[Vision2020] LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER WEEK 11 AND 1/2

[Rep. Tom Trail]

LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER WEEK 11 AND 1/2
Constituents:
     There is so much
going on that I thought I should get off a mid week newsletter.   We don't know when we will be
out of Boise and done with our job here but the best bet is about the
27th.  I believe that Betsy
Russell of the Spokesman Review best characterized the essence of this
session with her limerick:
     
"Idaho's Political Round
       Is
clearly closed primary bound
       When
hot button issues
       Mean
get out the tissues
       It's
lawmaking in ultrasound."
     The Senate heard
testimony from both pro-life and pro-choice citizens for Sen. Winder's
bill calling for a mandatory ultrasound to be performed by the physician
terminating a pregnancy (SB)1387. 
The bill could supersede existing statute guiding the
physician/patient relationship with respect to privacy and informed
consent.  Presently, there are
no clinics that provide free ultrasounds and abortions as the bill
mandates.  Knowing that
insurance companies will not pay for this process, women will be forced to
pay out of pocket for the invasive procedure which costs between
$450-$2,000.  Additionally,
since the optimal period to terminate a pregnancy is 6-10 weeks after
conception, when the fetus is too small to be detected by an external
ultrasound, the physician will be required by default to conduct an
invasive trans-vaginal ultrasound.   I am opposed to government
intrusion into any patient-physician relationship.  Reproductive rights have been
consistently protected by the U.S. Supreme Court for the past 40
years.   The bill since it
now passed the Senate will quickly be approved by the House and then on to
the Governor's desk.   It
will be interesting to see if Gov. Otter---the great Libertarian will sign
the bill or not.   
I've received not one communiqué from constituents to
support the bill and over 100 who oppose this intrusion into the
physician-patient relationship.    One constituent
recommends that the men who get the women in these conditions should be
required to get vasectomies.
     Idaho received a
ranking of 40th out of 50 states for laws concerning ethics and
accountability to citizens.  
At the first of the session, it appeared that there would be a
bipartisan effort to come up with legislation that would set up a
Bipartisan Ethics Committee.    Sadly, there seems to
have been very little interest as the session moved ahead and any
legislation of this type is dead. 
Another potential "scandal" or ethics conflict erupted
when Sen. Pearce, the Chair of the Senate Resources and Environment
Committee, voted on eight different oil and gas bills and rules without
notifying the President Pro Tempore that he has many open oil and gas
leases on his property.  This
is known as a "Conflict of Interest" which must be declared
before any vote can be case on a bill that might benefit the Senator.    An ethics committee is
reviewing the case.   Sen.
Pearce's defense lawyer is the same lawyer who defended Randy Weaver in
the Ruby Ridge case.
     I have received
continuing complaints about the citizens who feel they were left out of
voting in the Republican Presidential Caucus.   These include individuals
living out of state who asked for absentee ballots and perhaps the most
tragic a number of servicemen serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who wanted
to be involved in the process.
     Two Animal
Cruelty laws, SB1303 and HB650, will be up for votes this week.   It appears that both bills
are not in conflict and complement each other.     The agricultural
industry is protected.  One
bill deals more with companion animals and cockfighting and the other with
production animals.   I've
been working for the last ten years in trying to strengthen our animal
cruelty laws and it appears that we will finally be making some major
headway.
     The Senate passed
a anti-bullying bill SB1358aa by a vote of 25-8.   The bill strengthens Idaho's
student anti-bullying laws.  It
prohibits cyber-bullying and directs school employee intervention, and
requires staff training.   
It appears that the bill would only be a minor administrative
burden on our school districts.    We need to provide a
healthy and non-intimidating learning environment in our schools for all
students.
     Two of the major
session ending issues are teacher salaries vs. tax cuts.   The House wants to cut state
income taxes by 35$ million, and the Senate favors restoring teachers'
salaries.   There will
certainly be some high level negotiations to try and work out some
compromises.  The tax bill only
provides $71 in tax relief to a family of four earning $100,000 which
doesn't provide much bang for the buck.  There is also pressure from the
Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry to call for the elimination of
about $140 million in taxes on business property--i.e. equipment; however,
there simply isn't enough spare cash coming in according to projections to
support such a bill and still keep some funds for rainy day
emergencies.
     Well that is all
for this week, and hopefully the next letter will be the wrap up of the
session.   Send your
comments to me via ttrail at house.idaho.gov or thomasftrail at gmail.com
Rep. Tom Trail
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