(KXNET) — On Wednesday afternoon, state lawmakers rejected a plan to do away with the front license plates on cars and trucks.

House Bill 1295, written by representative Robin Weisz from Hurdsfield, would mean that the Department of Transportation would issue drivers only a rear plate for their cars, trucks, motorcycles, and trailers.

Police chiefs from Bismarck and Mandan, along with highway patrol troopers oppose the bill, arguing it would make vehicles harder to identify and could make investigations more difficult.

“Crashes involving a vehicle fleeing the scene, stolen vehicles, road rage incidents, reckless driver calls. Amber, silver and blue alerts, domestic violence, trespassing, assaults, and burglaries,” Sen. Dean Rummel pointed out. “Having only one plate to identify a vehicle will reduce the number of crimes solved.”

According to the bill, the DOT would save around $125,000 a year if they stopped printing two plates.