Utah lawmakers consider license plate rules for "69"

• Its sponsor, Rep. Norm Thurston, says the ban on disparagement against protected classes isn't "viewpoint-neutral," as courts have required in recent rulings.

Yes, but: The new language would ban any slur or epithet that "naturally provokes a violent resentment" or "language so grossly offensive to members of the public that the language amounts to a nuisance."

Zoom in: The carve-out for "69" has gotten less attention than the constitutional principles at play.

• The number may be used "in a combination with the vehicle make, model, style, or type, or commonly used or readily understood abbreviations of those terms," the bill states.

The bottom line: "69CHEVY" would be OK. "TIME269" might not.

Worth your time: KSL.com dived into the more serious ramifications of the bill last week.