No one wants to take credit for ‘Choose Life’ license plate

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- State lawmakers said Monday they didn't know exactly who was behind a state Senate bill that calls for the creation of "Choose Life" license plates.

Sen. Ray Shaffer, R-North Las Vegas, introduced Senate Bill 120 Thursday but said he did so at the request of Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks.

Shaffer emphasized that it is not his bill. "I am not involved in that fight," he said.

Washington said he had been asked to introduce the bill by Clark County Commissioner Mark James, a former member of the state Senate. Washington said someone named "Bill" had asked James to support the legislation. Washington said he could not remember the person's last name.

James said this morning the legislation for a license plate to promote adoption was proposed by one of his constituents, Jim Blockey, within the last two years.

"It had zero to do with abortion," said James, who added that he has always been a pro-choice Republican.

He said he passed along the request to Washington, who is a personal friend, but the introduction of the legislation "was completely up to him," James said.

The bill calls for the state Department of Motor Vehicles to work with Choose Life Inc. to design and issue the new license plates. Choose Life Inc. is a Florida-based nonprofit group that promotes adoption as an alternative to abortion. It spent several years working to get Florida to approve a license plate that says "Choose Life," according to the group's website,

The group is making similar efforts in most other states nationwide and its website lists Blockey, of the 6300 block of Agua Drive in Las Vegas, as the coordinator for the effort in Nevada. Blockey could not be reached for comment this morning.

The Nevada bill requires that the license plate include the phrase "Choose Life."

Revenue from the purchase of the plates would go to counties to make grants to nonprofit groups that counsel women with unplanned pregnancies who want to place their children up for adoption. None of the money would go to any organization that counsels women about the option of abortion, according to the bill.

The bill was referred Monday to Shaffer's Transportation Committee for study.