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LEGISLATIVE NEWSLETTER VII--FEBRUARY 12-16/2007
Dear Constituents:
Friday was one of those lazy and warm spring days.
There were not many legislators in the chamber around 2 pm. I was reviewing my notes for a presentation on Monday of HCR09 -- a tribute from the Legislature congratulating the University of Idaho College of Engineering on their 100th anniversary. Earlier in the week the resolution co-sponsored by Rep. Ringo and myself passed by unanimous voice vote. The College of Engineering has over 13,000 graduates including my son, Mark (Electrical Engineering). Consistently the engineering seniors place first in a national engineering exam over their counterparts at Stanford, Cal Tech, and Harvard. Jack Lehman is, perhaps, one of the best renown graduates. Jack was the Chief Engineer on the Chunnell Project--connecting France with Great Britain. Then an article jumped out at me from the Statesman. The article reviewed the argument going on in Washington State concerning the replacement of the Viaduct along the Seattle waterfront. Two alternatives were being considered -- a new Viaduct or a tunnel. Either alternative has its proponents. On a hunch I called the Washington Governor's office and talked to Jennifer Ziegler, the Governors Transportation Advisor about Idaho's Tunnel treasure. She said that she didn't think they had. I gave her the relevant information, and then contacted Gov. Otter's office about my call. I then called Rodger Madsen, Director of the Commerce Department, and gave him all of the background information. It is best to let these types of contacts to flow from the Governor-Governor level. It will be interesting to see if Washington State just might utilize one the University of Idaho College of Engineering's treasurers. And now with the rest of the news:
1.
Minimum Wage--The U.S. House of Representatives approved their version of the minimum wage bill on Friday--$7.25 phased in over two years with some tax breaks for businesses. This is basically the same bill that will be in front of the Idaho House to vote on. I was a co-sponsor of the alternative minimum wage bill which would have included the CPI so as to adjust for inflation. Most of our neighboring states have the CPI included. The federal legislation does not cover farm workers so I checked our statutes. In 2001 we passed the minimum wage legislation to cover farm workers and fortunately put in language that whenever the state increases the minimum wage that farm workers continue to be covered.
2.
HB172 -- This bill would add protection for victims of domestic violence. This legislation came out of a series of meetings with Moscow residents, Professor Elizabeth Brandt, Rep. Ringo, and myself. Dr. Brandt crafted the legislation, and it will be up for a hearing in House Jud and Rules on Monday. We have a witness who was covered by this program in California and is willing to testify because her ex-husband died several years ago. She changed her name and social security number several times and moved from state to state. Her ex-husband always seemed to find her address and pursue her. This victim suffered a fractured skull, spinal injuries, broken ribs, and stab wounds. Her ex- husband even took out a contract on her life. Under a protective court order in California, she had an assigned body guard for the last two years. HB172 is based on Washington State law where the victim's postal box essentially becomes that of the Secretary of State. The program is working well in over 10 states.-
3.
Vote-By-Mail -- This bill passed the House State Affairs Committee by an 11-7 vote but was called back to committee because of some reported technical problems. This bill is supported by the Sec. of State, the Idaho Association of Cities, and the Idaho Association of Counties. In states that have adopted this legislation voter turnout has increased and voter fraud does not seem to have been a major problem.
4.
Scholarships -- The House Education Committee approved for print a bill that would pay student loans to draw teachers to Idaho. The proposal wants to attract and retain teachers in high need areas. The loan forgiveness program would accept 100 teachers the first year and 100 more for each year of the five year program. The first year would cost $500,000 and increase to $2.4 million by the fifth year. Teachers would apply annually to have 20% (up to $5,000 a year) of their student loans paid off by the state. Emily Davis, student lobbyist for the ASUI students, was a strong supporter of the bill. Students would have to secure their own loans. I'm a co-sponsor of the bill and worked two years with the State Board of Education and other legislators on crafting the legislation.
5.
Elk Ranches -- The Senate Ag Committee voted 7-1 for a licensing program for Idaho's 78 elk ranches. If the legislation passes it calls for a $5 licensing fee for the state's nearly 6,000 farm raised elk. A $200 fee would be paid to the Dept. of Agriculture, and the authority to shut down operations not abiding by the rules would be given to the Dept. of Agriculture. The bill moves on for a Senate vote.
6.
University of Idaho Livestock and Environmental Center -- The Governor has allocated about $10 million for this new facility to be built in southern Idaho. The total cost would be closer to $25 million with the other $15 million coming in from the University and the Dairy industry. There is an increased demand for the inclusion of the Caine Center in Caldwell to be included as well as Fish and Game labs now located in Boise.
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