[Vision2020] LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER WEEK 12 - END OF THE SESSION

[Rep. Tom Trail]

End of
Session Legislative Newsletter  
- Week 12
 Constituents:
      Legislative session ends:  We finished the 2012 Idaho
Legislative session late Thursday.    We certainly don't want
to be around here on April 1st or April Fools' Day.  The final issue holding everything
up concerned tax cuts  --  both corporate and individual rates
which would be reduced from 7.8 to 7.6 percent.    This would bring about
$70 dollars of tax relief to a family of four earning $100,000/year.   The bill passed the House and
passed the Senate.   
There are many including myself who feel that we should put the $35
million slated for tax cuts into a rainy day fund for the State.   The economy is still weak and
from the example above that family of four could really only enjoy a good
pizza party with the tax cut. 
 I felt that building up
the rainy day fund was best.    If the economy moves
ahead on a positive note then surplus funds will go into the rainy day
fund.
     With the Power
Ball Lottery nearing $500 million, there is a great deal of
excitement.   One of the
latest winners was an eighty year old woman in Rhode Island who kept her
winning lottery ticket in her bible.   There might be a message
here.
     The Idaho Right to Hunt and Fish
Constitutional amendment will be on the November ballot.   The amendment, if it passes,
would guarantee the rights of Idahoans to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife
"by the use of traditional methods."  This would eliminate any
opportunities for well funded animal rights activists to ban the use of
certain methods like archery tackle or dogs for hunting.  In addition the amendment specifies
that hunting, fishing and harvesting of wildlife shall be used as a
"preferred means" of managing and controlling wildlife.  The provision would ensure that
sportsmen will continue to be used as the state's responsible game
managers instead of the taxpayer funded sharpshooters and unproven,
expensive wildlife contraception schemes employed in other
jurisdictions.
     Senate passes the Forced Ultrasound
Bill 23-12:   
This bill stirred up more controversy than any other piece of
legislation this session.  
I received over 200 e-mails on this issue with about 90 percent
opposing the bill.   Many
women who sent me e mails felt that it was invasive and the mandatory
nature of it was an insult to the physician-patient relationship.    House members were
flooded by opposition from prominent Republican women across the state who
opposed the bill.  Rather than
fall on the sword in support of their Senate colleagues House members
decided to duck the bullet and so the bill died in the House State Affairs
Committee for this year.  
Supporters of the bill felt that it will be rewritten and the
Legislature will see it again next year.
      Mortgage Foreclosure Settlement: The Idaho Attorney General
recently settled a case with five of the nation home mortgage lenders for
$13.3 million.  The AG's
proposal for using these proceeds includes providing legal service to low
income families to help them negotiate loan modifications and obtain
deficiency waivers, and offering counseling debt and housing transition
matters.
      HB609 restores some of last year's
cuts to Medicaid funding.  The services restored are
preventative dental services and skill training for persons with both
mental health and developmental disabilities.  Under last year's bill, persons
with more than one disability, had to choose between two types of
rehabilitative services, even though they could have benefited from
both.  JFAC also met and
approved an increase in monthly payments to foster parents.
     Teacher Pay funding
restored:  Another
one of the final bills was an agreement to restore $35 million in teacher
pay funding that was about to be slashed.  Money was diverted from teacher
salaries to help support last year's "Student Come First"
education reforms.  The House
has concurred.    The
public education budget received an approximately 4.6 percent increase,
but one must remember that many teachers have not received a salary
increase in four years.  
Legislation passed that will also increase the beginning salary of
$30,000 for beginning teachers.  
Higher Education received a 5.4 percent increase and staff and
faculty salaries will be increased two percent.   Half of that increase will
come from an increase in student fees which will probably be around a six
per cent increase this year.
      Medical
Marijuana:  On
Thursday I had a 30 minute meeting with the Governor on the subject of
legalizing medical marijuana.  
Bill Esbensen, Director of the 45th Parallel Clinic in Ontario,
Oregon talked to the Governor about the more than 500 Idaho families who
have moved to Eastern Oregon in order to provide access to a family member
who needs access to legal medical marijuana for a chronic and painful
disease condition, e.g. brain cancer. 
These individuals have doctors' prescriptions, but leave Idaho for
fear of being arrested for (legal in Oregon) marijuana possession in
Idaho.  Lindsey Rinehard,  Leader of the legalize medical
marijuana initiative also talked to the Governor about the initiative that
she and her group are working on.    They will not get
enough signatures to get it on the ballot this year but will start the
initiative process next year.  
She has MS at age 29 and her medications cost more than
$5,000/month.   
Tonya Meyer and his group reported about a hemp oil product that
they have patented and have approved by the FDA.    The Veterans
Administration has found that this product reduces post traumatic stress
of our war veterans as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
     I will be sending
out a post legislative
newsletter sometime next week.    I am reminded of a
story as we closed the session.    An eighty year old
woman announced that she was marrying for the fourth time and to a funeral
director.    A local
reporter thought this would be a very interesting story and interviewed
the women.   He said,
"tell me about your other marriages."   She replied, "I married
a banker at age 20 and then at age 40 I married a circus ringmaster.   At age 60 I married a
preacher and now my fourth husband will be a funeral director."   The reporter then asked,
"wow, that's quite a group of different men  - why do you think you did
that?" The woman reflected for a few minutes and then said, "One
for the money, two for the show,   three to make ready, and four
to go."    Most
the Idaho legislators were ready to get out of Dodge and head home.
     I appreciate your
comments.   You may contact me at the
following:
e-mail
ttrail at house.idaho.gov and thomasftrail at gmail.com    

My office phone is 208-332-1184.
 Rep. Tom
Trail    
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