<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16945" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Visionaries:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT face=Calibri
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><o:p></o:p><FONT face=Calibri
size=3> Legislative
Report</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><FONT face=Calibri size=3>March 9, 2010</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>Today
the budget committee set the budget for Educational Public Broadcasting.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Unfortunately, there was an overall
decrease in spending of 8.3% compared to fiscal year 2010.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The good news is that the budget
committee made no move to phase out public funding.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Education Committees would
appropriately consider an issue such as that, but there is no indication that
there are discussions of that nature.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>The
appropriation for colleges and universities was especially disappointing –
especially considering their role in helping a struggling economy to
recover.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Support from general state
funds will be decreased by 14.1% from fiscal year 2010.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>About $4.3 million from stimulus funds
will boost this budget somewhat, so the overall reduction for FY 2011 will be
7.8%.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>My motion to increase
spending for colleges and universities failed on a vote along party
lines.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>The
community college budget will be reduced by 12.6%.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>Health
and Welfare budgets continue to be underfunded, especially in view of the
likelihood of increased caseload.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention is cut 15.6%, the Mental Health
Services budget will be down 6.5%, and it is recognized that we underfunded the
budget for Medically Indigent Health Care.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>When the legislature convenes in January, it will be necessary to find
more funding for that program.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>Some
individuals are making extraordinary efforts to provide services with slim
resources.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For example, the Board
of Tax Appeals is leaving one of six positions vacant.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The three board members are working over
75 days per year and are paid for fewer than 50 days.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They cannot possibly make their May
deadline for writing decisions, but will make every effort to finish them during
May so that counties will have the resolutions on appeals in time.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Moscow’s Linda Pike is a board
member.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>All of
these budgets must be approved by both House and Senate.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>HB
391a, the Idaho Health Freedom Act, to ban Idaho’s enforcement of any federal
requirement for purchase of passed the Senate today by a vote of 24-10.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The “Firearms Freedom” bill, HB 589, is
a move to make guns and ammunition manufactured in Idaho exempt from all federal
laws and regulations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This bill
passed in the House, 52-17.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This
despite an attorney general’s opinion that the legislation is “likely
unconstitutional.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The vote was
almost along party lines, with one Democrat voting in favor.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri size=3>At the
beginning of this legislative session, Governor Butch Otter announced a
phase-out of general funds for certain agencies that, he explained, weren’t the
proper role of state government to fund.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>These included Idaho Public Broadcasting, the Commission for the Blind
and Visually Impaired, the Idaho Council for the Developmentally Disabled, and
others.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Later, he explained that he
threatened this action to get the attention of those who were not being
cooperative in reducing their budgets.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>His most recent action is to include these in a list of choices for
donations on state income tax forms.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>There will be temporary increases in the existing income tax credit for
donations to help them cope with recent budget reductions.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This is House Bill 630.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is estimated that the legislation
will bring an additional $10 million in donations, at a cost of $5
million.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face=Calibri>As always, I look forward to hearing from you.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri
size=3>Representative Shirley Ringo</FONT></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>