Capitol Letters: Property tax relief bill heads to governor

By Ryan Suppe, State Politics Reporter

Idaho property taxpayers could soon see hundreds of millions of dollars in relief.

The Senate yesterday cleared House Bill 292, which would leverage the state’s projected $1.4 billion surplus and sales tax revenue for at least $200 million in property tax credits, while directing funds to school districts to pay off bonds and levies.

“This has been a long time in coming,” bill co-sponsor Sen. C. Scott Grow told the Senate yesterday. “For the last few years, a lot of us have had the desire to get something done as far as property tax relief, particularly for homeowners.”

The bill would split $200 million or more annually between school districts and county governments. The schools would be required to use the money to pay off debt, and the counties would distribute the funds evenly among residential property taxpayers with homeowners’ exemptions.

While the proposal attracted overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and Senate, it wasn’t completely without controversy. A handful of Democrats opposed it over a provision that would eliminate March school bond and levy elections.

School leaders told lawmakers in recent weeks that March bond and levy elections are crucial for budget-setting each spring. The March elections also are far more successful than bond and levy elections in May, August and November.

Sen. Carrie Semmelroth, D-Boise, said property tax relief resulting from the bill would be “at the expense of our schools and their ability to raise funds.”

The bill awaits Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s signature.

Firing squad bill nears finish line

It’s now up to Idaho Gov. Brad Little whether the state will be able to executive death row prisoners by firing squad.

The Senate yesterday approved a bill establishing firing squads as a back-up to lethal injections, which have proved difficult to complete as the necessary drugs are hard to come by. Death sentences are effectively unenforceable in the meantime, argued supporters of House Bill 186.

The House earlier this month overwhelmingly cleared the bill from Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, and Sen. Doug Ricks, R-Rexburg. The Senate’s approval sends the legislation to the governor’s desk.

“This is not talking about the merits of whether we should have the death penalty or not,” Ricks said during Senate debate Monday. “This is about justice. I do think this a humane way to do it.”

Read reporter Kevin Fixler’s full story here.

House Republicans reject free menstrual products for schools

Idaho House Republicans yesterday rejected a bill that would have funded free menstrual products in public school girls bathrooms.

GOP House members said the proposal was “liberal,” and they objected to “woke” terms describing inaccessibility to tampons and pads.

House Bill 313, sponsored by Reps. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, and Rod Furniss, R-Rigby, would have funded no-cost menstrual product dispensers in public school girls bathrooms for sixth through 12th grade students.

The estimated price tag was $435,000 in one-time state general funds to install dispensers and $300,400 annually to stock them, according to the legislation’s fiscal note.

“It’s not a lot of money in the state’s budget,” Furniss told the House Education Committee on Thursday. “Today is a step to preserve womanhood, to give it a chance to start right, to not be embarrassed or feel alienated or ashamed, or to feel like they need to stay home from school due to period poverty.”

Read my full story here.

Lawmakers craft new attorney general budget

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee cleared a new budget for the attorney general’s office that limited staff raises.

Last week, an initial budget proposal for Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office faced bipartisan opposition in the full House. Lawmakers objected to proposed 11% staff raises, and they bemoaned a lack of legal opinions from the office since Labrador took over in January.

The new budget would limit raises to 7.5% and would move two legal experts from the attorney general’s office to the Legislative Services Office, giving lawmakers direct access to legal opinions on their bills.

“I think this is a good compromise,” Rep. Colin Nash, D-Boise, told the committee yesterday. “It’s a modest increase.”

What else happened?

The House narrowly cleared a bill that would allow parents to sue for $2,500 if public libraries allow a minor to access “harmful material.” The bill heads to the Senate.

The House rejected a $4.7 billion budget for Medicaid. The budget returns to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, where it will have to be reworked before lawmakers can adjourn the legislative session.

House Majority Leader Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, introduced a bill to clarify that Idaho’s criminal abortion law does not apply to miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies.

A resolution directing the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to craft legislation reforming emergency medical service funding cleared a House committee. It heads to the full House.

What to expect today

• 8 a.m. Senate State Affairs. The committee will host a hearing on House Speaker Mike Moyle’s proposal to reform the Legislature’s process for reviewing administrative rules.

• 8:30 a.m. House State Affairs. A resolution to amend the constitution making it more difficult to qualify ballot initiatives is on the docket, followed by a bill clarifying that Idaho’s criminal abortion ban doesn’t apply to miscarriages.

• 9 a.m. House Revenue and Taxation. The committee will consider two new school voucher proposals.

• 1 p.m. Senate Commerce and Human Resources. A bill giving property owners the right to have accessory dwelling units, such as mother-in-law suites and detached guest homes, is on the docket.

Find the full list of committee meetings and agendas for the House here, and for the Senate here.

Track other bills

Keep track of high-profile bills as they go through the legislative process. You can find yesterday’s updates here.

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