After much debate, HB 109 has passed the House on a 41-28 vote; if the bill had been killed, 17,000 unemployed Idahoans would have been booted off their extended federal unemployment benefits over the next nine months. Rep. Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, the sponsor of HB 109 and the House tax committee chairman, said though some people may game the system, he has a place in his heart for those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. "I think this is legislation that we will pay dearly if we do not pass," he said.