Week 8
Bait and Switch
Last years legislature, in September, held a special session where $330 million was promised for public schools in Idaho. Well, the appropriations committee wants to move that money from the dedicated fund to the general fund.
This money was meant to be on top of what already was marked for schools, not replace what has been used already.
SB 1161 Empowering Parents Grant Program.
This bill underwent extensive debate. In the end, it passed the Senate floor 19-15-1. This bill takes $30 million from the above mentioned $330 million to fund the Empowering Parents Grant program. This bill also creates a pilot program for five years for up to 2,000 students per year to provide a tuition grant of $6,000 per student. This money will be used for private schooling. As a colleague said, “this is a winner for 2000 students, the rest of the students lose.”
HB 292 is a property tax relief bill.
It would provide $355 million in tax relief immediate and ongoing. It also provides $100 million to public schools to pay off bonds and levies, with the ability to use any leftover money on their facilities. One issue with this is that the bill removes the March school district election date for bonds and levies. This election date was a negotiated date and is important to our school boards. We have worked hard to get this amended but with no luck.
HB 205 is a voting restriction bill.
This would have repealed no-excuse, absentee voting; a method of voting we have had in place since 1970. Fortunately, the bill was killed in the House.
The Best News of the Week
SB 1127 State Dinosaur 35-0
Thanks to the fourth-grade class at South Fork Elementary School, Idaho now has a state dinosaur!!! Oryctodromeus. This is the best known and most common dinosaur found in Idaho. This dinosaur has only been discovered in Idaho. This dinosaur is believed to have been an herbivore that cared for its young in family groups underground. Pretty cool to have state dinosaur! (I stood and thanked the fourth graders for not choosing me as the state dinosaur).
I reached my goal of 10,000 steps a day for the month of February. Blue Cross of Idaho challenged all legislators to achieve this. As a result, Blue Cross of Idaho will donate $1000.00 dollars to the Valley School District. This year the program generated $47,000.00 dollars for public Idaho elementary schools.
