2008 Legislative Preview

Greg Hahn

I expect the lawmakers will talk a lot about transportation — how to fund highways, public transit and more. They seem to be leaning toward higher vehicle license fees to raise the around $200 million Otter says is needed for highways each year, but any tax or fee increase sparks a fight in the Legislature. Treasure Valley local leaders are trying again to get the authority to ask voters to pay local sales taxes for public transit, but this year, they're trying to attract broader rural support by including all transportation needs in the proposal. That could mean a small county with a rough road or aging bridge, tired of waiting for the plodding process of federal transportation spending, could just ask voters to pay for the problem right away. It will be interesting to see if that resonates with anyone. I'm also interested to see how Otter sells his plan to offer property tax reform through a California-style system that limits how quickly assessed property values can grow each year. Legislators have killed ideas like this for 30 years, saying it creates an unfair system that can tax neighbors in similar homes at wildly different rates. Otter supported this back in the 1970s, when he was a back-bench legislator, and now it will be intriguing to see if the power of the governor's office can finally persuade lawmakers to change their minds.

The biggest challenge in the new temporary building, I think, will be communication. Legislators, lobbyists, the general public and reporters all know how to navigate the Statehouse. They know where to find each other, where to avoid each other, and how to quickly make contact to have the thousand little discussions and compromises that ultimately shape most bills. I think it's going to take several weeks for people to feel comfortable in the old courthouse, and it will put a crimp in that communication —- in part because people just won't be able to find each other and huddle in a corner. I know the general belief is that the cramped quarters will speed up the session because everyone will want to leave. I wonder if it won't actually lengthen it, because it will take so long before the session gets into a groove. Plus, misunderstandings sparked from the lack of clear communication could stall some ideas that otherwise would have seen a smoother run through the process.

Henry Kulczyk

I think we are going to see a pretty tumultuous session. Wanting more money for roads I think might be a huge issue. Legislators were led to believe that Garvee was going to solve road finance trouble for a few years at least.

The House and Senate are pretty far apart on several issues, and some of those issues sort of got buried last year. Those may show up to see which chamber will have more power.

The Governor appears to be ready to start on a spending spree. While his new Chief of Staff is quite capable, he is a long way from having the experience of his predecessor.

Betty Richardson

Here are my "big ticket" topics for the coming session:

Environment:

Air quality — CAFO one mile etc . . .
Green buidings and other energy issues

Taxes:

Grocery tax relief
Local option taxes for transportation
Reviewing sales tax exemptions

Government:

Open v. closed primaries
PERSI divestment — Sudan-free
Possible new prison
Transparency and ethics in government (including Otter's "revolving door")

Education:

Teachers' pay scale (Luna's proposal, etc . . . )
Day-care standards
Early childhood education

Other:

Access to health care (especially for children)
Urban renewal
Water (continuing cascade of issues)

Betsy Russell

Idaho state legislators seem convinced that they're going to have a short legislative session this year. After all, they'll all be crammed into tight quarters in the old Ada County Courthouse while the state Capitol is being renovated (for the next two years). There's not even a legislative dining room, and bathrooms were in precariously short supply until legislators agreed to bring in eight Porta-potties for the session. But working against their hopes to make this an in-and-out session are a plethora of pressing issues, from taxes to roads to water, and a clear lack of agreement between the Republican Legislature and the Republican governor on how to go about addressing them.

Among the issues are roads, vehicle fees, grocery taxes, local-option taxes, property tax relief, water, teacher pay, early-childhood and family issues, election laws, registration of non-motorized boats, business taxes and overflowing prisons. There's a lot more, too. It's not a short list, and the issues aren't easy.

Jim Weatherby

Watch for the surprise — the unanticipated issue that will demand immediate resolution but become an obstacle to final adjustment. Most such surprises are products of outside forces — actions of other governmental bodies: courts, congress, etc. The unexpected is what makes the legislative process challenging, exhilarating and maddening.

Regardless of how many portable toilets or refrigerators are added to the old Ada County Courthouse (now called the Capitol Annex), this will be an uncomfortable, contentious session; the stuffy, close quarters along with a number of heavy-duty issues almost guarantees discomfort. And that's too bad — too bad for our lawmaking process and for the dedicated people who have worked so hard to make the old building accommodate 105 legislators, staffers, media, and the hordes of lobbyists. Watch how many people announce their retirement at the end of the session, not wanting to endure such facilities for another year or two (never trust multi-year construction schedules!)

Legislative sessions in election years are typically more fun to watch — lawmakers posturing for political gain and running away from any measure that has a tax or a fee increase. This session lawmakers may very well be confronted with floor votes on serious revenue-raising proposals to support major repairs to our statewide highway system and to give local voters the authority to impose local option taxes for transportation purposes. The case for fixing our crumbling state transportation system is a compelling one, even in an election year. The public/private coalition supporting local option taxes is impressive asking this year for help in both urban and rural areas. But to succeed this coalition will have to walk over the "dead bodies" of entrenched legislators who have long favored centralizing major taxation decisions in the state capitol.

There are many other big issues, some with significant fiscal impacts. Governor Otter will probably be back with his grocery tax credit proposal. Businesses will again be pushing for repeal of the personal property tax, much maligned on both enforcement and equity fronts. Republicans will be trying to keep their own house in order by closing the primary to only the party faithful or developing a modified system that doesn't disenfranchise the big block of independent voters but still keeps the feared Democrats out. Education funding will be a central issue with the new Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna pushing his pay-for-performance plan for teachers and asking for a major increase in funding for education. Cautious lawmakers are already saying there isn't enough money, and many educators are calling the Luna plan a blatant attempt to break the state teachers union. The exploding prison population cannot be ignored: will private prisons be the solution? How many more years will corrections spending outpace education in the percentage distribution of state general fund dollars?

Last but not least — watch the twists and turns in the relationship between the Governor and the Legislature and the internal squabbling between House and Senate members. Granted, most of these people are Republicans and should be able to get along, but rarely does it work out that way these days. So stay tuned.