[Vision2020] Legislative Newsletter 5 Feb 6-10

[ttrail at moscow.com]

  LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER 5--Feb 6-10, 2006
 
 
This past week involved the final flurry of getting resolutions (RSs)
completed by drafters and into committees in time to be considered for the 
current legislative process.  JFAC is just about finished completing the 
setting of the budget, and we will all be awaiting the massive surge of
bills to be introduced and debated.   Some of the week's highlight:
 
1.  HB422  --  Expansion of Circuit-Breaker Property Tax Relief Program. 
This bill targets help at the exact group of people who need help most with 
paying their property taxes -- low-income homeowners.   H422 will raise 
both the qualifying limit (up to $28,000) and the maximum available
property tax relief (up to $1,320).  H422 will index the circuit breaker 
program to the annual cost of living estimates.  The fiscal impact is 
estimated to be $6.6 million in general fund money.   I will support the bill.
 
2.  Moscow Mountain Cedar Grove -- All three of Latah County 
Commissioners were in Boise this week and met with the State Parks and 
Recreation and State Lands officials as well as representatives from the 
Governors office about the cedar grove.  Senator Schroeder, Representative.
Ringo, and I introduced legislation to protect the grove and buffer
habitat.  The first was legislation to place the grove under the state park
system, and the second a resolution stating legislative intent to preserve
the grove from harvesting.   Both were turned down by the House Resources
Committee.  We will, however, be re-introducing them in Senator Schroeder's
Resource Committee on Monday.
 
      I want to thank the various groups and citizens of Latah County for
their very active campaign of letters, phone calls, and e mails to the
Governor's Office, State Lands, State Parks about the issue.  Believe me 
--  the flag has been raised.  The Commissioners will be on the next Land
Board meeting on Tuesday Feb 14th to discuss the issue.  I believe
attention to this important issue has been raised  and that a solution
involving local and state partners will come up with a solution.  
 
3.  Minimum Wage Legislation  --  Minimum wage legislation will have to
wait until the next session.  The Speaker thought it would be too
"political" of an issue to bring up in a campaign year.
 
4.  Wal-Mart Legislation  --  Health and Welfare conducted a survey of 350
Idaho companies employing 200 or more workers.   They were attempting 
to find out how many of these workers were utilizing county and state
medical services.   An amazingly low figure of 2.1 percent of the workers
utilized county and state medical services.  On the other hand, a recent 
study in Utah indicated that some 7,000 workers turn to  tax payer
supported medical services worth $42 million.  Wal-Mart had the most
workers in this group.  Wal-Mart has also applied to open banks in Utah and
19 other states.   Alan Greenspan has written Congress protesting this
potential action.  He says it would make an uneven playing field,
devastating small community banks.
 
5.  State Employee Compensation -- The joint CEC Committee came up
with a recommendation of another 0.8% increase effective July 1st on 
a 6-5 vote.   The other option was a 2% increase which I supported.   
There apparently still is some hope since many agencies have salary
savings.
 
6.  Representative Roberts Tax Bill  --  This proposal was to lift 
remaining ordinary school maintenance and operation costs off the 
property tax and give the responsibility to the state.   This would have 
been done by raising the state sales tax by one cent.  The bill was killed 
in the Rev and Tax Committee.
 
7.  Scholarships for Math and Science Teachers--Sen. Gary Schroeder's 
bill to provide scholarships to students majoring in math, science and
engineering advanced in the Senate.
 
8.  HB516  --  Dog Fighting/Felony -- A hearing will be held on this bill 
this week in Ag Affairs.  I am the sponsor of the bill which calls for a 
felony penalty on those who organize, conduct, and participate in dog
fighting.   Idaho and Wyoming are the only two states that do not have 
the felony penalty.   According to law enforcement officials.   Gambling
Idaho is becoming a mecca for dog fights, drugs, money laundering, and
other crimes are linked to dog fighting.   Dog-napping of pet dogs is a
common practice among those involved in dog fighting.   The family 
pets are used to train fighting dogs and, of course, and killed during 
practice fights.
 
I appreciate your comments and suggestions.   Please contact me at (208)
332-1260 or e mail at ttrail at house.idaho.gov

Representative Tom Trail



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