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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

‘Game of chicken’

Reps. George Sayler, D-Coeur d'Alene, and Liz Chavez, D-Lewiston, participate in an open House Democratic caucus on Wednesday. Members said they were disappointed at House GOP leaders' plan to try to unilaterally adjourn the session. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Reps. George Sayler, D-Coeur d'Alene, and Liz Chavez, D-Lewiston, participate in an open House Democratic caucus on Wednesday. Members said they were disappointed at House GOP leaders' plan to try to unilaterally adjourn the session. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)

In their open caucus, House Democrats expressed some disappointment about the House plan to unilaterally adjourn today, and the cost and uncertainty posed by the gambit. "How long do they intend to keep playing this game of chicken?" asked Rep. Anne Pasley-Stuart, D-Boise. Meanwhile, the start of the GOP caucus was delayed while GOP leaders huddled with their committee chairmen to go over all outstanding bills and make sure loose ends are tied up for their planned adjournment; Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, paid a visit to Senate leaders for the same purpose.

Speaker Lawerence Denney said the GOP's closed-door caucus will be to discuss the meeting with the governor and see if the caucus is on board with plans to adjourn today, or if they have other ideas. Asked if they'll consider the governor's statements yesterday that he's willing to offer a time-delayed, economically-triggered gas tax increase as a compromise, Denney said, "We'll certainly give them the opportunity, but I don't know, I don't think so." Said Denney, "We're still at loggerheads on the gas tax. ... The governor absolutely wants a gas tax. The fact is that even if we wanted to agree, we couldn't get the votes."

The Senate, for its part, is preparing to go into its 14th Order and take up amendments to HB 303, a measure dealing with education funding.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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