[Vision2020] Fw: [Uv-Eye-Opener] The UV-Eye-opener Legislative Review #8

Sue Hovey suehovey at moscow.com
Sat Mar 3 17:53:38 PST 2007


Take a look at the cartoon, too.  It's germaine to our discussion here.  

Sue Hovey
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Roger Sherman 
To: uv-eye-opener at lists.onenw.org 
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 3:14 PM
Subject: [Uv-Eye-Opener] The UV-Eye-opener Legislative Review #8


Yup, just pass it on...


  
UV-Eye-Opener
March 2, 2007
www.uvidaho.org

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Check out The Ledge by Mike Flinn for a satirical look at the Idaho Legislature.  http://mflinn.com/cartoonup/mupload/03022007-1828_Ledge4.jpg
 
By 9:20 Monday morning Representative Jim Clark had declared "I need to start drinking in the morning."  That gave a pretty good indication of what kind of week was coming.  Before the week was out the Legislature would complete budget setting, pass a major tax cut for business through the House, be deemed the state with the worst day care standards and pass no improvements, bring forward and pass anti-immigrant bills and kill one that would actually help some folks, take up more anti-choice legislation and try to capture the electoral nomination process for the right wing of the Republican process.  Drink up.  
 
Over the years nothing seems to stir up those yearnings for the good old days like a bill dealing with daycare standards.  On Wednesday, the House Health and Welfare Committee killed legislation that would have required minimum safety standards and background checks for Idaho child care centers.  It happens every year.  Male legislators bemoan the fact that mothers work outside the home­unless of course that Mom is on welfare, in which case they have to work for no pay.  "What can we do to keep Mom at home," asked Representative Tom Loertscher who opined that "there is no substitute for families taking care of children." After the bill was defeated 6-5, the bill's sponsor, George Sayler, lambasted the committee in a statement sent to the press.   "Putting children at risk because of lawmakers' personal philosophies is wrong," he said.  It was fitting timing when a report issued on Thursday found that Idaho has the worst day care standards in the country. 


So I am still not sure what "public benefits" are covered even after hearing the debate on Senator John McGee's attempt to disallow such benefits from undocumented immigrants.   Clearly Medicaid, Food Stamps and cash assistance are public benefits, but it was just as clear that most non-citizens and all undocumented immigrants are ineligible for those. In fact the Department of Health and Welfare is required to verify citizenship based on federal rules more stringent than McGee's bill, HB1157.  This bill calls all licenses public benefits and would require proof of citizenship before those could be received.  McGee was pelted with questions, mostly from Republicans Brad Little and Joe Stegner, that he was unable to answer.  At one point he suggested that a law was necessary "to tighten the noose" around illegal immigration.  The Senate State Affairs Committee sent the bill to the Senate's amending order where some observers speculated it could die.  I am not so sure. 
 
Not so far from the State Capitol sits the headquarters of the state's retirement system, PERSI.  On a snowy, cold Tuesday morning this week protestors picketed the office and filled the chamber for the PERSI board's monthly meeting to demand that the board divest over $50 million in assets it has in any company enabling genocide in Darfur, Sudan.  As I reported earlier, the Legislature refused to even print a bill calling for divestment, so the issue has moved to the PERSI board.  After an impassioned plea from Mark VanSkiver, a retired superintendent and PERSI member, and other retirees, and a week's worth of hundreds of calls and e-mails, the board passed a resolution opening the door to divestment.  Lots more public pressure will be needed before Idaho joins with other states and public institutions to stop the killing in Darfur.  
  
When the House Ways and Means Committee starts meeting, watch out.  Ways and Means is only called when the majority party leadership needs to push bills out in a hurry.  Abortion bills, water bills, bills to screw with the tribes are always good topics.  This week it was 2 out of 3.  One continues to challenge tribal sovereignty by attempting to take the taxes paid to tribes for gasoline on their reservations.  This bill has a kinder, gentler deadline of December 1 rather than July 1 to accommodate the negotiations between the tribes and the Governor.  They also printed a bill from Representative Janice McGeachin that would require that women seeking abortions be shown ultrasound images of their unborn fetuses if such images are taken in conjunction with the abortion procedure.  Both bills passed along party lines with Republican leadership voting yes and Democratic leadership voting no.  The Republican chair broke the ties.  

The symbolism could not be more clear.  What is the goal of a bill brought forward by Idaho Falls Senator Mel Richardson to declare English as the Official Language of the state?  He mostly says it won't do anything.  There are exceptions that supposedly protect anything practical.  But then there's the message.  Former State Legislator Roger Gurnsey came from Payette to support the Senator's bill.  He said his current hero was the bar owner in Payette whose window says "This is America/Speak English".  Then there was Senator Jorgensen's insulting attack on IEA president, Sherry Wood, by blabbing at her in German.  I think Senator Joe Stegner got it right.  "I don't think this accomplishes anything.It imposes the will of an overzealous majority on an unprotected minority."  He voted no with Senators Malepeai and Stennett and it passed 6 to 3. 

And then when you're about ready to lose faith altogether they go and do something right. HB112, dubbed the "Liar's Bill" by the Idaho Community Action Network, was defeated on the House floor Friday afternoon by a vote of 40 to 30.  This is the bill I told you about last week that would have allowed insurance companies advertising in any language other than English to say something different in the advertising than exists in the policy itself.   In the committee stacked with insurance agents it seemed like a done deal.  Apparently not so. 
 
"To IACI, Greed is Good" read the headline to Wednesday's editorial in the Idaho Falls Post-Register, referring to their push to eliminate the personal property tax, which, at a cost of at least $92 million, will be borne by other taxpayers like you and me.    IACI even wants to say that the expansion of the Homeowner's Exemption last year will offset the property tax shift of $9.4 million that will be laid on property taxpayers if they are successful in passing HB245 this year.  I guess they forgot that the expanded exemption was passed to offset years of tax shift to home-owners already.  I say they don't get to count it twice.   An amended version of the bill was sent out of the House Tax Committee on Tuesday and will be on the floor on Monday.  

"They're perfectly willing to let the Owyhee Co. Commissioners decide where to site a nuclear plant but they don't want to give citizens the right to vote to tax themselves," remarked a colleague of mine about the latest effort to pass a local option tax to fund public transportation.  The House Revenue and Taxation Committee, after killing two local option tax proposals, agreed to print HB246 that would allow regional transportation authorities­as exists now in Canyon and Ada Cos.--to hold referenda asking voters to pay a local sales tax.  The vote would require a 2/3 super majority.   Although this bill is supported by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and lobbied by Roy Eigueren, one of the most powerful statehouse lobbyists, it faces tough sledding.  Despite their rhetoric, the legislature is reluctant to hand any of its power to local government.  

Its time will come.  This morning the House Education Committee rejected the Idaho Student Investment Act that would have allowed students with at least 3 years residency in Idaho and whose parents are undocumented immigrants, to receive in-state tuition.  Ten states, including Utah and Washington, have similar laws.  After the bill was killed, 11-5,  Mack Shirley, the committee's co-chair told supporters not to "abandon an education because of this action."  Thanks for the pep talk; now where's the substance?  



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