<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div>Courtesy of today's (February 11, 2015) Spokesman-Review.</div><div><br></div><div>--------------------------------------</div><div><br></div><div><h1 style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; clear: both; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; line-height: 1.2; font-size: 28px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">Friends of NRA license plate design narrowly passes Idaho Senate</h1><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">BOISE – A North Idaho lawmaker’s bill to create a specialty license plate to benefit the Friends of the NRA squeaked through the Idaho Senate on Tuesday.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The bill sponsored by Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, earlier passed the House by a wide margin. It now goes to the governor’s desk.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, said he objected to the plate’s design. While its identified mission is to promote education about firearms, the design shows an outline of the state of Idaho with bold-faced letters “NRA,” and the words “Friends of” in small type above the letters. Additionally, instead of “Famous Potatoes,” the plate says “TEACH FREEDOM,” the slogan of the NRA Foundation.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sen. Lori Den Hartog, a Meridian Republican, said she supports Second Amendment rights but doesn’t “believe it’s an appropriate role for the state to act as a fundraising agent for a private nonprofit.”</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise, told the Senate he opposes all specialty license plates. “We have a plethora of them,” he said. “Half the time they go away because they never get enough support.” </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, the bill’s Senate sponsor, said he thinks the NRA Foundation plate is “a worthy cause.” Sen. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, argued that specialty plates raise money for the state highway fund as well as their sponsoring organizations. The Idaho Transportation Department reports that the fund got $1.1 million in fees from specialty license plates last year.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ten Republicans and five Democrats voted against the bill in the Senate. It’s now up to Gov. Butch Otter whether to sign the bill into law or veto it.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">--------------------</span></p><h5 style="margin: 0px 0px 3px;"><font size="3"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">How they voted</span></font></h5><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">HB 16, creating a specialty license plate to benefit the Friends of the NRA, passed the Senate 18-15 on Tuesday. North Idaho Sens. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint; Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene; Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene; and Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, all voted yes.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>House Bill 16</b></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px; overflow: visible !important;"><a href="http://legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/H0016.htm">http://legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/H0016.htm</a></p></div><div>--------------------------------------<br><br><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares"</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"There's room at the top they are telling you still.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If you want to be like the folks on the hill."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- John Lennon</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>