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HB801 • 2026

MTR VEHICLE/LICEN PLATES: Creates the "Classic Black" specialty license plate

MTR VEHICLE/LICEN PLATES: Creates the "Classic Black" specialty license plate

Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Chasity Martinez
Last action
2026-05-15
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 175
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact number of applicants needed to activate the plate issuance is specified as a minimum of one thousand, but there's no information on how many will actually apply once available.

Classic Black Specialty License Plate

This act creates a new 'Classic Black We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie' specialty license plate for Louisiana residents, with fees going to emergency vehicle training.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a special prestige motor vehicle license plate called the 'Classic Black We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie'.
  • Requires that there be at least one thousand applicants before the plates can be made available.
  • Specifies that the design of the plate will have white letters on a black background with 'LOUISIANA' at the top.
  • Sets an annual fee of $25 for each plate, plus a handling fee of $3.50 to cover administrative costs.
  • Directs all collected fees from this specialty license plate to be sent to the Donald J. Thibodeaux Training Center in Zachary, Louisiana.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Louisiana residents who want to apply for the 'Classic Black We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie' specialty license plates.
  • The Department of Public Safety and Corrections which will manage the issuance and design of these plates.

Terms To Know

Special Prestige License Plate
A unique type of license plate that is not a standard issue but has special significance or design.
Annual Royalty Fee
The yearly fee charged for the use and maintenance of a specialty license plate, in addition to regular vehicle taxes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act only applies if there are at least one thousand applicants interested in obtaining this specific license plate.
  • It is unclear how many people will actually apply for these plates once they become available.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Plain English: SSHB801 4877 4912 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 801 2026 Regular Session Martinez MTR VEHICLE/LICEN PLATES: Creates the "Classic Black" specialty license plate Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.

  • SSHB801 4877 4912 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 801 2026 Regular Session Martinez MTR VEHICLE/LICEN PLATES: Creates the "Classic Black" specialty license plate Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.
  • Changes the name of the special prestige license plate from "Classic Black" to "Classic Black We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie".
  • Digest of Bill as Finally Passed by Senate Proposed law requires the Dept.
  • of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C), office of motor vehicles (OMV), issue a special prestige license plate to be known as the "Classic Black We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie" license plate, provided that there is a minimum of 1,000 applicants for such plates.

Plain English: HFAHB801 4877 1926 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Martinez to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • HFAHB801 4877 1926 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Martinez to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 801 by Representative Martinez 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 18, after "display" delete the remainder of the line, at the beginning of line 3 19, delete "numbers", and insert "the license plate number as a white alpha-numeric series" Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

Plain English: HCAHB801 4931 1624 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works to Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB801 4931 1624 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works to Original House Bill No.
  • 801 by Representative Martinez 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 2, after "To" and before "R.S.
  • 47:463.243" change "amend and reenact" to 3 "enact" 4 AMENDMENT NO.

Plain English: HCAHB801 4931 1594 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works to Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB801 4931 1594 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works to Original House Bill No.
  • 801 by Representative Martinez 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 2, after "To" and before "R.S.
  • 47:463.243" change "amend and reenact" to 3 "enact" 4 AMENDMENT NO.

Plain English: 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1068 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 801 BY MARTINEZ CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/11/2026 Time: 2:44:59 PM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Mr.

  • 2026 Regular Session Sequence: 1068 HBS AMENDED BY SENATE TO BE CONCURRED IN HB 801 BY MARTINEZ CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS Date: 5/11/2026 Time: 2:44:59 PM ROLL CALL The roll was called with the following result: YEAS Mr.
  • Speaker Adams Amedee Bacala Bagley Bamburg Bayham Beaullieu Berault Billings Boudreaux Bourriaque Boyd Boyer Brass Braud Broussard Bryant Butler Carpenter Carter, R.
  • Carter, W.
  • Carver Chassion Chenevert Coates Cox Crews Deshotel Dewitt Dickerson Domangue Echols Egan Firment Fisher Fontenot Freeman Freiberg Gadberry Galle Geymann Glorioso Green Hebert Henry, C.

Plain English: SFAHB801 4379 2751 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator Kleinpeter to Reengrossed House Bill No.

