Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, opened this morning’s Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee hearing with this comment: “Welcome everyone – we wish we weren’t here.” Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, responded, “The House concurs, Mr. Chairman – we wish we weren’t here either. But since we’re here, we can take care of some last-minute business.” Nonini then presented HB 655a, a measure to expand last year’s “STAR” financing mechanism, originally passed to finance a freeway interchange at a new Post Falls Cabela’s store through future sales taxes generated from the store, to make it more broadly usable statewide – including for a project to widen Eagle Road in Meridian. The bill narrowly cleared the committee, on a 4-3 vote.

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