<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div>Courtesy of the <i>Idaho Statesman</i> at:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1">http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1</a></div><div><br></div><div>---------------------------------------</div><div><h2 class="entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.2rem 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; font-weight: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; line-height: 1.4; font-size: 2.3125rem; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">UPDATE: Labrador helped Luker draft defense of vote against failed child support bill<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-family: sans-serif; overflow: hidden;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">Read more here: <a href="http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy">http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy</a></div></span></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">U.S. Republican Rep. Raul Labrador involved himself in the fallout of failed Idaho legislation that would have brought the state into compliance with federal child support rules and an international treaty. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Labrador says he doesn’t have a position on the issue. <a href="http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/16/3754324/more-insight-into-idahos-child.html" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">He voiced no objections when the federal rules passed through Congress.</a></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But the tea party-favorite told The Associated Press he reviewed an April 12 editorial sent out by a key lawmaker after the vote. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">State Rep. Lynn Luker of Boise says Labrador offered suggestions and edits to his opinion piece via email. Luker turned over more than 700 pages of emails and other documents to the AP in response to a records request, but the emails between Luker and Labrador were not included. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Luker says he had deleted those emails because they were sent from a private account.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“I often delete emails from my private account to keep it organized,” Luker said. “I used a private account this time because it was handy.” </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Luker’s editorial defended the decision he and eight other lawmakers made to kill the bill, arguing the federal government was bullying Idaho. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The only record of Labrador’s involvement provided to AP was in an email exchange dated to April 11 with Idaho House caucus spokeswoman Cindy Agidius, “Cindy, Raul suggested we keep it simple. … If people have questions, we can provide more information.” </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Since the bill’s surprise death, state health officials have warned that Idaho’s ability to collect and distribute out-of-state child support payments will end in mid-June. The situation has forced all eyes on Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter to see if he will call a special legislative session to pass the Uniform Interstate Family Security Act. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The federal government is requiring all states to pass the act or risk losing federal funding and tools used to track and collect child support payments. Idaho has been in compliance with previous version, but this year’s bill would have brought Idaho and the U.S. into compliance with an international treaty. Called the 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support, the treaty allows participating countries to enforce child support rulings across borders. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Labrador added he was unaware of the controversy prior to the bill being killed. He found about the bill’s fate while traveling in northern Idaho. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The AP requested the email exchange between Luker and Labrador from the congressman’s office. However, Congress is exempt from the federal public records law. Labrador’s office has not yet responded to the records request.</span></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-family: sans-serif; text-align: left; text-transform: none; overflow: hidden;">Read more here: <a href="http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1#storylink=c">http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1#storylink=c</a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-family: sans-serif; text-align: left; text-transform: none; overflow: hidden;">Read more here: <a href="http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy">http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy</a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow: hidden;"><font color="#000000" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/16/3754324/more-insight-into-idahos-child.html" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/21/3763872_ap-labrador-helped-luker-draft.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy</a></font></div></div><div>---------------------------------------<br><br><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" </span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>