Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law bills creating two new special license plates - one to benefit mountain biking trails around the state, and the other to benefit wilderness stewardship through the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation. The mountain biking plate bill, HB 486, was sponsored by Rep. Brian Cronin, D-Boise, and co-sponsored by Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian. The wilderness plate bill, HB 540, was proposed by Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow.

Another one, to benefit pets, didn't make it this year - nor has it for the past three years. Rep. Marge Chadderdon, R-Coeur d'Alene, who has been working on the Idaho cares for pets plate idea for three years now, said, "I'm still working on it." The bill never was introduced, as Chadderdon hadn't ironed out who would be responsible for the funds, which would go to local one-day spay/neuter clinics. She said she'd been in talks with the state Department of Agriculture, but it was wary of taking on a new program when its staff was being cut. "I said, 'Well, we'll come back,'" said Chadderdon, who said at the start of the session that the pet special-plate bill was the only bill she was working on this year. "I'm going to raise money for it this summer so we can go forward."

---

---