Fwd:

["William K. Medlin" <dev-plan@moscow.com>]

>Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 11:18:24 -0800
>To: Bill London <london@moscow.com>
>From: "William K. Medlin" <dev-plan@moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: Highway 95
>Cc:
>Bcc:
>X-Attachments:   Tom Trail:  Several times this past year citizens 
>have expressed a desire for hearings on US 95, such as occurred at C 
>d' Al. Why have we been deprived ot this? We had no hearings on the 
>95 - 8 couplet either, which has turned out to be a questionable 
>application of traffic control measures, especially for pedestrians 
>and cyclists. Please investigae!
>
>>According to my reading of the legislative report filed by Rep. Trail to this
>>list (below), the decision about the future of Highway 95 between Moscow and
>>Lewiston has been made.  The Transportation Department is now buying land for
>>the new route.
>>I thought that a public meeting would be held this spring to decide between a
>>new route over the shoulder of Paradise Ridge and a straightening of the
>>existing road.
>>Will that hearing take place?  Will it be a sham?
>>BL
>>
>>RepTrail wrote:
>>
>>>  Dear Visionaries,
>>>
>>>  Last week I reported about the family in Potlatch being held hostage by a
>>>  moose. Monday six of Fish and Games finest rolled into the rescue. However,
>>>  their sharpshooter missed the tranquilizer shot from 20 feet, and the moose
>>>  took off for the Potlatch River. The Moose Team immediately took off is
>>>  pursuit, but lost track of the moose along the river. On the way back to
>>>  Highway 95 the team was startled when an ostrich ran across the road in
>>>  front of them (probably an escaped ostrich from a game farm). The Moose
>>>  Team (instead of the A Team) then received a call that a wolf had been
>>>  spotted near Viola. One can't complain about wildlife diversity in Latah
>>>  County.
>>>
>>>  1. Highway 95 -- I've received a report from the Department of
>>>  Transportation indicating that about $346 million will be spent on Highway
>>>  95 through 2004. I will have the report and maps of the projects to hand
>>>  out next Saturday when Sen. Schroeder, Rep. Young, and I hold town meetings
>>>  in Potlatch (10:00 am) and Troy (1:00 pm - at the Elementary School).  DOT
>>>  reports they are buying right of way land for a 4-lane highway from Moscow
>>>  to Lewiston.
>>>
>>>  2. Taxes -- There are a number of excellent components and tax features in
>>>  the Governor's package; however, a number of rural legislators and citizens
>>>  who feel that more property tax reduction should be included are developing
>>>  some initiatives. I support completing the property tax reduction
>>>  initiative started by Gov. Batt, and also the new proposal to eliminate
>>>  personal property tax on farm, timber, mining, and construction
>>>  equipment.  This would have fiscal impact of about $16.5 million per year
>>>  and would help our depressed farming and timber industries.  I'm also
>>>  supporting reducing the sales tax on groceries.
>>>
>>>  3. Minimum Wage for Farm Workers  --  The hearing on the Governor's bill is
>>>  set for Tuesday.  I suspect we will have over 200 people to testify.  We
>>>  currently have 600,000 Idaho workers covered by the minimum wage.  Farm
>>>  Bureau studies indicate fewer than 1% of farm workers are paid below
>>>  minimum wage and that it is no longer an economic problem for them  --  so
>>>  why not include farm workers? Studies indicate that most farm workers are
>>>  below the poverty level and if the Governor wants to help stimulate our
>>>  rural economies then let's do the right thing.
>>>
>>>  4. Industrial Hemp  --  I'll be introducing my industrial hemp legislation
>>>  next Friday. The basic bill is a concurrent resolution to send to the
>>>  Secretary of Ag and our Congressional delegation indicating that the
>>>  Legislature supports legislative initiatives to legalize the
>>>  crop.  Industrial hemp is an excellent alternative crop for farmers and
>>>  environmental sound as well.
>>>
>>>  5. Education  --  we heard SPI (Superintendent of Public Instruction)
>>>  Marilyn Howard present the Department's school budget this week and Monday
>>>  we will hear from the Governor's representatives about his education
>>  > budget.  Beginning teacher's salaries are one of the big issues.  Idaho
>>>  starts teachers at $22,000/ year. Dr. Howard recommends $24,500 and the
>>>  Governor less. Both Rep. Gary Young and I support a goal of $30,000 as the
>>>  starting salary. There will probably be several initiatives to make this a
>>>  legislative goal and come up with some creative ways to speed up the
>>>  process.  Rep. Young and I have requested data on how many of our school
>>>  teachers are below the poverty level.  We are losing more and more of our
>>>  teachers to other states that pay higher salaries and also offer signing
>>>  bonuses.  I'm also co-sponsoring a piece of legislation that would help
>>>  teachers pay off part of their school loans.   This would help both
>>>  recruitment and retention.
>>>
>>>  6. Idaho Public Television  --  There are still some legislators that would
>>>  love to see Idaho Public TV go away.  A recent study concluded that if IPTV
>>>  was privatized it would no doubt fail without further state support.  The
>>>  study found the system to be one of the most widely viewed nationally for
>>>  the size of it potential audience, and it also gets more viewers to donate
>>>  more money to support operations than other public TV systems in similar
>>>  markets.  The Governor has included over $6 million in his budget for
>>>  digital conversion.  If this is not approved by JFAC then IPTV is basically
>>>  history. We will have more hearings this week, and, of course, I will be
>>>  supporting all efforts for IPTV.
>>>
>>>  7. Religious-Freedom Act  --  Debates and arguments continue over Idaho's
>>>  Religious-Freedom Act.  We have several bills which would provide for civil
>>>  rights and child protection concerns under the current law.  Business
>>>  interests have concerns about zoning and planning and possible
>>>  employer-employee litigation.  The interesting feature is that before this
>>>  law was passed that religious groups in Idaho generally got along well and
>>>  the Attorney General reported no complaints from citizens concerning their
>>>  religious freedoms.  Now that the bill is in place, the various church
>>>  communities are divided over the issue.
>>>
>>>  A more serious aspect is that legislation that would amend the current bill
>>>  will probably not even be heard in committee.  Sen. Darrington, Chair, of
>>>  the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee said he won't hold a hearing on
>>>  this topic that has generated more discussion and debate than any other
>>>  legislative matter this year.  Although I understand that the legislative
>>>  chairs have the privilege to hold a bill, I also believe that to do so in a
>>>  case where there is such public debate and interest, infringes on our First
>>>  Amendment Rights.  One of our early presidents said, "The demise of a
>>>  nation begins when free discussion and dialog over important public issues
>>>  are thwarted by the political process and those in power."
>>>
>>>  Rep. Tom Trail, district 5
>>>  ttrail@house.state.id.us
>>>
>>>    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