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LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER VIII Feb 25-March 2, 2001
LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER VIII Feb 25-March 2, 2001
The weather warmed up in Boise and many of the rural legislators are
getting itchy feet to head back home. However, the fight over the tax
package may keep us here for awhile. The Senate Committee will hold it's
first hearing on the bill this coming Monday. The original package sent
over from the House is asking for a $200,000,000 relief package. JFAC has
finished setting the budgets and there is only $174 million left on the
table so if the $200 million target is to be reached there is only one way
to do it --- cut the K-12 education budget, cut the higher education
budget, or cut down on the $70 million facilities package for higher
education and state agencies. The projected growth rate for the coming
year is about 2.0 percent instead of the 6.0 that I had earlier reported.
Frankly, I hope that a smaller tax package comes back from the Senate that
we can agree on that leaves education budgets intact. I'd also like to see
more relief for rural areas and property tax relief. Sometimes with all
the hectic life in the Legislature I think of looking for the wild Emu
loose on Moscow Mt. for relaxation. Other topics of interest.
1. Industrial Hemp -- I was able to get approval by a 8-2 vote out of the
House Ag Affairs on my concurrent resolution to legalize industrial
hemp. Now it will be the challenge to get House approval.
2. House Resolution to Recognize the Contribution of Our Public School
Teachers and to set a Goal of $30,000 as a minimum salary for starting
teachers -- Rep. Gary Young, Rep. Sher Sellman, and I introduced this
resolution today in the House. We have heard about the problem of
recruiting and retaining teachers in the Idaho school system. Surrounding
states are hiring an increasing number of our teachers as well as
university graduates. Clark County Nevada is paying starting teachers over
$32,000 as compared to a starting salary of $23,210 in Idaho -- which will
take effect July 1st. The resolution was not binding and said the goal
would be reached within a reasonable period of time. We lost on a voice vote.
3. HB 315 passed the House Education Committee. The bill narrowly focuses
on school safety and health issues. Schools that get plant facility levies
passed by patrons and qualify at a certain percentage according to safety
and health criteria can get interest forgiven and paid by the state. The
amount of interest varies with the severity of the safety issues. In the
case of Troy, the district would qualify for a 100% payment of interest or
about $2,000,000. Troy has a severe problem in terms of bonding capacity,
but with the passage of this bill they would have enough money to build a
new high school.
4. Community Resource Program -- Pressured by citizens around the state, a
compromise was struck on Monday that could keep at least some of the 90
school districts where Community Resource Workers have been working this
year. The proposition contemplates the state paying a third of the cost
and the individual school districts the other two thirds for workers who
help families land children with personal problems.
5.Minimum Wage for Farm Workers -- Finally after 4 years of intensive
effort, a compromise minimum wage bill for farm workers has been crafted
and agreed upon by the various parties. Governor Kempthorne cleared a
major road block by getting the Farm Bureau to agree to a compromise. Sen.
Bart Davis played a key role in brokering the agreement. He contacted me
last Friday and wanted me to talk with the Farm Worker Leadership. We met
on Sunday afternoon and finally agreed to the compromise.
The compromise will extend the minimum wage from about 60 percent of the
workers to 95 percent. House leadership has indicated their support of the
bill. When finally signed by the Governor this will be a tremendous
victory for the Farm Worker Coalition. Their long range goal will still be
to cover all farm workers.
6. Appealing of Ruling on Schools Denied -- Judge Bail rejected the
state's attempt to appeal her order that the Legislature help poor school
districts fix unsafe schools. Idaho is the toughest state in the nation in
which to build a school because it is the only state that both requires a
two-thirds vote to pass a school bond and provides no state aid. That
leaves the full cost to local property taxpayers.
Sen. Darrell Deide is the sponsor of a complex bill that would funnel $30
million a year to all the state's school districts to fix or replace
buildings. Rep. Todd Hammond has introduced a bill to amend Idaho's
Constitution to add a clause saying the Legislature doesn't have to help
local districts to pay to fix or replace school houses. Hammond estimates
his bill could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars. It might
save the state money but the state savings would come in the form of bills
to local property taxpayers. To me, Rep. Hammond's legislation belongs in
the 18th century. The State has a responsibility to help local districts
with facilities as the courts have supported in the vast majority of states.
7. Energy Deregulation Ruled Out by the Legislature -- The Legislature
unanimously approved legislation to close a regulatory loophole that could
have led to electric deregulation in Idaho. In the state that already has
the lowest power rates in the nation, that would only have meant rising
costs for consumers.
8. SCR 105 -- This is resolution to remove the word squaw from all place
names in Idaho. It passed the Senate but was rejected by the House State
Affairs Committee on a 10-9 vote. The term is very offensive to Native
Americans, and a number of states are in the process of changing the name
to various geographic sites. Historically we've done this with places with
names such as nigger, jap, chink, etc. -- all names offensive to various
ethnic groups. I strongly support the resolution. The Spokesman Review
had an interesting statement, "Who needs Richard Butler when Idaho has the
House State Affairs Committee."
Rep. Tom Trail, district 5
ttrail@house.state.id.us
Phone: 208-332-1202
I would like constituents to contact me by e-mail me with their ideas,
comments and recommendations.
Legislative newsletters and additional materials and information can be
located on my web
and home page http://www.infotrail.com/idaho
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