He said there were initially 40 or 50 proposals for license plate designs in various categories, including several that featured The Guardian, the massive bronze statue that sits atop the Capitol dome, eight featuring American Indian art, six featuring the Sacred Rain Arrow statue and others with various cowboy images of the west.

Tourism officials, who are responsible for choosing a design, have narrowed the choices to three and all feature the Sacred Rain Arrow statue.

“That was clearly the choice of the public,” Watkins said. “It’s such an iconic piece. It speaks to the very rich Native American heritage that we have here.

“It’s a very positive, very strong, very optimistic interpretation. We like it because it’s consistent with the brand Oklahoma enjoys,” he said.

Officials are working with license plate manufacturers to determine design options and how they translate to an actual license plate. Watkins said the design must be finalized within 30 days to make sure the project remains on schedule.

Miller said any proposed license plate design must receive the approval of state public safety authorities, who stand to benefit most from the reissuance plan.

“We have a lot of plates on the road that are just too old. You can’t read them,” Miller said.

Department of Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Ward said existing state license plates were manufactured with a reflective film on the surface to make them easier for law enforcement and witnesses to record the license plate numbers of vehicles involved in a crime or accident. But the film begins to break down after five years.

“They actually develop these cracks,” Ward said. “The degradation has just made it so difficult to read.”

While the measure was being debated in the Legislature, lawmakers were shown photographs of old license plates — some dating back decades — that are still on cars and trucks in the state that have deteriorated and were difficult to read.

License plates will be reissued beginning Jan. 1 when motorists pay their annual tag fee. Instead of getting just an updated sticker for their old license plates, motorists will also receive a new license plate.

Paula Ross, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Tax Commission, said there is no reliable estimate on the number of vehicles with delinquent tags. Motorists more than 30 days overdue in paying the tag fee are penalized 25 cents a day until the penalty reaches a maximum cap of $25.