| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the |
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| 6 | 7 | | first license plate issued by the State of Texas; and |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Introduced in 1917, state-issued license plates |
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| 8 | 9 | | were originally made of sheet iron and featured embossed numbers |
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| 9 | 10 | | painted white on a dark blue background, with the abbreviation |
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| 10 | 11 | | "TEX" on the right-hand side; before that time, Texans were |
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| 11 | 12 | | responsible for obtaining their own license plates, which could be |
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| 12 | 13 | | either homemade or purchased from such places as saddle and |
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| 13 | 14 | | blacksmith shops; and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, The state prison system began manufacturing license |
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| 15 | 16 | | plates in 1935, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice |
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| 16 | 17 | | estimates that by 2016, inmates had created some 650 million |
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| 17 | 18 | | plates; in 1965, the Texas Highway Department, now known as the |
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| 18 | 19 | | Texas Department of Transportation, started offering personalized |
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| 19 | 20 | | vanity plates to the public for an additional fee; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, As technology advanced through the decades, so did |
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| 21 | 22 | | the manufacture of Texas license plates; TxDOT began producing |
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| 22 | 23 | | digitally printed, vinyl-covered aluminum plates in 2009, and three |
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| 23 | 24 | | years later, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles unveiled the |
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| 24 | 25 | | current general-issue plate, which utilizes black type on a white |
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| 25 | 26 | | background and holographic security features; the Texas DMV now |
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| 26 | 27 | | offers 420 plate designs in addition to the general scheme, |
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| 27 | 28 | | including many that honor military veterans; and |
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| 28 | 29 | | WHEREAS, Over the past century, as the automobile industry |
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| 29 | 30 | | has evolved to become a vital sector of the U.S. economy and a |
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| 30 | 31 | | dominant influence on both American society and the national |
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| 31 | 32 | | landscape, vehicle license plates have themselves become a |
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| 32 | 33 | | ubiquitous, critical element of American life; their sale generates |
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| 33 | 34 | | revenue for a variety of state programs, and their role as |
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| 34 | 35 | | identifying markers provides essential aid to law enforcement |
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| 35 | 36 | | officers in the performance of their work; incidental to their |
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| 36 | 37 | | primary function, the plates have achieved a hold on the popular |
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| 37 | 38 | | consciousness, becoming collector's items, a means of personal |
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| 38 | 39 | | expression, and even a decorative feature, notably in countless |
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| 39 | 40 | | roadside diners; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, A humble, unobtrusive object, the license plate |
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| 41 | 42 | | serves a number of purposes, from the essential to the whimsical, |
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| 42 | 43 | | and it is indeed fitting that this milestone anniversary be |
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| 43 | 44 | | recognized; now, therefore, be it |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 45 | 46 | | hereby commemorate the centennial of the first state-issued license |
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| 46 | 47 | | plate in the Lone Star State. |
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