To commemorate the families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, four Wisconsin legislators have proposed a new state license plate.
Reps. Mark Miller, D-Monona, and Suzanne Jeskewitz, R-Menomonee Falls, and Sens. Kim Plache, D-Racine, and Carol Roessler, R-Oshkosh, unveiled on Tuesday their plan to introduce a Sept. 11 memorial license plate to aid the Red Cross in its relief efforts.
'The license plate came as a request from Herbert Fellerer of Faukville, Wis., as an appropriate way to show our ongoing support for the families of the victims of the tragedies in New York and Washington, D.C.,' Miller said.
Jeskewitz added that the plates were proposed because 'people are looking for a way to show their respect for the people who died.'
The plates would only be available for one year at a cost of $40. From the sale of every plate, $25 would go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund as a tax-deductible contribution. Jeskewitz said she could not estimate how much money the plate sales would raise.
'Although there are literally hundreds of fundraisers going on at various scales, this would be the first legislatively mandated one,' said Pam Moen, media spokesperson for the Badger Chapter of the American Red Cross. 'The Red Cross cannot say thank you enough to everyone for their efforts,'
Although the plates would not be available until at least a month after the bill is passed and signed by Gov. Scott McCallum, a contest is being held to choose the design for the plate.
Those interested can mail their design to: License Plate Design, P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI, 53708. Designs can also be sent as e-mail attachments to . Once the bill is signed, a Web site will be set up for people to submit and view designs.
