Gov. Butch Otter's "Hire One Act," creating a new jobs tax credit bill, is up for a hearing this afternoon in the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee, and so far the senators, who killed an earlier job tax credit bill proposed by the Idaho Chamber Alliance, have had lots of sharp questions for state Labor Director Roger Madsen about how the bill would work, what it means, its costs, and its wording.  The credit is for jobs that include health benefits; Madsen was asked how many small employers offer benefits now, and he said the number is declining. But, he said, "I think this may incentivize them to reconsider."

Senators questioned how the bill's various mechanisms would work; for example, county unemployment rates may not be available at the time that the hire is made, and that's part of the criteria for determining which jobs qualify for the credit.