Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Bell motion passes unanimously

Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, right, said she'd like to hear more about the possibility of funding the Idaho State Police through a $1-a-month surcharge on car insurance, which would raise $19 million a year. At left is Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)
Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, right, said she'd like to hear more about the possibility of funding the Idaho State Police through a $1-a-month surcharge on car insurance, which would raise $19 million a year. At left is Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle. (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)

Rep. Maxine Bell's motion to delay the shift of gas tax funding away from the Idaho State Police for a year has passed unanimously, winning the 8-0 support of the joint legislative task force. Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, a retired state trooper, said, "I believe this is absolutely the right path to take. There's no question that down the road, the revenue stream (from gas taxes) is going to be less. ... It gives us an opportunity to look at alternative funding. We need to find alternative funding, there's no question. ... I think this gives us a great opportunity to do that." Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, said she was "intrigued" by the idea of a car insurance surcharge, which, at $1 a month, could raise $19 million a year. "If we're going to go ahead and delay this, I would like to have us shine some light on that," she said. "It would be a reasonable source of dedicated funding for ISP." Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, said he thought the split in some crime-related funding sources between local governments and the state also should be examined. Noted Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, "There's still an immediate need to appropriately fund the state police."



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.

Follow Betsy online: