State license plate options may grow even more.

Legislators have already filed 11 bills creating specialized license plates for North Carolina drivers this session.

That's on top of the more than 160 plates already authorized on behalf of the state flight museum, fox hunters, shag dancing and paramedics, among other groups, as noted in this 2007 N&O article.

Each special tag costs $10 to $30 more than the standard blue-and-white "First in Flight" plates, with $10 going to the state's parks, historic sites and highway beautification program and the rest to the sponsoring organization.

Plates proposed this year would promote the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman; Mining, Travel and Tourism; the state flag; the Blue Knights police motorcycle club; Pinehurst golfing; the National Childhood Cancer Foundation; Old Baldy; the Stowe Botanical Gardens; the Horse Council; and the Beekeepers Association.

Another bill would allow the Smoky Mountains National Park plate to pay for administrative expenses as well as capital improvements.

At least 300 people must sign up for a plate before it can be issued.

Sen. John Snow has filed the first bill in his chamber.

The Murphy Democrat has filed S.B. 2, which would change the capital fund formula in the state lottery.

Details of the bill are not yet available, but Snow and other Western lawmakers have argued that their school districts have been shortchanged by the formula, part which is divvied up among areas with higher-than-average property taxes.

The bill is cosponsored by Sen. Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat.

He also filed S.B. 3, entitled "Smoky Mountains National Park Plate Changes" and S.B. 4, entitled "Clarify Emergency Judge Qualifications."

Two other early bills concerned hunting.

Sen. Richard Stevens filed S.B. 5, entitled "Continuing Crossbow Permit/Dealers and Manufacturers." Sen. Julia Boseman filed S.B. 7, which would allow hunting on Sundays.

Boseman also filed S.B. 6, entitled "Beach Plan and Insurance Rate and Deductible Stay."