Oregon Wine License Plates continued...

Update: As I have dug deeper into this issue, it seems clear that the money generated from the license plates should be in the control of the Oregon Wine Board, the governing body of the industry. While having a license plate would be great positioning for the state, the bill should be reworked.  

SB 442 

WINE COUNTRY PLATE 

Fact Sheet 

This is a tourism bill, not a wineries bill. Tourism as part of an overall economic development strategy, supports both directly and indirectly the health and vibrancy of Oregon’s agricultural industry as well as all other corners of the economy. The goal is to galvanize the travel & tourism industry and provide a funding mechanism to give lift to the entire industry, not one specific category. 

Cultivating Communities is a 501c3 corporation dedicated to the travel & tourism industry, with an education-based mission to support product development, education & outreach initiatives, marketing & promotion, scholarships, workforce development and grants. 

This is a budget neutral bill. Cultivating Communities stepped up to develop the Wine Country Plate concept and initiate legislation, bears all financial burden, and can carry forward the administration of legislation at no cost to the state. This is a clean concept from start to finish. 

The revenue split (35/50) is fair and balanced based on the concentration of wineries in Oregon, and that more than 50% are in the mid-Willamette Valley. At least 35% of revenues will be dedicated to communities across the state through grants to support travel & tourism industry projects that bolster economic growth and job creation. 

The mid-Willamette Valley iconic tourism asset is agri-tourism and wine country. When developing the Wine Country Plate concept, Cultivating Communities recognized that other regions of the state also have wine assets, and that there was great potential for a project like this to have broad statewide impact for the tourism industry, while still benefitting this underfunded region. 

All regions of the state will benefit from this entrepreneurial initiative, regardless of connection to wine country. Cultivating Communities will establish a Statewide Grants Council to oversee the statewide grants process for the 35% funding allocation. The Statewide Grants Council will include representatives from all 7 regions of the state plus Travel Oregon. 

The Wine Country Plate is unique and distinctive from current plate options, and would appeal to a different consumer preference. California doesn’t have a wine plate. The Wine Country Plate would have a significant and powerful impact on tourism marketing for Oregon as the plates would serve as a moving “billboard” promoting Oregon’s status 

as an agri-tourism hot spot. 

For more information, please contact: 

Angie Morris, President & CEO 

Cultivating Communities 

181 High Street NE, Salem, OR 97301 

503-581-4325