Idaho 4th graders lobby for an official state dinosaur, lawmakers show unanimous support

BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — There is not a lot of things Idaho lawmakers see eye to eye on, and it is even less rare for them to find a piece a legislation that gets unanimous consent. But this week, they did - thanks to a group of 4th graders.

In a 35 to 0 vote, Idaho Senators voted to send Senate Bill 1127 to the House.

The bill is being presented on the behalf of 4th grade students across Idaho, who think it would be “pretty cool”, if the Gem State had a state dinosaur.

Floor sponsor, Senator Kevin Cook said the Oryctodromeus dinosaur is about seven feet long, four feet tall, and is considered a family dinosaur that eats plants. Paleontologists have only found this creature in Idaho and a very small corner of Montana.

Even though the lawmakers voted unanimously on the legislation, there was still some playful debate.

“Would you consider, as the bill sponsor, sending it to the 14th order, so we can change the actual dinosaur to a T-Rex or valsoraptor,”Sen. Brian Lenney said. “If I tried to change this, I’m afraid we would have 4th graders on both our cases,” Sen Kevin Cook said.

The dinosaur was first discovered in Idaho in 2006.

Only seventeen other states have a designated state dinosaur.

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