Rep. JoAn Wood, R-Rigby, got worked up enough as she ran down the list of causes that want new specialty license plates in Idaho that she told the House there are even proposals to benefit “spraying and neutering of pets.”

Wood, the House Transportation chairwoman, sponsored HB 101a to ban any new special license plates in Idaho beyond those approved this year. Three new ones are pending right now, in addition to the 54 on the books.

“Enough is enough,” Wood declared.

Opponents disagreed, saying specialty plates raise money for good causes and people like them. “I don’t know why we’re so dead-set on taking something away from people that they happen to enjoy,” said Rep. Kathy Skippen, R-Emmett.

Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, said 86,000 Idahoans had some kind of specialty plate in 2004. She herself has three – two bluebird plates and one Lewis & Clark. She told the House, “If everybody wanted to get one, we could sell 15 times that many, so think of the potential there. I think this is a program that people enjoy.”

But the House voted 36-32 to pass Wood’s bill, which now moves to the Senate.

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