  • SFAHB801 4379 2751 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator Kleinpeter to Reengrossed House Bill No.
  • 801 by Representative Martinez 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 3, after "Black" insert "We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie" 3 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 4 On page 1, line 8, after "Black" insert "We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie" 5 AMENDMENT NO.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-15 H

    Effective date: 08/01/2026.

  2. 2026-05-15 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 175.

  3. 2026-05-13 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-05-13 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-05-12 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-11 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 93, nays 0. The Senate amendments, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, were concurred in.

  7. 2026-05-07 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/11/2026.

  8. 2026-05-05 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  9. 2026-04-29 S

    Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 32 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  10. 2026-04-21 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  11. 2026-04-20 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  12. 2026-04-15 S

    Reported favorably.

  13. 2026-03-24 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.

  14. 2026-03-23 S

    Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  15. 2026-03-18 H

    Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 1. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  16. 2026-03-17 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 03/18/2026.

  17. 2026-03-16 H

    Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  18. 2026-03-11 H

    Reported with amendments (12-0).

  19. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.

  20. 2026-02-27 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

  21. 2026-02-27 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works.

  22. 2026-02-27 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

MTR VEHICLE/LICEN PLATES: Creates the "Classic Black" specialty license plate

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
ENROLLED
ACT No. 1752026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 801
BY REPRESENTATIVES MARTINEZ, ADAMS, BAYHAM, BEAULLIEU, BERAULT,
BILLINGS, BOUDREAUX, BOYER, BRYANT, BUTLER, CARPENTER,
CARRIER, WILFORD CARTER, CHASSION, DICKERSON, DOMANGUE,
FISHER, FREIBERG, GREEN, HEBERT, CHANCE HENRY, JACKSON, MIKE
JOHNSON, LACOMBE, JACOB LANDRY, TERRY LANDRY, LARVADAIN,
MENA, MURRAY, NEWELL, SPELL, TURNER, WALTERS, WYBLE, AND
ZERINGUE AND SENATORS ALLAIN, BARROW, BARTHELEMY, BASS,
BOUDREAUX, CARTER, CATHEY, CLOUD, EDMONDS, FESI, FOIL,
HENSGENS, KLEINPETER, LUNEAU, MIGUEZ, MILLER, MIZELL, MYERS,
OWEN, PRESSLY, REESE, SEABAUGH, SELDERS, STINE, WHEAT, AND
WOMACK
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 47:463.243, relative to motor vehicle special prestige license plates; to
3 establish the "Classic Black We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie" special
4 prestige license plate; to provide for the creation, issuance, design, implementation,
5 fees, distribution, and rule promulgation applicable to the license plate; and to
6 provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 47:463.243 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 §463.243. Special prestige license plate; Classic Black We Will Never Forget:
10 Caroline and Maggie plate
11 A.(1) The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall
12 establish a special prestige motor vehicle license plate to be known as the "Classic
13 Black We Will Never Forget: Caroline and Maggie" plate, provided that there is a
14 minimum of one thousand applicants for such plate. The plate shall be restricted to
15 use on passenger cars, pickup trucks, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, and vans.
16 (2) The Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of motor
17 vehicles, shall create this special prestige license plate when the applicable statutory
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 801 ENROLLED
1 provisions are met and the department's electronic vehicle and registration system
2 is updated to accommodate the creation of the new plates.
3 B. The design shall display the license plate number as a white alpha-
4 numeric series on a black background in compliance with R.S. 47:463(A)(3). The
5 design shall include a white border with "LOUISIANA" centered at the top of the
6 plate.
7 C. The special prestige license plate shall be issued, upon application, to any
8 citizen of Louisiana in the same manner as any other motor vehicle license plate.
9 D. The department shall collect an annual royalty fee of twenty-five dollars
10 that shall be disbursed in accordance with Subsection E of this Section. This royalty
11 fee shall be in addition to the standard motor vehicle license tax imposed by Article
12 VII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana and a handling fee of three dollars
13 and fifty cents for each plate to be retained by the department to offset a portion of
14 administrative costs.
15 E. The annual royalty fee shall be collected by the department and forwarded
16 to the Donald J. Thibodeaux Training Center in Zachary, Louisiana. The monies
17 received from the royalty fees shall be used for emergency vehicle operations
18 training for local governments pursuant to R.S. 40:1375.
19 F. The secretary shall promulgate and adopt rules and regulations as are
20 necessary to implement the provisions of this Section.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.