[Vision2020] Fwd: Another week at the legislature
RingoShirl@aol.com
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Mon, 02 Feb 2004 19:04:38 -0500
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Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 17:03:02 -0700
From: "Shirley Ringo" <sringo@house.state.id.us>
To: <RingoShirl@aol.com>
Subject: Another week at the legislature
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VISIONARIES:
ANOTHER WEEK IN THE LEGISLATURE
After a slow start, the pace is picking up. Education issues
involving, for example, the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the Idaho
Student Achievement Test (ISAT), the relationship between the State
Board of Education and Marilyn Howard's State Department, and funding
for school facilities continue to dominate the scene. There is
encouraging evidence that the House and Senate Education Committees may
delay making performance on the ISAT a condition for graduation until
the validity of the test is established. I have legislation that is
designed to ameliorate the relationship between the State Board and the
State Department. I also have a proposal to give state support to local
districts for school facilities. My plan would go beyond merely helping
with interest payments, and would give significant property tax relief.
If these ideas are not adopted by the legislature, it is my hope that
Idaho citizens will consider their merits.
The Revenue and Taxation Committee is considering a constitutional
amendment to require a two-thirds favorable vote in the Legislature for
any increase in the sales and use tax, income tax, and the state
corporate or franchise tax. The goal of the sponsors is to limit the
growth of state government. A careful analysis is required when
considering growth of government. Increased spending is a natural
consequence of population growth. If state spending over past years is
tied to growth in personal income, one finds higher education losing
ground, public schools essentially flat, and health care up. I don't
agree with this legislation in general, but particularly when higher
education, public education, and other programs are underfunded, and
state employees have not received a raise since 2001. It is also
amazing to find the Speaker of the House as one of the sponsors. He
knows very well that our record-long session in 2003 was a result of
barely finding a simple majority of representative who were willing to
raise taxes rather than severely cut programs. If this proposal
survives the two-thirds favorable vote required for a constitutional
amendment to pass out of the legislature, you folks will get to vote on
it.
State elected officials regularly receive information where the system
is treating certain individuals harshly. Sometimes there is a
legislative solution. I am proposing legislation for residents of
mobile home parks in areas where they are vulnerable. An issue of
interest with which I have struggled for a long time involves voting
rights of individuals on orders of protection. If they want to vote,
their name and address become part of public record. Some people I have
contacted about this issue believe it's all right for these victims to
give up their right to vote. As I wrestled with finding appropriate
legislation, it came to my attention that the Secretary of State's
office has a proposal to protect the specific address of people in these
situations. It has been successfully introduced in a House committee.
As always, please let me know if I can be helpful to you in any way.
Representative Shirley Ringo
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<DIV>VISIONARIES:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>ANOTHER WEEK IN THE LEGISLATURE</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>After a slow start, the pace is picking up. Education issues involving, for example, the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the Idaho Student Achievement Test (ISAT), the relationship between the State Board of Education and Marilyn Howard’s State Department, and funding for school facilities continue to dominate the scene. There is encouraging evidence that the House and Senate Education Committees may delay making performance on the ISAT a condition for graduation until the validity of the test is established. I have legislation that is designed to ameliorate the relationship between the State Board and the State Department. I also have a proposal to give state support to local districts for school facilities. My plan would go beyond merely helping with interest payments, and would give significant property tax relief. If these ideas are not adopted by the legislature, it is my hope that Idaho citizens will consider their merits.</DI!
V>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Revenue and Taxation Committee is considering a constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds favorable vote in the Legislature for any increase in the sales and use tax, income tax, and the state corporate or franchise tax. The goal of the sponsors is to limit the growth of state government. A careful analysis is required when considering growth of government. Increased spending is a natural consequence of population growth. If state spending over past years is tied to growth in personal income, one finds higher education losing ground, public schools essentially flat, and health care up. I don’t agree with this legislation in general, but particularly when higher education, public education, and other programs are underfunded, and state employees have not received a raise since 2001. It is also amazing to find the Speaker of the House as one of the sponsors. He knows very well that our record-long session in!
2003 was a result of barely finding a simple majority of representative who were willing to raise taxes rather than severely cut programs. If this proposal survives the two-thirds favorable vote required for a constitutional amendment to pass out of the legislature, you folks will get to vote on it.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>State elected officials regularly receive information where the system is treating certain individuals harshly. Sometimes there is a legislative solution. I am proposing legislation for residents of mobile home parks in areas where they are vulnerable. An issue of interest with which I have struggled for a long time involves voting rights of individuals on orders of protection. If they want to vote, their name and address become part of public record. Some people I have contacted about this issue believe it’s all right for these victims to give up their right to vote. As I wrestled with finding appropriate legislation, it came to my attention that the Secretary of State’s office has a proposal to protect the specific address of people in these situations. It has been successfully introduced in a House committee. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As always, please let me know if I can be helpful to you in any way. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Representative Shirley Ringo </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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