Californians interested in pledging to purchase a plate can sign up on Jackson’s website
SACRAMENTO – As the White House and Republican Congress continue to threaten federal funding for women’s health services, a bill by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to create a specialized pro-choice license plate with proceeds benefiting reproductive health care services in California passed out of the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee today. The vote was 10-3.
Senate Bill 309 would require that the Department of Motor Vehicles issue a specialized license plate with a “California Trusts Women” theme once 7,500 Californians order them. Californians interested in pledging to purchase a plate should the bill be signed into law can now do so on Senator Jackson’s website.
Jackson said, “With this license plate, we are taking our reproductive freedoms ‘to the street,’ so to speak. The Trump Administration and Republican Congress have cut off and threaten to continue to erode critical federal funding for reproductive health care services, and we will not stand idly by and let this happen. California has a long history of leadership on reproductive rights. This license plate represents one way that we can demonstrate that we will stay true to our values and the right of every woman to safe, affordable and quality reproductive health care.”
The initial cost of the optional license plate would be $50 and $40 per year thereafter to renew the plates. Proceeds from the plate will benefit the Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment (FPACT) program, which provides family planning services to 1.8 million Californians every year. Currently, the FPACT program is overwhelmingly supported by federal funding, with the federal government picking up 90 percent of the tab. FPACT funding is also a vital source of funding for Planned Parenthood reproductive health care services.
“The ‘California Trusts Women’ license plate is both a symbol of our belief in an equal society and a commitment to support high quality and accessible health clinics in our community,” said Amy Everitt, state director of NARAL Pro-Choice California. “We’re not going to sit back while low-income Californians lose access to reproductive health care. This license plate is one way everyone can step up and make a difference.”
California-based artists are in the process of designing different license plate options, and the public will soon have an opportunity to weigh in on the final choice of license plate designs.
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.