The House has voted 53-16 in favor of HB 193, Rep. Dick Harwood's bill to require anyone suing over a transportation project on Idaho roads to first post a bond equal to 5 percent of the insured value of the load. Harwood said his bill was prompted by the controversial hauling of giant megaloads of oil equipment on Highway 12, to which local residents and businesses along the route have objected.  "The emergency clause was put in there because we felt that there was going to be more lawsuits coming, and we felt that we needed to get this done before July 1st," Harwood told the House. Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, said the bill would block "frivolous lawsuits," and said, "We have a number of frivolous lawsuits now that cost our state money, that don't accomplish very much but delay our economic growth and viability."

Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, asked, "How are these individuals going to come up with the amount of money that is going to be necessary, which could be considerable amounts of money?" She said, "To me, it puts in place sort of a David and Goliath situation." Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, said, "I think the people that live on Highway 12 and the people that recreate on Highway 12, including the outfitters and guides, have a huge financial stake in this process. For that reason, I think there needs to be an open public process."  Jaquet also said Idaho needs to raise the fees it charges for permits for such loads, because current fees don't cover ITD's costs. In the 53-16 vote, all of the House's minority Democrats voted against the bill; they were joined by three Republicans, Reps. Tom Trail of Moscow, Leon Smith of Twin Falls, who is the House Transportation chairman, and Lynn Luker of Boise. The bill now moves to the Senate.