[Vision2020] legislative report

[Shirley Ringo]

Visionaries:
 

                             Legislative Report

March 9, 2010

Today the budget committee set the budget for Educational Public Broadcasting.  Unfortunately, there was an overall decrease in spending of 8.3% compared to fiscal year 2010.  The good news is that the budget committee made no move to phase out public funding.  The Education Committees would appropriately consider an issue such as that, but there is no indication that there are discussions of that nature.

The appropriation for colleges and universities was especially disappointing - especially considering their role in helping a struggling economy to recover.  Support from general state funds will be decreased by 14.1% from fiscal year 2010.  About $4.3 million from stimulus funds will boost this budget somewhat, so the overall reduction for FY 2011 will be 7.8%.  My motion to increase spending for colleges and universities failed on a vote along party lines.

The community college budget will be reduced by 12.6%.

Health and Welfare budgets continue to be underfunded, especially in view of the likelihood of increased caseload.  Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention is cut 15.6%, the Mental Health Services budget will be down 6.5%, and it is recognized that we underfunded the budget for Medically Indigent Health Care.  When the legislature convenes in January, it will be necessary to find more funding for that program.

Some individuals are making extraordinary efforts to provide services with slim resources.  For example, the Board of Tax Appeals is leaving one of six positions vacant.  The three board members are working over 75 days per year and are paid for fewer than 50 days.  They cannot possibly make their May deadline for writing decisions, but will make every effort to finish them during May so that counties will have the resolutions on appeals in time.  Moscow's Linda Pike is a board member.

All of these budgets must be approved by both House and Senate.

HB 391a, the Idaho Health Freedom Act, to ban Idaho's enforcement of any federal requirement for purchase of passed the Senate today by a vote of 24-10.  The "Firearms Freedom" bill, HB 589, is a move to make guns and ammunition manufactured in Idaho exempt from all federal laws and regulations.  This bill passed in the House, 52-17.  This despite an attorney general's opinion that the legislation is "likely unconstitutional."  The vote was almost along party lines, with one Democrat voting in favor.

At the beginning of this legislative session, Governor Butch Otter announced a phase-out of general funds for certain agencies that, he explained, weren't the proper role of state government to fund.  These included Idaho Public Broadcasting, the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Idaho Council for the Developmentally Disabled, and others.  Later, he explained that he threatened this action to get the attention of those who were not being cooperative in reducing their budgets.  His most recent action is to include these in a list of choices for donations on state income tax forms.  There will be temporary increases in the existing income tax credit for donations to help them cope with recent budget reductions.  This is House Bill 630.  It is estimated that the legislation will bring an additional $10 million in donations, at a cost of $5 million.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you.  

Representative Shirley Ringo

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20100310/f6e0ee85/attachment.html