A NASCAR-themed specialty license plate that will give a bulk of its proceeds to the Tennessee State Museum is racing toward becoming reality in the legislature. Already approved by the House, the plate gained unanimous approval of the Senate Finance Committee yesterday. Now it needs only full Senate approval. Under the unusual arrangement, the Tennessee State Museum would get 65% of the plate’s annual proceeds: at least $22,750 a year. A minimum 1,000 people must sign up and pay in advance for the plates before they are designed and sold. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Micheal Williams, R-Maynardville, a NASCAR fan, and by Sen. Douglas Henry, D-Nashville, a patron of the museum. The museum is looking for money after losing $228,500 to budget cuts, including $92,100 that it said it needs to buy artifacts to preserve the state’s history. Museum executive director Lois Riggins-Ezzell said the match may be a stretch but is not that unnatural. The museum helped build the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame at the downtown arena and owns the sports collection there, she said.( Tennessean ), past info on this at my Collectible Links/News page .(5-14-2003)
