House Appropriations Chairwoman Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, pulled the budget bill for the Idaho Department of Insurance from the House floor today, after House members indicated they wouldn't pass it with $2.5 million in federal grants in it to allow the state to begin planning for its own health insurance exchange, because of opposition to the federal health care reform law. "It's been hanging for some days, and I could not find any buy-in on that federal money," Bell said. "Frankly, it's one of those cutting off your nose to spite your face affairs, because somebody's going to get that money. They're passing it out, and we couldn't see that there were any strings attached. Frankly, I kinda thought it was a rebate on money I just paid in taxes."

But, she said, "The last I heard I might have 28 votes, and frankly, there was nothing that would change their mind." Bell said, "That's new for me. I didn't like to do it. I don't think I've ever pulled a bill back. It makes me feel like a failure."

The bill, SB 1158, passed the Senate by a narrow 20-15 margin, but only after more than an hour of heated debate. "Dean was an hour saving it in the Senate," Bell said of her JFAC co-chairman, Senate Finance Chair Dean Cameron, R-Rupert. The joint budget committee now will have to write a new budget bill for the Department of Insurance; Bell said that should happen early next week.