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ON A BILL PROPOSING TO ADD THEM TO LICENSE PLATES. <NAT - CAR DRIVING> THOSE DISTINCTIVE GREEN LICENSE PLATES...ARE PART OF VERMONT'S IDENTITY <NAT> MOST PLATES ARE WHATEVER WE GET AT THE DMV...BUT SOME ARE CUSTOM AND A BILL PROPOSED AT THE STATEHOUSE COULD GIVE DRIVERS THE OPTION TO ADD áeven moreá personality to their plates. <SHARON MICHAUD / SPRINGFIELD - I THINK IT WOULD BE NEAT TO SEE, I REALLY DO> THE LEGISLATION CALLS FOR A NEW PLATE TO BE MADE THAT WOULD ALLOW ONE OF SIX EMOJIS TO BE ADDED ON WITH NUMBERS OR LETTERS IT'S UNCLEAR WHAT THE NEW PLATES WOULD LOOK LIKE WHAT EMOJIS WOULD BE ALLOWED OR WHAT THE DESIGN WOULD LOOK LIKE BUT THIS MOCK- UP BY NBC5 MAY BE A GLIMPSE OF WHAT WE COULD SEE ON THE GREEN MOUNTAINS ROADWAYS <SHARON MICHAUD / SPRINGFIELD - IF YOU WERE TO HAVE THE OPTION TO DO AN EMOJI ON YOUR LICENSE PLATE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? UM, PROBABLY A HEART AND A RAINBOW> <HEATHER LAPRE / SPRINGFIELD - IT WOULD PROBABLY BE AN ANGRY FACE AND A KISSY SMILE> <MARY-JO ROLDAN / SPRINGFIELD - A FACE WITH HEART, KISSES ALL OVER IT> BUT SOME RESIDENTS BELIEVE IT COULD BE DANGEROUS <HEATHER LAPRE / SPRINGFIELD - IT'S LIKE USING YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING. EVERYBODY WOULD BE DISTRACTED LOOKING FOR THE EMOJI'S ON LICENSE PLATES> OTHERS ARE INDIFFERENT <PAM BUCK / WEATHERSFIELD - I GUESS IT'S AN OKAY IDEA. I WOULDN'T SAY IT'S GOOD, I WOULDN'T SAY IT'S BAD, IT'S NOT HURTING ANYBODY>

Advertisement Vermont bill would allow emojis on state-issued license plates If passed, Vermont would become the first state to enact emoji-plate legislation Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A bill seeking to create a new vanity license plate featuring emojis was introduced to the state's house committee on transportation Wednesday. EDITOR'S NOTE: The attached rendering was not provided by a state office and is provided only as a visual aid. State Rep. Rebecca White (D-Windsor) introduced the bill, which would allow drivers to add one of six available emojis to their license plate when registering a vehicle in Vermont. The symbols would be added in addition to the plate's registration number, and would not replace any letters or numbers assigned by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles nor those selected by the vehicle's owner. "As long as they're appropriate, I'm all for it," said Mary-Jo Roldan.The bill does not state which emojis drivers would be able to choose from. There were 3,019 recognized emojis at the time of the bill's introduction. "I guess it's an OK idea. I wouldn't say it's good. I wouldn't say it's bad. It's not hurting anybody," said Pam Buck, of Weathersfield.If the bill is passed, Vermont would become the first state to enact emoji-plate legislation, but not the first in the world. Legislators in Queensland, Australia, passed legislation allowing the emoticons to appear on state-registered plates in 2019. Drivers there are able to select from the laughing, smiling, wink, "love" or sunglasses emojis. Those plates are setting back Australian drivers approximately $336 each, however, Vermont's bill does not add a price for the proposed vanity plates. Of the state's current vanity plates, the most expensive for any vehicle less than 26,001 pounds is the state conservation series, which come with a $26 annual fee.