the plate sales is used to help the children who want to wrestle and participate in Amatueur Athletic Union tournaments.

"Cutting into our $7,000 budget, are we going to be able to do that next year? I don't know," Lewis said.

Nothing has been set in stone, she said, adding that with those funds not coming in from the plates, parents might have to come up with the money.

"There's a lot of tournaments we can send a lot of kids to and have a lot of wrestling experiences before they get to the high school level, with $7,000 a year," she said. "I would like to see this law rewritten. I don't think an extension helps us. We've had our plate for so long that we have a lot of permanent plates. I think it needs to be re-looked at and all the stakeholders that have a stake in this need to be consulted with before we are making a law about things like that." 

The club helps send youths to wrestling tournaments around Montana and in the western states.

St. Jude Thaddeus School Principal Mike Haugen said the school has sold about 100 plates.

"Financially, I don't know the numbers, but I am sure it was not a lot of money," he said. "With that said, funds are always welcome."

The biggest effect of the plates is the sense of community, he said, adding that it was a way many of the parishioners supported the school. 

"Since we are so far away from the 400, we are not planning anything further with the plate," Haugen said.

State Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, voted for the bill, but agrees with Lewis that it should be revisited.

"Although it was designed with good intent, it should be revisited next session," he said.

He added that allowing nonprofits to raise money through selling license plates is important to the financial success of many organizations.  

The threshold should be lowered, he said.

"I am not sure what the appropriate number is, but I'm confident that by working with the non-profit community we can come to an agreement," Bachmeier said. 

Rep. Casey Knudsen, R-Malta, said he voted against SB 353.

"A lot of non-profits need that income to support their cause, no matter how small an amount it might seem to be," he said.

Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, also voted against the bill. 

"I voted against the bill mainly because it was a bill not needed," he said.

Rep. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, had not responded to a request for comment by printing deadline this morning.