Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

House overwhelmingly kills bill to limit specialty license plates

The House has voted 47-21 to kill legislation designed to limit future specialty license plates. SB 1179, co-sponsored by the House and Senate transportation chairmen, would have restricted all future specialty license plates to those benefiting government agencies or their foundations. Some House members decried the move. Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, said, "I think if we're going to have special license plates, it should be open to everybody and we shouldn't discriminate." Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, said, "We're eliminating people's brilliant ideas on how they would like to gain attention for some particular thing or raise money for some particular issue. ... I don't think we should be in the business of limiting people's imaginations and what they want to do to do these things."

House Transportation Chairman Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, said, "I think it's at least a way to begin getting some control on these." But he and other backers of the bill were heavily outvoted.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

Follow Betsy online: