Latest news with #Bill497
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho House narrowly passes bill banning legislators from also holding certain local elected offices
Idaho Gov. Brad Little gives his annual State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025, on the House floor at the Statehouse in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) The Idaho House on Tuesday passed a bill to ban Idahoans elected to state or federal offices — including the Idaho Legislature — from simultaneously serving in elected city, school or highway district positions. House Bill 362, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, would automatically vacate local elected offices that officials hold when they swear into elected federal, statewide, or legislative offices. Several state legislators have served in local offices while in the Idaho Legislature, which is a part-time Legislature that typically only meets during the first few months of the year. Ehardt's bill is a modified version of a similar bill she brought last year, House Bill 497. That bill narrowly passed the House, by one vote, but did not advance in the Senate. The Idaho House passed the new bill on a wider 43-27 vote on Tuesday, after about 10 minutes of debate. Ehardt said she and several other lawmakers see the bill as addressing 'divided loyalty.' 'We really feel like if you're serving here, you should serve here,' Ehardt said. 'It also ends up creating a consolidation of power. And I don't think any of that's ever really good.' The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. To become law, Idaho bills must pass the House and Senate, and avoid the governor's veto. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Following concerns from the Idaho Association of Cities about the bill's impact on small communities, Ehardt told the House that the new bill offers several exceptions to the automatic vacancy trigger for officials from small communities, such as for elected positions in: Cities with less than 1,000 population; School districts with less than 500 students enrolled; and Highway districts 'located primarily' in a county with less than 10,000 population. If passed into law, the bill would take effect July 1, 2026. Rep. Rick Cheatum, R-Pocatello, serves on Pocatello City Council, and voted against the bill. Serving in both offices 'has been very advantageous for both the city and my service to the three counties that I serve to have the information and the knowledge that I've obtained in doing both jobs,' he told the House. 'This bill would not affect me, unless I seek re-election to City Council this next year. But I think it's wrong to carve out small cities and say 'It's OK,' and tell folks in bigger communities that 'It's not to serve both ways and give part of your life to your community,'' Cheatum said. Echoing concerns he raised in a committee hearing on the bill on Friday, Rep. Todd Achilles, D-Boise, argued the bill violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution by treating officials differently based on numbers for small communities that lack an 'empirical justification.' 'The thing that gives me the most pause with this bill — is that we're canceling a citizen's vote. We're overriding the votes of Idahoans who are voting in a school district, highway district or city council because of some arbitrary delineation of the size of those entities,' Achilles said. 'And what that means is that this Legislature is saying 'We know better than those voters.'' As she closed debate on her bill, Ehardt pushed back on that notion. 'There's no voter suppression here. What we're actually asking is that we, as with the rest of the options, if you look through that section, we eliminate the ability to serve in different areas all the time,' she said. 'For example, you cannot serve here — and I know it's a little more extreme, you can't serve here and also serve federally.' CONTACT US At least two current Idaho state lawmakers hold local elected offices that could be affected by the bill. Rep. Cheatum serves on Pocatello City Council. And Rep. Chris Bruce, R-Kuna, serves on the Kuna City Council. Ehardt was first appointed to the Idaho Legislature in December 2017, after she lost a runoff race for Idaho Falls mayor, Local News 8 reported, and as her first term on Idaho Falls City Council was coming to an end, East Idaho News reported. She won the 2018 general election for the Legislature and is in her fifth legislative term. Some current and former lawmakers resigned from local elected offices soon after winning state legislative seats. After being elected to the Idaho Legislature in November 2022, Rep. Dan Garner, R-Clifton, resigned from the West Side school board, the Preston Citizen newspaper reported. In November 2022, newly elected Rep. Josh Wheeler, R-Ammon, resigned from Ammon City Council — after being elected to the Legislature, East Idaho News reported. That same month, newly elected Sen. Treg Bernt, R-Meridian, resigned from the Meridian City Council after being elected to the Legislature, BoiseDev reported. In 2021, Bellevue Mayor Ned Burns was appointed to the Legislature as a Democrat, KIVI-TV reported. Former Rep. Burns resigned as mayor in January 2022, the Idaho Mountain Express newspaper reported. He lost his legislative seat in the November 2024 election. Some former lawmakers have also simultaneously held local elected offices while in the Idaho Legislature. Former Rep. Thyra Stevenson, a Lewiston Republican who died in 2020, served as a city councilor while in the Legislature. Former Sen. Dan Johnson, a Republican, served as Lewiston's mayor while in the Legislature. Former Rep. Colin Nash, D-Boise, had a substitute in the Idaho Legislature in 2024 while he served on the Boise City council. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hailing simple, positive measures in the General Assembly that can make a difference
Looking back at some less heralded but important bills. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Sometimes the best bills are straightforward and don't carry divisive baggage. That means they also don't get enough attention. So, I want to highlight some great legislation moving through the General Assembly. The first would eliminate a backlog of untested rape kits in Indiana by providing additional funding. This one is a no-brainer. The fact that women out there were raped, and the state just lets their case languish is frankly appalling. These women deserve justice and closure. House Bill 1413 would disperse $2.5 million to law enforcement agencies to process their backlog of untested rape kits, according to the Indianapolis Star. The money will pay for equipment that's sorely needed in the state's crime labs. The insufficient amount of equipment has led to the current six- to eight-month delay in testing, according to the bill's author, Rep. Becky Cash, R-Zionsville. The current proposed state budget includes the money, and my hope is the Senate agrees to keep it in. Also in the budget is a sales tax exemption for feminine hygiene products and adult diapers. The cost to state coffers is about $11 million but these are necessary items people need — just like food — and should not be taxed. And speaking of taxes, a newborn tax credit is a welcome move by lawmakers. Senate Bill 497, from Sen. Greg Walker, would provide a tax credit of up to $500 per newborn child. Eligible taxpayers would have an Indiana adjusted gross income at or below 720% of the federal poverty level. That is about $112,000 for a single person; about $152,000 for a family of two and about $231 for a family of four. A fiscal impact statement said each year, approximately 80,000 babies are born in Indiana, and around 3,000 adoptions are finalized. There are bills moving in both chambers that would exempt testing strips from drug paraphernalia statutes. Senate Bill 312 and House Bill 1167 both would allow Hoosiers to use items marketed to detect the presence of a drug or controlled substance, including field test kits and test strips. House Bill 1167's author, Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, said the strips can detect dangerous substances like fentanyl and xylazine. She said local health departments, nonprofit groups and others are distributing test strips to Hoosiers in active addiction, helping them avoid potentially lethal overdoses. Meltzer reintroduced the bill after it failed last year. This bill will save lives. Another bill would provide much-needed oversight on the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. CONTACT US Senate Bill 516 would require the quasi-public agency to tell local units of government about acquisitions of more than 100 acres — whether it's bought in one or multiple transactions — at least 30 days before those purchases close. This comes after the IEDC snapped up thousands of acres in Boone County for a massive innovation park before locals knew what was happening. The bill from Sen. Brian Buchanan also tasks the IEDC and the executives of communities that host innovation development districts — like one within LEAP — with annually compiling reports about the districts' activities over the last calendar year. The more transparent these projects, the more Hoosiers will be comfortable with them. And the last bill I will highlight is perhaps not one that is necessary but welcome — easing restrictions on wine delivery. Senate Bill 107 would allow Indiana's wine dealers to deliver wine directly to customers and would create an opportunity for gourmet wine businesses to deliver wine directly to a consumer's home or office. 'The luxury of convenience that was introduced as a necessity by the COVID-19 pandemic delivery services should be a luxury that is here to stay for customers and businesses alike,' said Sen. Ron Alting. 'SB 107 paves the way for wine dealers to deliver directly to customers, creating an equal chance for growth alongside liquor and beer vendors.' This list should show Hoosiers that most of the bills passed in the General Assembly are bipartisan in nature and helpful to Hoosiers. And I say cheers to that! SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
