Wichita Rep. asks state to reconsider plate design

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Representative Nick Hoheisel of Wichita has sent a letter to Governor Kelly and Kansas Department of Revenue Secretary Mark Burghart, urging the state to reconsider the new license plate design.

Hoheisel, a Republican who represents the 97th district in southwest Wichita, also serves as a member of the House Transportation Committee. While Hoheisel acknowledges the need to replace the current embossed plates for safety, he sites the public outcry over the design, which has been compared to New York’s state license plate, with others concerned about it too closely resembling the school colors of the University of Missouri.

Hoheisel proposes there be a design submission process, drawing on the state’s “wealth of talented and creative artists” for a new design and then allowing the public to have a say in the final design. He suggests opening up the process to the public will “cultivate a heightened sense of civic engagement among the residents, allowing them to play a meaningful role in shaping a symbol of our state’s identity.”

Read Hoheisel’s full letter below: