diff --git a/ckan/lib/helpers.py b/ckan/lib/helpers.py
index f604da3ab7d..b0db46aaf31 100644
--- a/ckan/lib/helpers.py
+++ b/ckan/lib/helpers.py
@@ -2032,6 +2032,22 @@ def get_organization(org=None, include_datasets=False):
     except (NotFound, ValidationError, NotAuthorized):
         return {}
 
+
+def license_options(existing_license_id=None):
+    '''Returns [(l.title, l.id), ...] for the licenses configured to be
+    offered. Always includes the existing_license_id, if supplied.
+    '''
+    register = model.Package.get_license_register()
+    sorted_licenses = sorted(register.values(), key=lambda x: x.title)
+    license_ids = [license.id for license in sorted_licenses]
+    if existing_license_id and existing_license_id not in license_ids:
+        license_ids.insert(0, existing_license_id)
+    return [
+        (license_id,
+         register[license_id].title if license_id in register else license_id)
+        for license_id in license_ids]
+
+
 # these are the functions that will end up in `h` template helpers
 __allowed_functions__ = [
     # functions defined in ckan.lib.helpers
@@ -2150,4 +2166,5 @@ def get_organization(org=None, include_datasets=False):
     'urlencode',
     'check_config_permission',
     'view_resource_url',
+    'license_options',
 ]
diff --git a/ckan/templates/package/snippets/package_basic_fields.html b/ckan/templates/package/snippets/package_basic_fields.html
index 23ede701fa4..8d948e09c59 100644
--- a/ckan/templates/package/snippets/package_basic_fields.html
+++ b/ckan/templates/package/snippets/package_basic_fields.html
@@ -30,8 +30,9 @@
   <label class="control-label" for="field-license">{{ _("License") }}</label>
   <div class="controls">
     <select id="field-license" name="license_id" data-module="autocomplete">
-      {% for license_desc, license_id in licenses|sort if license_desc  %}
-        <option value="{{ license_id }}" {% if data.get('license_id', 'notspecified') == license_id %}selected="selected"{% endif %}>{{ license_desc }}</option>
+      {% set existing_license_id = data.get('license_id') %}
+      {% for license_id, license_desc in h.license_options(existing_license_id) %}
+        <option value="{{ license_id }}" {% if existing_license_id == license_id %}selected="selected"{% endif %}>{{ license_desc }}</option>
       {% endfor %}
     </select>
     {% if error %}<span class="error-block">{{ error }}</span>{% endif %}
diff --git a/ckan/tests/lib/test_helpers.py b/ckan/tests/lib/test_helpers.py
index feded9d1a59..a1175dddc20 100644
--- a/ckan/tests/lib/test_helpers.py
+++ b/ckan/tests/lib/test_helpers.py
@@ -101,3 +101,11 @@ class UnicodeLike(unicode):
         strType = u''.__class__
         assert result.__class__ == strType,\
             '"remove_linebreaks" casts into unicode()'
+
+
+class TestLicenseOptions(object):
+    def test_includes_existing_license(self):
+        licenses = h.license_options('some-old-license')
+        eq_(dict(licenses)['some-old-license'], 'some-old-license')
+        # and it is first on the list
+        eq_(licenses[0][0], 'some-old-license')