Indiana 4-H License Plate Update

We promised to keep you updated on the Indiana 4-H license plate situation. We believe this is a simple misunderstanding and are working with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to resolve the issue and get more 4-H clovers out on the road in 2012!

On May 18, attorneys on our behalf have requested an administrative hearing on the decision by the BMV to suspend new sales of the Indiana 4-H specialty group license plates. The decision to discontinue new sales of Indiana 4-H license plates was made by the BMV on March 16, 2012. We deny the allegation that it violated any statue or administrative code related to specialty plates or its participation in the program.

On May 4, the BMV approved the Foundation’s request for a hearing on the suspension of the sale of new license plates to benefit state and county 4-H programming. A prehearing conference has been set for June 18, 2012 with an administrative law judge and counsel to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. This is a scheduling conference to set deadlines and a hearing date.

You can renew your 4-H license plate if you purchased one prior to March 16, 2012!

If you already have a 4-H plate, you are still able to renew it while the Foundation works to appeal the suspension. In 2011, license plate sales generated $47,000 to support education and leadership opportunities in all 92 counties. Sales help fund many Indiana 4-H programs, such as Junior Leader programs. Special group license plates include an extra $40 fee collected at time of purchase. Of that $40, $15 is kept by the BMV to cover the administrative costs to provide the program. Of the remaining $25 donated to the Indiana 4-H Foundation, $10 is returned by the Foundation to the county in which it was sold.