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<div><tt>Even being chair of the committee doesn't seem to be enough
to get his bills printed for hearing. Talk about being
dissed...</tt></div>
<div><tt><br></tt></div>
<div><tt>Mark</tt></div>
<div><tt><br></tt></div>
<div><tt>*****</tt></div>
<div><tt><font color="#000000">Hemp, dogfights don't interest
lawmakers<br>
<br>
By DEAN A. FERGUSON<br>
of the Tribune<br>
<br>
BOISE -- Hemp and dogfights don't stir much passion in the hearts of
House Agricultural Committee members.<br>
<br>
But at least the House State Affairs Committee let one of Rep. Tom
Trail's bills -- an affirmation of Idaho's support for human rights --
see the light of day.<br>
<br>
Trail, R-Moscow, went one for three Tuesday when it came to
introducing bills.<br>
<br>
He had a good start in the morning in state affairs when he spoke of
the smear left on Idaho's image by the Aryan Nations, a white
supremacist group formerly headquartered in Hayden Lake.<br>
<br>
"We as a state have to stand up and reaffirm our commitment to
human rights," Trail said.<br>
<br>
A friend's daughter was rebuffed by a black student at a Wisconsin
university when picking dormitory roommates, Trail said.<br>
<br>
The black student said, "'I will not have anything to do with a
student from Idaho because the Aryan Nations permeates the state with
their beliefs,' " Trail reported.<br>
<br>
His bill would say, "citizens of Idaho have endured an
unwarranted, unfavorable barrage of publicity related to certain
opinions held by a small minority of persons who claim Idaho as their
home, but whose opinions we strongly denounce ..."<br>
<br>
Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, expressed skepticism about the
value of such a proclamation.<br>
<br>
"Coming from a part of the state where we have many of these
issues ... you're not going to overcome ignorance of outside
perception by a resolution," Anderson said. "But I think the
intent of this resolution is good."<br>
<br>
The committee sent the bill, without further debate, to the House
floor for consideration.<br>
<br>
As the day wore on, the welcome for Trail's bills wore out.<br>
<br>
The House Agriculture Committee, chaired by Trail, killed two bills
without giving them a hearing.<br>
<br>
One resolution called for legalization of industrial hemp farming.<br>
<br>
Trail told his peers North Dakota has leaped ahead this year by
pioneering a licensing program through the federal Drug Enforcement
Agency. He also appealed to Mormon colleagues by invoking the name of
an early church patriarch.<br>
<br>
"It received the blessing of Brigham Young in 1847, who told
Mormon farmers to go out and plant industrial hemp and flax,"
Trail said.<br>
<br>
The committee decided to wait.<br>
<br>
"Why would we not wait and see how North Dakota comes out?"
said Rep. Darrell Bolz, R-Caldwell.<br>
<br>
At least one legislator wanted nothing to do with a crop that has been
championed by countercultural marijuana smokers.<br>
<br>
"I don't want my name attached to it," said Rep. Dennis
Lake, R-Blackfoot, a rancher.<br>
<br>
The committee voted to kill the bill.<br>
<br>
Trail's second attempt in as many years to make dogfighting a felony
also failed.<br>
<br>
Last year, lawmakers were unconvinced dogfighting even happened in the
state.<br>
<br>
"We have somebody coming in to testify they have seen a live
dogfight," Trail said.<br>
<br>
Lake argued the current misdemeanor penalty lets judges put someone in
jail for six months with a $5,000 fine anyway.<br>
<br>
"The only difference is whether you call them a felon or not,"
Lake said.<br>
<br>
Trail, who received more than 10,000 letters in support of the
legislation, argued law enforcement agencies want the felony
distinction to allow for criminal pursuit over state lines. Wyoming is
the only other state where dogfighting is not a felony.<br>
<br>
Other committee members suggested the bill should go through the House
Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee.<br>
<br>
"I raised the question before," Trail said. "The
counsel I had was that since it involved dogs, it would be appropriate
to run it through the ag affairs committee."<br>
<br>
The chairman of the judiciary committee, Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden
Lake, happened to be standing in the doorway watching the proceedings.
"You're a good dog committee," he said.<br>
<br>
The committee voted to deny introduction of the bill.</font></tt><br>
<tt><font color="#000000"></font></tt></div>
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