Lawmaker introduces bill to create a specialty license plate for Badin High School

Stephen T. Badin High School alumni across the state may soon have an opportunity to show more of their school spirit while traversing Ohio’s roads.

Ohio Rep. Sara Carruthers, R-Hamilton, submitted a bill last week that would create a specialty license plate for the near-60-year-old high school.

Carruthers said with each license plate issued, the schools would receive around $30 per plate.

“They would get money to go to whatever they wanted it to go to,” she said. “I love our local schools and want to help them any way I can and this was a way for people to show support and give.”

Badin spokesperson Dirk Allen said he’s “sure there are a lot of people from the Badin Family over the years who would be delighted” to represent their alma mater with a specialty license plate.

“Every once in a while we see a high school specialty plate and think, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to have one for Badin High?’ "

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles offers nearly 400 specialty license plates, said Ohio BMV Registrar Charlie Norman.

“A specialty plate is a fun way for Ohioans to be able to showcase their support for their favorite organizations and causes,” he said.

The introduction of House Bill 394 bill follows the passage of a similar bill when the General Assembly approved in 2020 a bill that created specialty plates for Hamilton, Fairfield, and Ross high schools, but Carruthers said there’s still work to be done by the schools to make it a reality.

Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles spokesperson Lindsey Bohrer said the process to create these specialty plates starts with a petition of 150 signatures of people who intend to purchase the new plates. Then a bill must be passed that’s introduced by a state lawmaker.

Bohrer said once the bill passes, and in addition to the signatures, there are additional steps, including a completed affidavit to participate in the Organizational/Collegiate Special License Plate Program and an electronic file of the logo and name.

She also said organizations “must maintain a minimum of 25 license plate sales per year.”

Elder High School in neighboring Hamilton County was approved for a specialty plate last year, and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles unveiled the new plate this past spring.