AUGUSTA – A state legislator said he has cleared the first hurdle to creating specialty license plates aimed at showing support for troops.

Rep. Donald Pilon, D-Saco, got the process started last month by submitting more than 2,000 signatures to the state from motorists who say they would buy the plates.

Now he’s trying to raise $40,000 by Sept. 1 to meet a state rule requiring him to cover the startup costs for a new plate. The plates would feature a yellow ribbon superimposed on an outline of the state. At the bottom would be the words, “We Support Our Troops.”

Even if he raises the money, the Legislature has final say on specialty licenses. And the proposal could be contentious because many critics view the plate’s “support-our-troops” message as a message of support for the war in Iraq.

Pilon said he opposes the war but he acknowledged that some Mainers might view the license plate’s message in a different light.

One opponent of the Iraq war said the proposed plate is a bad idea. The state should not do anything that might be construed as supporting the war, said Doug Rawlings of Chesterville, the president of one of two Maine chapters of Veterans for Peace.

“I think, generally, the state should stay out of the business of making political statements on license plates,” added Shenna Bellows of the Maine Civil Liberties Union.

But Bill Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, backed Pilon’s efforts. He said Mainers can “disagree with what we’re doing” in Iraq but “recognize that the young men and women who are serving are just doing their jobs.”

If Pilon collects the $40,000 required by the state, the secretary of state would then submit a bill to the Legislature seeking permission to issue the specialty plate. Pilon said he has raised about $10,000 so far.