WEEK THREE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Week of January 24 - 28, 2022
The third week of the Sixty-Sixth Idaho Legislature's Second Regular Session brought with it a mickle of new legislation and rule change proposals from committees – a change from the last two weeks. Legislators heard presentations from the Judiciary this week on the House and Senate floors. Agencies continue to present requests to JFAC for modifications, increases, and adjustments to their budgets. There are some consistent absences that have been observed amongst the legislature and staff that could be attributed to COVID, but the work continues.
With a record surplus and billions in federal funds flowing to the state, the Idaho Legislature is navigating through the difficult task of balancing fiscal responsibility, while strategically funding one-time and long-term priorities, and providing tax relief for Idahoans. Much of the work done so far focuses on appropriations and administrative changes pertaining to red tap reduction and zero-based regulation. While each session is both a budget and policy year in Idaho, budgets have been prioritized and policy changes that ease regulatory burdens are the ones advancing.
The largest tax cut bill in Idaho history continues on the fast track, having cleared the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee on Thursday afternoon – the Senate is expected to vote on this bill early next week. If it passes the Senate, this tax cut proposal would be the first bill of the session to make it to the Governor’s Desk and would set the tone for much of the other work to come this Session. While this bill’s journey was not normal, commitments from House and Senate Leadership to transportation, education, and even working on other tax policies and cuts remain the hot topics in the Capitol.
With the tax cut bill well on its way, leadership has turned their attention to other priorities as they seek a short session with large wins heading into a contentious election cycle. There are expected to be several bills introduced to address the property tax burden affecting many Idahoans. Transportation funding, workforce housing, broadband, education, teacher funding, wildfire mitigation costs, and many other policies are now working their way through the process.
The Idaho Supreme Court issued its decision on reapportionment (redistricting of legislative districts) on Thursday afternoon in a 5-0 vote. Several legislators have grown concerned about the state of their districts and what these changes mean for their political futures. Some have chosen to retire and want to get a few things done before they go, others are scrambling to show progress on issues and funding for their new districts. This has added a unique tone to an otherwise seemingly normal session.
As we enter the next phase of session, we will be watching closely and working hard to ensure your interests are protected and your policy needs are met. On occasion, we may look to you for quick responses on policies as they are being introduced or taken under consideration as the House and Senate floor sessions will continue to get longer, and committees will become increasingly more active.