(1) The department shall design license plates to be known as Nebraska History Plates. The design shall be selected in consultation with the Nebraska State Historical Society and shall reflect the importance of historical preservation in Nebraska and the value of our shared Nebraska history. Each design shall be selected on the basis of limiting the manufacturing cost of each plate to an amount less than or equal to the amount charged for license plates pursuant to section 60-3,102. The department shall make applications available for this type of plate by January 1, 2023. The department may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out this section and section 60-3,256.

(2) One type of Nebraska History Plates shall be alphanumeric plates. The department shall: (a) Assign a designation up to five characters; and (b) not use a county designation.

(3) One type of Nebraska History Plates shall be personalized message plates. Such plates shall be issued subject to the same conditions specified for personalized message license plates in section 60-3,118, except that a maximum of five characters may be used.

(4) The department shall cease to issue Nebraska History Plates beginning with the next license plate issuance cycle after the license plate issuance cycle that begins in 2023 pursuant to section 60-3,101 if the total number of registered vehicles that obtained such plates is less than five hundred per year within any prior consecutive two-year period.