[Vision2020] Legislative Newsletter X March 12-16, 2012

[Rep. Tom Trail]

CONSTITUENTS:
     One of the issues
being debated in the State is the concern about the increasing number of
teachers leaving the profession in K-12.  The Idaho Education Association
reports that teachers are fleeing the profession in part because of
controversial reforms enacted by the 2011 Legislature.   Voters will decide whether to
retain the laws November 6th, with the IEA leading the campaign to
repeal.  Last month, the
Associated Press reported that nearly 1,300 quit last year, almost twice
the normal attrition rate. 
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna attributed the spike
in the economy, saying some teachers are leaving to follow spouses who
have landed jobs outside Idaho. 
A request to study the issue came from Senate Education Committee
Chairman John Goedde.  The
Joint Legislative Oversight Committee voted late Monday to direct the
Office of Performance Evaluations to conduct the K-12 teacher study.  The study could identify challenges
and opportunities for recruitment and project future needs for
educators.  The study will also
include an analysis of class size and student teacher ratios/
     The House voted
to pass legislation which allows the Department of Education to spend up
to $500,000 to create a course clearinghouse online.  The money would come from
technology funding set aside in the public school budget under reforms
approved in 2011.  The state
will require high school students to take at least two credits on
line.  The House voted 59-7 to
direct Idaho’s Department of Education to outline new accreditation
requirements for private schools to participate in extracurricular
activities.  Some private and
charter schools can’t compete at state and district competitions
regulated by the Idaho High School Activities Association because they
only have associate membership in the group.    These schools were
unable to get accredited because the Northwest Accreditation Agency has
been bought out by a national firm.   This has left these schools
with no method of getting accredited. 
Under the legislation the State Department of Education will set
accreditation standards and this will give many private and some charter
schools the opportunity—if they meet the standards—to have
their students participate at District and State sports competition.   
      One piece
of disturbing news is that the interest rates on student loans are about
to double.  College students
early this week delivered more than 130,000 letters to Congress asking
them to stop rates from increasing from 3.4 to 6.8 percent.  The rate hike affects new
subsidized Stafford loans, which are issued to low and middle income
undergraduates.  They hope to
raise enough awareness to get Congress to stop it.   If some action is not taken
then a college education for low and middle income students will be more
difficult.    The
IGEMS bill was signed by the Governor.   This will pump $5 million
into a joint project with Idaho’s three main universities and the
Idaho Department of Commerce to work with private industry in developing
new technologies and with their application create new business and jobs
in the state.
     In one of those
stirring and historical moments the Idaho Legislature passed a bill
declaring the telegraph obsolete in Idaho.   This is one of those efforts
by the Idaho Supreme Court to excise archaic language from state
code.  Back when trains
dominated cross country passenger travel, Idaho required stations to
communicate late arrivals from waiting room to waiting room via
telegraph.  No one in Idaho
uses the telegraph these days.
     The House
Transportation Committee voted to send HB586 to the floor.  Rep. Roy Lacey said the bill would
ensure the safety of non-motorized transportation using the roadways.  It requires motorists to stay 3
feet away from bicyclists or other non-motorized road users as they pass
them on the road, and also requires bicyclists to ride single file and
stay as far to the right as possible, and to get off the road and let
vehicles pass if they’re slowing down three vehicles who can’t
pass them with the three foot distance.
     HB 559 backed by
many organizations would tie state government spending to a set percentage
of total personal income in Idaho. 
If the economy adds jobs and if wage rates increase, then state
spending can increase by the same percentage.  However, if the economy remains
flat or declines, then government spending must also hold the line or
decrease accordingly.  This
prevents government from growing faster than the economy and becoming a
drag on the private sector. 
The bill further proposes that any revenues that the state collects
over and above the expenditure limitation will be used to replenish the
budget stabilization account and for personal property tax relief and
personal and corporate income tax relief.  The bill passed the House on a
40-27 vote and is now headed to the Senate.
     It looks like we
won’t quite finish up the session this next week.   Send me your comments and
remarks.   My e mail is
ttrail at house.idaho.gov and my phone # 208 331184
 
Rep. Tom Trail
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