The chairman of a legislative panel reviewing Indiana’s more than 85 specialty license plates says more oversight is needed to ensure that the groups spend the money they receive from the plates appropriately.

Republican state Rep. Ed. Soliday of Valparaiso says there’s an implied state endorsement of groups with specialty plates. He told The Times of Munster for a story Sunday (http://bit.ly/Qe0CeL) he’s concerned the state is handing money over to groups with license plates and never checking on how it’s spent.

Soliday says he plans to sponsor a bill when the General Assembly reconvenes in January that outlines the best process for issuing specialty plates and ensuring appropriate spending.

Indiana has issued more than 450,000 specialty plates supporting universities, community organizations and other causes