[Vision2020] From the Legislature

[Shirley Ringo]

Visionaries:
 

>From the Legislature

Representative Shirley Ringo

February 11, 2008

 

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) has completed budget hearings.  Next Monday, we begin the process of setting budgets.  Barring unforeseen events, the process will take approximately three weeks.  A member of JFAC may make a motion for any budget.  Among those for which I plan to prepare motions are public education and higher education.

 

We enter the process with a degree of uncertainty, because the stream of revenue has not been following projections.  Actual collections exceeded expectations until December, when collections were $31.3 million behind projections.  In January, collections were $38.1 behind projections.  Economists in the Department of Financial Management are busily studying the components of revenue collections to analyze contributing factors.

 

Last year, public employees received a 5% increase in pay (merit-based) and public school employees received a 3% increase in pay.  This year the Governor recommends a 5% increase for public employees and educators accompanied by a decrease in public employee benefits.  The Governor still backs the 5% pay increase as one of his top priorities, but some legislators are talking of only a 3% increase this year as a response to the uncertain revenue picture. (The reduction would reduce state expenditures by approximately $32 million.)    

 

The iSTARS teacher pay proposal dominated the early stages of this legislative session.  I hope is it not an exaggeration to say we are moving forward into more productive discussions now.  I am co-sponsoring a resolution calling for an improved system for evaluating teacher performance.  I have criticized the iSTARS plan for being politically motivated, and lacking educational soundness.  Although a task force convened prior to this legislative session to consider alternative teacher pay plans, there was no serious collaboration leading to the iSTARS proposal.  The absence of a good, transparent process contributed to its failure.

 

During the summer of 2006, your District 6 Representatives (Trail and Ringo) met with citizens, members of law enforcement, Professor Elizabeth Brandt (U of I College of Law), and others to discuss the need for address protection for victims of domestic violence.  Last year, Professor Brandt drafted legislation which Representative Trail and I (Rep. Ringo) presented in the House Judiciary and Rules Committee.  The bill was not successful last year.  It has been fine-tuned a bit, and we are giving it another try.  It is a well crafted piece of legislation - we hope for a better outcome this year.  We have had a successful introduction in the House Judiciary and Rules Committee, and look forward to a formal hearing on the bill.

 

Idaho law currently allows individuals to remove children of age six or younger from car seats and restraining seatbelts to deal with routine needs.  In my opinion this is an extremely dangerous practice that can lead to serious injury or death.  I am teaming with Senator Joyce Broadsword to propose legislation requiring that these young children be properly restrained in a moving vehicle at all times.  We successfully introduced the bill in the House Transportation Committee.  Unfortunately, the vote was only 7-6.  It looks like a rough road ahead.

 

Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or phone if you have questions or concerns.  (sringo at house.idaho.gov; ringoshirl at moscow.com; 208-301-2272) 

 

 
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