Do you have an embossed license plate? Here's why Kansas is about to make you replace it.

If you still have one of the older embossed license plates, Kansas may be mailing you a new tag — but only if the state can use federal pandemic relief money.

The Kansas Department of Revenue is working to replace the remaining embossed license plates, the ones with bumpy-looking tag numbers, with new digitally produced ones with flat-looking tag numbers.

The state budget signed into law last month authorizes KDOR to use $9.8 million for replacing embossed license plates next fiscal year, as long as the money comes from federal COVID-19 aid. The department is seeking to replace the significantly deteriorated license plates.

"The license plates, some of them that I see out there, you cannot read," Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, said in a February committee meeting.

"A lot of those are anywhere between 10 and 15 years old and the reflectivity on them has gone down significantly," Kris Holm, the Revenue Department's chief financial officer, told lawmakers in February.

That age is far beyond their expected life.

"The license plates have a five-year useful life, I guess you could say, before the reflectivity starts to wear off," Holm said. "And so right now those digitally produced ones that we started to produce back in 2018 are just reaching the five-year useful life. But right now we're concerned with the older ones, to get those off the road."

Embossed plates lose about 50% of their reflectivity after five years, making them more difficult to read, especially at night, according to agency testimony. That poses challenges for law enforcement.

"As long as the funding is there for the plate replacement, that takes care of an issue for law enforcement," said revenue secretary Mark Burghart.

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Will I have to pay for my new plate in Kansas?

Holm said Kansans will receive their new plate in the mail at no cost to them.

"They will receive one in the mail at no cost," he said in February.

The Revenue Department confirmed Wednesday that is still the plan.

Where is the money for new Kansas license plates coming from?

The money — if it comes at all — will come from federal funds.

The money was originally supposed to come from state special revenue funds. Then the governor switched it to the highway fund. Then legislators switched it to the state general fund before finally settling on the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

It is unclear if ARPA funding is available for the project. If not, there will be no funding for license plate replacement next year.

A Revenue Department spokesperson said in an email that the agency "is working to ensure that funding is in place for the project."

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When will I get my new Kansas license plate?

The project is scheduled to begin in calendar year 2024.

"This will coincide with the normal registration renewal month for Kansas vehicle owners with embossed license plates," the Revenue Department spokesperson said. "Those affected will receive instructions on replacing and disposing of current plates at the appropriate time. Replacement is only for the standard embossed plates; those receiving replacement plates will not pay additional fees during the 2024 registration process."

If I like my Kansas license plate number, can I keep it?

The new license plate in the mail will come with a new tag number.

"No, they will not have the same number," Holm said. "I know some people are very particular about that, but we're not going to be able to accommodate that, unfortunately."

Will there be a new Kansas license plate design?

At the time, Holm said he did not know if there would be a new license plate design as part of the replacement. That remains the case.

"A design has yet to be determined, but the Division of Vehicles has assembled a team to discuss plate design options," a Revenue Department spokesperson said.

Is everyone getting a new license plate?

Only people with the standard embossed plates will be receiving replacement plates.

But that was not the original plan.

The agency had initially requested $25.3 million for a complete replacement of the standard Ad Astra license plate design. The amount included $13.9 million in production costs and $11.4 million for mailing costs. About 3 million license plates would have been replaced.

The governor's office trimmed the request to $12.6 million just to replace the embossed plates with a provision to use ARPA funds if possible. After the Revenue Department revised its cost estimate, the Legislature cut the budget to $9.8 million, contingent on the availability of ARPA funds.

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Under Kansas law, the Revenue Department's license plates are supposed to have a five-year cycle, and the agency sought to get back in compliance with the statute.

The current Ad Astra license plate design dates to 2008, meaning a new plate was supposed to be issued in 2013. But the law allows the Revenue Department to extend the cycle if plates are not deteriorating to where they need replaced, which the agency has done.

Kansas switched to digital license plate production in 2018, with plates printed on-demand once the tag is ordered. They are then mailed to the driver.

Officials said the transition would be more efficient than managing inventory from the mass production of the state license plate and a host of specialty plates. In the past, Kansas wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on overproduction costs.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Old embossed Kansas license plates to be replaced if funds secured