Idaho is Too Great for Hate

February 29, 2020

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" --Martin Luther King, Jr.

 Too Great for Hate

This week the Senate passed S1297 establishing the Too Great for Hate license plate.  If it passes the House, the proceeds from this license plate will go to the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, which is the home of the only Anne Frank Memorial in the United States.  The Memorial receives over 120,000 visitors per year and displays the full Universal Declaration for Human Rights.  

Funds generated by the plate will support docent-led tours of the Memorial, costs of transportation for school field trips to the Memorial, annual training for Idaho teachers, and many other educational resources.  As Senator Buckner-Webb, the bill's sponsor, said on the Senate Floor, "The Too Great for Hate license plate stands as a testament to the Idaho we love, we serve, and have chosen for our homes."  Please let House members know that you support this plate.

Suppressing the Right to the Initiative

The Idaho Constitution provides the people the right to make laws for themselves through the initiative process.  Last session, the legislature passed legislation that would have severely restricted the people's ability to exercise this right.  There was an outpouring of public opposition and Governor Little vetoed that effort last session.  This session, S1350 requires petitioners to name a funding source with assistance from the executive branch's Division of Fiscal Management for a fiscal impact statement.

The fiscal impact statement must be attached when gathering signatures but "shall not" be part of the initiative and have no binding effect. The fiscal note and funding source identified by the initiative petitioners do not have to be accepted by the legislature which budgets state government.   In other words, the legislature is not bound, which makes such an effort futile and potentially confusing to voters.In summary, the petitioners must jump these hurdles only to potentially be disregarded by the legislature later, which is not truly transparent to the voters.  This bill requires additional obstacles for people to overcome in order to exercise their right to the initiative process.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving crashes made up 20 percent of all crashes in 2018 and were responsible for 21 percent of all fatalities.  Between 2016 and 2018, there were 116 distracted driving crashes involving death or injuries in Blaine, Camus, Gooding, and Lincoln Counties.  Seventy-three percent of Idahoans support legislation against the use of hand-held devices while driving.  This week the Senate passed S1314, a statewide hands-free law.  The bill has been sent to the House for its consideration.Daylight Savings TimeThe Senate passed S1267 which would put northern Idaho on Pacific daylight savings time throughout the year, but only if the State of Washington makes daylight savings time the permanent time for their state.  
The entire State of Idaho currently spends eight months of the year on daylight savings time.  States can remain on standard time at their discretion, but only the United States Congress can allow us to switch to permanent daylight savings time.  This bill would mean that northern Idaho and southern Idaho would be at the same time or no more than one hour apart, depending on the time of the year.  Other western states are looking at similar actions.
Legislative Mandates Impact Property Taxes, New Bill Raises Taxes
According to H409"s sponsor, his bill will raise property taxes. He is correct and it will also adversely impact counties. The Idaho Association of Counties has put out a document listing 33 services the legislature mandates counties perform:

• District and magistrate courts

• Juror pay and expenses

•  Administration of decedent's property

• Public defenders for all misdemeanors and felonies

• Coroner inquests

• Juvenile detention and probation

• County jails (including state inmates)

•  Noxious weed program

• County roads

• County fairs and fairgrounds

• County law libraries

• Agricultural extension services

• Public health districts

• Medical and non-medical indigent services

• Misdemeanor probation

• County sheriff

• Search and rescue

• Recordation of documents

• Prosecution of felonies and misdemeanors

• Burial/cremation of unclaimed corpses

• Solid waste disposal systems

• Emergency communications systems

• Out of district community college tuition

• Consolidated elections

• Seeding burned land

• Driver's licenses

• Motor vehicle licensing

• Assessing real and personal property

• Ruling on property tax appeals

• Collecting property taxes

Fees and state funds help pay for some of these functions, but they are all funded, at least in part, by property taxes.  These legislature-imposed mandates burden residential property, in particular.  Real relief can only come when this reality is  tackled with multiple policies.

ErrataI apologize for an error in my last newsletter.  The correct name of our wonderful college in Lewiston is Lewis-Clark State College, rather than Lewis and Clark.
Town HallsWe held our town hall in Fairfield and had a great turnout.  Thank you to all who attended and participated in our town halls across the district!

Sen. Michelle Stennett is the Senate Minority Leader. She represents Blaine, Camas, Gooding, and Lincoln counties in the Idaho State Legislature.

Respectfully,

Michelle