Capitol Letters: Whirlwind day in Senate after property tax bill veto
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By Ryan Suppe, State Politics Reporter
The late discovery of a major flaw may have killed a sweeping property tax relief bill, which would direct hundreds of millions in state funds to residential homeowners.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little vetoed the bill yesterday after a state official found the proposal would put the state’s bonding ability at risk.
In a veto letter, Little called the bill a “hodgepodge of policy items intermingled with property tax relief.” The Republican governor said the proposal jeopardizes “ready-to-go” transportation projects by re-ordering where sales tax revenues go.
Little also objected to removing the March bond election.
“A property tax relief bill this session needs to be simple and carried out in a way that does not harm public schools, does not hold up needed transportation projects, and does not reveal more unintended consequences,” Little said in a news release.
Read my full story here.
Senate clears new property tax bill after veto
After the governor’s veto, the Senate quickly patched the property tax relief and school construction funding proposals onto a separate bill, House Bill 198.
Largely the same as the original proposal, the new bill does not include language related to transportation funding that raised concerns, and it excludes the bond and levy election date removal.
The Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill after a brief debate. The only opposition centered on the rushed process. Sen. Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins, said the Senate didn’t have enough time to read the bill.
“I feel like this is a disservice to the people that we represent,” Carlson said.
The new bill heads to the House, which is back in session today after a short recess.
What else happened?
The Senate cleared House Bill 71, which criminalizes gender-affirming health care for transgender minors. The bill heads back to the House because it was amended to move the prohibition to another section of code than was originally proposed. The House overwhelmingly passed the bill last month, and now it awaits the governor’s signature.
The Senate State Affairs Committee advanced a bill that would prohibit transporting a minor to another state for an abortion. The House passed House Bill 242 earlier this month. It moves to the full Senate.
What to expect today
7 a.m. House Ways and Means. House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, is scheduled to propose legislation related to the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation fund, a transportation project fund sourced by sales tax revenue. Gov. Brad Little vetoed House Bill 292, in part, because the bill altered the transportation fund’s priority access to sales tax in favor of property tax relief.
Find the full list of committee meetings and agendas for the House here, and for the Senate here.
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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