2 groups oppose religious symbol
This proposed license plate in Florida is similar to the one proposed for South Carolina
But if the Legislature endorses the new plate, which would say "I Believe" across the bottom and carry the image of a cross in front of a stained-glass window, the state could end up in court.
The bill received key approval in the House on Wednesday with a 109-0 vote. A change from the Senate version will send it back to that body before it could go to Gov. Mark Sanford's desk.
"People can express their views however they want, on a bumper sticker,
whatever," said Ronald Lindsay, director of the First Amendment Task Force for the Council for Secular Humanism, a New York-based group.
"Once you get into the license plate area, that's an official government document, or tag. There is simply no need for it."
Sen. Larry Grooms sees things differently.
This is just one of several bills the Bonneau Republican has sponsored that helps the state use constitutional law to carve out rights for people to display their faith in public places.
Grooms signed on to a bill that lays out ground rules for prayer at public meetings and another that would let government agencies and schools display historic and religious documents, including the Ten Commandments, side by side.
Both those bills are making their way through the legislative process and are on track to become law.
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