The Legislature has approved a plan to designate Highway 53 from Virginia to International Falls as the "Speaker Irvin N. Anderson Memorial Highway."

Passed without dissent in the House and Senate, the measure now goes to Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Anderson, who died in November, spent 34 non-consecutive years in the Legislature, serving from 1964-82 and 1990 until retiring in 2006. He was House speaker from 1993-96. The House Public Information Services quotes House Majority Leader Tony Sertich as saying the Legislature expects to formally honor Anderson  later this session.

Another bill, also on the way to the governor, would rename another section of northern Minnesota trunk highway to be the "Clearwater County Veterans Memorial Highway." It covers about 1.5 miles of Highway 200 from County State-Aid Highway 39 to its junction with Trunk Highway 92 at Zerkul, and about 27 miles of Trunk Highway 92 from that intersection north to County State-Aid Highway 5 in Clearbrook.