Bill creating two new potato license plates advances in Idaho Legislature
Idaho state Rep. Douglas Pickett, left, presents a bill creating new specialty potato license plates on Feb. 18, 2025, at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise. The design of one of the proposed new license plates appears on the screen behind Pickett. (Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun)
Potato proponents, spud supporters and French fry fanatics across the state may soon rejoice.
The Idaho Legislature is considering a bill that would add two new 'Idaho world famous potato' specialty license plates in Idaho.
All standard Idaho license plates already prominently display the phrase 'famous potatoes.'
And if the standard plate isn't enough for the most prominent potato partisans, there is already a specialty 'baked potato' license plate available from the Idaho Transportation Department for an additional fee.
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But during a meeting Tuesday at the Idaho State Capitol that could have passed for a sketch during the recent 'Saturday Night Live' anniversary comedy show, the House Transportation and Defense Committee voted to advance House Bill 204, which seeks to create two new specialty 'world famous potato' license plates inspired by vintage Idaho license plates that were available in the 1950s.
Rep. Douglas Pickett, R-Oakley, and Spuddy Buddy's friends at the Idaho Potato Commission served up House Bill 207.
If passed into law, House Bill 207 would create a black license plate with white type and a white license plate with teal type. Both would include the phrase 'Idaho world famous potatoes.'
The new black plate would cost $70 plus regular registration fees for the initial issuance of the plate, with annual renewals running another $50. Of the initial fee, $45 would go to the state highway account and $25 would go to the Idaho Potato Commission.
The white and teal plate (which several legislators said unfavorably resemble Washington vintage license plates) would become the least expensive license plate available to Idahoans – Pickett said it would cost $1 less than the standard plates available.
'Both of these plates are iconic tributes to Idaho heritage and patents, and there seems to be an increasing demand in particular for the black plate making a return, coming back,' Pickett said Tuesday.
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The Idaho Heritage Trust came out in opposition to the bill because of the white and teal plate becoming less expensive than standard plates. Katherine Kirk, the trust's executive director, said the standard red, white and blue Idaho license plates were created as part of the Idaho Centennial celebration in 1990. Kirk said the red, white and blue plates were so popular with the public they became the standard Idaho license plate in 1992.
The assets from the centennial celebration, including a 50 cent per license plate royalty fee for use of the original trademark, were then transferred to the Idaho Heritage Trust, which preserves Idaho artifacts and historic buildings.
Kirk said that making the new specialty plate the cheapest option creates competition with the standard plate and could hurt the trust's mission to work with state agencies to preserve historic buildings and artifacts.
'As such, IHC objects on the grounds the base price for the new plate is lower than the current standard plate, undermining royalties rightly paid to the trust per our standard agreement with the Legislature,' Kirk said.
In the end, the House Transportation and Defense Committee voted to send House Bill 207 to the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives with a recommendation it pass.
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