Pet friendly license plate proposal stalls in Idaho House

Idaho lawmakers are showing little love for their furriest constituents in the final days of the legislative session.

A proposal that would have created a “pet friendly” specialty license plate died on the House floor Monday after a series of narrow votes.

During the first attempt, the bill died in a 31-31 tie vote. House members then agreed to reconsider the vote once a handful of previously absent lawmakers returned on the floor. However, that attempt also failed in a 32-31 vote.

The measure was backed by Democratic Rep. Hy Kloc, who has worked on the bill for several years but has been forced to appoint a substitute this entire session due to illness.

Funds raised through the license plate would have benefited spay and neutering programs, particularly in rural Idaho.

Earlier that day, House members approved creating a special license plate honoring the Rotary Club.