A bill that would add the phrase 'In God We Trust' to some Tennessee license plates is now law. The original version of the bill would have required all new plates to have the national motto. Lawmakers changed the bill to make it optional.
The sample shows the motto in the center of the plate around the small image of the state. The final design is up the Department of Revenue.
State Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, co-sponsored the bill. We asked Zachary, the Knox County Clerk's Office, and the Department of Revenue to help us answer your questions from Facebook.
Many people asked if the motto on the license plate would be optional.
When you go to purchase a new tag or renew, you will have the option to add 'In God We Trust', but it will not be required.
"It's your choice," said Zachary.
Sandra Tipton asks: "How much will it cost?"
"Fortunately, we did some work with 3M before this went through the Transportation Committee. It didn't cost anything extra. We've got the print, we've already got the green mountains. None of that changes. It doesn't cost us anything extra. It doesn't cost the taxpayer anything extra," said Zachary.
The price of a 'In God We Trust' tag will be the same price as a standard tag.
Tyler King pointed out there is already an option with 'In God We Trust' from the American Eagle Foundation. But it is different than the AE Foundation plate not only because of design, but because it's a specialty tag that will cost you more.
Another person asked what other states have the motto on the tags.
"Twenty-one other states have them," Zachary said, including neighboring Kentucky, which is why the author of the bill brought it up in the first place.
The Knox County Clerk's Office said it already ordered 6,000 'In God We Trust' plates in preparation. The county sold about 115,000 tags last year.