[Vision2020] Legislative update IV from Rep. Trail

[ttrail at moscow.com]

                           LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER IV--January 22-26/2007

Constituents:    I'm in Washington, D.C. attending a national conference
with the Idaho Congressional Delegation and USDA officials.   All of the
state legislative chairman of agricultural committees are attending.   We
are discussing the reauthorization of the 2007 Farm Bill.  I decided that
this week would be a good time to outline some of the pieces of legislation
that I am sponsoring or co-sponsoring.

 1.  Dog Fighting/Felony  --  Idaho and Wyoming are the only two states in
the U.S. who do not have a felony penalty for those who organize dog
fights.   Latah County Prosecuting Attorney, Bill Thompson, told me that a
felony penalty is needed for law enforcement to pursue those involved in
dog fighting across state lines.   Dog fighting is an underground activity.
  It is a subculture involving gangs and criminals who hold dog fights in
secluded locations.   Drugs, guns, gambling, and money laundering are
involved in dog fighting. Law enforcement reports that with their scare
resources they cannot penetrate the groups involved.  One of our problems
is that it is hard to find hard evidence or testimony of those involved in
this activity.  We located one potential witness this past year.    She was
a single parent with two children.  We decided not to ask her to testify
since those involved lived only two houses away from her.   We might have
put her and her family in harms way.   I've received over 10,000 letters
supporting this legislation, and I hope we are successful in passing this
piece of legislation.  Reps. Donna Pence and Marge Chadderdon are co-sponsors.

 2.  Legalization of Industrial Hemp  --  Industrial hemp yields over
10,000 different products  --  all the way from high class fabric for
clothing, bio-diesel, and food products.   It is an excellent alternative
crop for farmers. It requires no pesticide or fertilizer.   The roots
penetrate 10-15 feet in the ground.   It makes excellent cover for game and
wild birds.   Canadian farmers raise industrial hemp on 50,000 acres and it
is reported to be the most profitable crop in Canada.   We import all of
our industrial hemp from China, Canada, and Europe.   It is against the law
to raise industrial hemp in the U.S.

      However, DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) will allow farmers in North
Dakota to legally raise industrial hemp this year.   Farmers will pay for a
license to grow industrial hemp to DEA.   This may be a major break
through.   Industrial hemp was raised for years as a major crop in the U.S.
from 1700 through 1940.   The state of Virginia required taxes to be paid
in industrial hemp for over 100 years.  I have some spiritual assistance in
this endeavor.   In 1847 Brigham Young commanded the Mormon farmers in the
great Salt Lake Valley to go forth and seed flax and industrial hemp.

 3.  Human Rights  --  this is a resolution which states that the Idaho
Legislature is committed to principles of Human Rights and recognizes the
unique value of the human character of its great diversity and wealth of
variety.

 4.  Minimum Wage  --  The House of Representatives has passed a minimum
wage law which would increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25/hour.  
This would be phased in over a two year period.  The minimum wage has not
been increased for over 10 years at the federal level.   There is no
guarantee that the Senate or the President will move rapidly to approve the
bill.  In the meantime about 24 states have already increased the minimum
wage via bipartisan efforts or initiative.   A recent poll in Idaho noted
that over 77% of Idahoans support an increase in the minimum wage.   There
are a number of co-sponsors for a bill to be introduced in the Idaho
Legislature.  The legislation calls for the minimum wage to be raised to
$7.25/hr and indexed to the CPI (Consumer Price Index)

 5.  Need Based Scholarships  --  I've been a member of the State Board of
Education Scholarship Task Forcer this year.   A major issue is the high
cost of education at Idaho Universities and Colleges.  The high cost
prevents many students from middle and low income families from attending
Idaho colleges.  Idaho ranks 50th in the country in terms of financial aid
for low and middle income students.   The figure is $17/student per year as
contrasted to over $500/student in Washington State.

      The State Board proposed a $10,000,000 line item in their budget for
setting up an endowment fund (under management by the Idaho Secretary of
State).   The fund would generate income to be utilized in the scholarship
program.   This would be a total stakeholder approach.  The student would
have to apply and receive the Pell Grant.  This is the Federal grant which
identifies a student in need.  The Pell Grant coupled with any other
scholarships available plus the family and student contributions (loans,
work study, etc) would be totaled up.   Then the state would step in and
provide the additional financial assistance needed.

      We were all gratified when Gov. Otter in his State of the State
address announced that he was recommending a total of $39 million of one
time money to be set up as an endowment fund for need based scholarships. 
This would generate about $2,000,000/year.   An additional bill will be
introduced which will increase the tax credit that a business, corporation,
foundation, or individual can receive for contributing to the fund.

 6.   Loan Fund for Math, Science, and Special Education Teachers  -- 
Math, Science, and Special Education are in short supply and will
increasing be so in the future.  We are proposing a loan program that would
forgive 20% of the loan for each year that a teacher teaches math, science,
or special education in Idaho.  The student or teacher will need to find
their own financial loan source.   The state will not be providing upfront
loan money.   The program would be open to students considering teaching
careers or to current teachers who might want to be certified in math,
science or special education.

I'm also working on six other pieces of legislation, but this will give you
a flavor of some of the major issues.
Please contact me if you have comments or recommendations.  My desk phone
is (208) 332-1260 and e mail  ttrail at house.idaho.gov

Rep. Tom Trail




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