Massachusetts’ 250th anniversary license plates is setting records. But where’s the money going?

The last firework has long since been set off and the red-white-and-blue bunting cleared off of store shelves to make way for back-to-school supplies. 

But one emblem of the country’s 250th anniversary has only gotten more ubiquitous since the Fourth of July: the commemorative blue license plates. 

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles announced last week that the 250th anniversary plate — omnipresent in each road trip, parking lot and traffic jam — has become the most popular specialty offering in state history, with more than 100,000 issued since its launch in May 2025. 

More than 48,000 people entered a lottery for low-number Massachusetts 250 plates, and more than 4,500 tuned in for a May broadcast announcing some of the winners. 

Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie says Bay Staters have shown a "tremendous enthusiasm” for the 250th anniversary, with an "overwhelming response" to the low-number lottery and "continued demand" for the blue plates.

Massachusetts offers more than 50 different specialty license plates, many of which support charities, organizations or specific trust funds, like the Jimmy Fund, Zoo New England or the UMass Alumni Association. For the 250th anniversary plate, the cause that benefits is the commonwealth itself. 

The $40 special plate fee — that’s $4 million for 100,000 plates — goes to the state’s general fund, the main account for collecting revenue and financing government spending.

When Beacon Hill lawmakers were deciding this year how, exactly, to allocate the state’s dollars in a $63.4 billion budget, they opted to keep that setup in place. The Senate rejected a budget amendment from Minority Leader Bruce Tarr that would have instead steered half the blue plate fees to a new Commonwealth Heritage Fund.

"Since the purpose of these license plates is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of our nation and the role Massachusetts has played from our country's earliest days, the revenue generated by them should itself be dedicated to that purpose rather than being deposited into the General Fund," Tarr said this week in a statement to MASSterList. 

The Gloucester Republican said groups throughout the state often struggle for resources to research, reenact, document and depict historical events and figures. 

But Tarr’s pitch in May didn’t win over Senate Democrats, and the idea hasn’t resurfaced again so far at the State House. The RMV says it will keep offering the blue plates beyond the end of the year, which means the state will still get to collect the green that comes in. 

Do you have a specialty plate or an idea for one? Or maybe you swore the whole thing off after “Sox Plate Gate.” Does your blue plate spark envy when you street park? Register your thoughts: [email protected]

8:00 | U.S. Rep. McGovern hosts the first day of his 16th annual district-wide farm tour, with stops scheduled at Winter Moon Roots Farm in Hadley (8 a.m.), Mapleline Farm in Hadley (9:15 a.m.), Thomas Farm in Hadley (10:25 a.m.), Marty's Local in South Deerfield (11:35 a.m.), Pioneer Gardens in Deerfield (2 p.m.), and Good Bunch Farm in Shelburne Falls (3:30 p.m.)

10:00 | Massachusetts School Building Authority board meets. Treasurer Goldberg chairs the meeting | For access, contact the MSBA's director of external affairs at [email protected]

11:00 | Gov. Healey joins Lt. Gov. Driscoll, Congresswoman Clark, parents, teachers and advocates at ABCD Head Start Malden to speak out against the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the Head Start program | 359 Commercial St, Malden

12:30 | Officials including Lt. Gov. Driscoll and Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Matias announce Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative awards, which are meant to help turn vacant or underused commercial properties into housing | Roudenbush Community Center at 65 Main St., Westford

1:30 | Cannabis Control Commission hosts clinic and information session on social equity program applications, which open Sept. 1 | More Info and Access

5:00 | GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue holds a campaign rally | Bay Path Barn, 119 Central Street, Boylston

5:30 | Republican candidates Brian Shortsleeve for governor and Shawn Oliver for lieutenant governor rally in Taunton with Mayor Shaunna O'Connell and other supporters | Polish Club, 314 Bay St., Taunton

The Massachusetts Coalition of Police is backing a pair of district attorney challengers. The coalition put out a statement Tuesday reaffirming what it called a "strong endorsement" of Michael Giardino, who’s running against Cape and Islands DA Robert Galibois in the Democratic primary. MassCOP last month endorsed David Solet, a Cambridge Democrat trying to oust Middlesex DA Marian Ryan. 

Some other recent endorsements: North Reading Select Board member Steve O’Leary likes Dan Koh for Congress … Teamsters Local 25 is supporting Congressman Stephen Lynch ... Comedian and 2018 lieutenant governor candidate Jimmy Tingle backs U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and Cambridge state Rep. Marjorie Decker for reelection, plus Somerville City Councilor Matt McLaughlin in the busy Democratic primary to succeed Sen. Pat Jehlen ... Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson is with Governor's Council hopeful Diann Baylis, a Marblehead Democrat running against incumbent Terrence Kennedy.

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of an animal safety law that protects first responders and bystanders who break into a car to rescue a pet from extreme temperatures. It was Gov. Charlie Baker who signed the legislation in an Ashburton Park ceremony, but the star of the show was 9-week-old puppy Gumdrop, who sat on the desk as he did. The MSCPA, Animal Rescue League of Boston and Sen. Mark Montigny's office offered a Gumdrop update as they marked the milestone: "Now in her golden retirement years, she is enjoying a slowed down life and still has no idea of her celebrity status on Beacon Hill."

In memory of Dolly Parton: The music legend was invoked at the kickoff of the current Massachusetts legislative session. Senate President Karen Spilka quoted Parton last year after her election to another term leading the chamber: “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are an excellent leader.”

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HIGH TEST: Industry groups and business owners told the Cannabis Control Commission it's time for Massachusetts to update its testing rules for cannabis products to provide clear standards and keep up with advances. | State House News Service (gift link)

PAST THE POST: The Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission is looking to put a clock on how long police departments have to discipline an officer once an investigation wraps up. Thirteen local police departments, including Boston, have cases that have gone more than 60 days without disciplinary actions. | Boston 25

IN THE BAG: A new law that Gov. Healey celebrated with supporters yesterday will phase out a cancer-linked chemical from use in IV bags in tubing. State officials call it a patient-safety measure.| WWLP

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