Assemblyman Fred Thiele today announced that the Governor has signed A.7715, which Thiele sponsors, authorizing a special license plate commemorating the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The surcharge collected for the plate would be deposited into the World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship Program established in 2002 under section 608 of the Education Law.

Thiele stated said, “On September 11, 2001 our nation experienced an unforgettable tragedy. Nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93, which crashed in western Pennsylvania. These commemorative license plates will serve as a vivid and continuing reminder of the lives lost, the courage found, and the sacrifices made. This legislation sends a powerful message that they have not been forgotten."

For over a decade, new commemorative plates had been blocked by litigation involving free speech issues not directly related to the September 11 plate legislation. With the conclusion of that litigation, the moratorium on such plates ended, clearing the way for the September 11 plate bill.

The bill was sponsored in the State Senate by State Senator Ken LaValle.