Capitol Letters: Lawmakers override Gov. Little’s property tax veto
By Ryan Suppe, State Politics Reporter
After two days of negotiating, lawmakers yesterday voted to override Gov. Brad Little’s veto of House Bill 292, a sweeping property tax relief bill.
The Republican governor raised concerns over the bill’s effect on the state’s bonding ability and the provision prohibiting school districts from holding bond and levy elections in March, by far the most successful month when schools ask local taxpayers to fund construction and staffing costs.
“While there may be differing opinions on how to address this issue, our goal is aligned — to help Idahoans,” Senate Majority Caucus members said in a news release. “Today’s vote will make a significant difference in the lives of those facing financial hardships due to rising property taxes.”
The Legislature passed a trailer bill yesterday that seeks to account for the bonding issues while maintaining the March election prohibition. House Bill 376 ensures that $80 million will still be available for road project bonds.
Altogether the two bills direct $117 million to property taxpayers in the upcoming fiscal year, according to a state economist’s analysis, Madison Hardy, Little’s spokesperson, told the Idaho Statesman by email.
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Republicans push bill to clarify abortion restrictions
House Republicans yesterday cleared a bill meant to clarify that medical treatment for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies are allowable under the state’s abortion ban.
House Bill 374 also would allow exceptions to felony “criminal abortion” when the life of the mother is in danger or if the pregnancy was the result of incest or rape. Currently, the law grants affirmative defenses to prosecution in those instances.
“The purpose of the legislation is to provide additional clarity,” House Majority Leader Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, who co-sponsored the legislation, told the House State Affairs Committee yesterday. “It is tangible language that’s within this bill, things that people can focus on and things that people can understand.”
The committee and the House passed the bill along party lines over a few hours yesterday.
Representatives of the medical community reluctantly supported the bill, although they also hoped it would include a hotly debated exception for pregnancies that cause immediate and long-term health risks.
Doctors told the House committee that they’re scared to treat complicated pregnancies over fears of prosecution. And, they said, health care providers are struggling to recruit and retain obstetricians because of the restrictive abortion ban.
House Democrats refused to vote on the bill, walking off the House floor after debating against it. The law still would force a pregnant person to carry an nonviable pregnancy to term, said Rep. Brooke Green, D-Boise.
“This legislation does not fix that,” Green told the committee. “I, for one, will never insert myself in between a doctor and a mom.”
The bill heads to the Senate.
What to expect today
8 a.m. Senate State Affairs. A public hearing on House Bill 374, dealing with abortion ban clarifications, is on the docket, and Republicans will introduce two new proposals on drag shows.
Track other bills
Keep track of high-profile bills as they go through the legislative process. You can find yesterday’s updates here.
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