Idaho Legislature shuffles committee posts, gears up for session…
Here’s a link to my full story at spokesman.com on the outcome of today’s organizational session of the Legislature, in which a reshuffling of key committee posts at the Idaho Legislature on Thursday brought 10 new members to the key panel that writes the state budget, a new Senate tax chairman, a new House education chair and more.
Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston, will take over the Senate tax committee from longtime Chairman Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, who earned a reputation for blocking tax-cut legislation out of concern over school funding. Siddoway will now chair the Senate State Affairs Committee, which tackles hot-button issues ranging from abortion, gun rights and discrimination to liquor and gambling.
“I assume there are a lot of people who are celebrating that I’m not tax chairman any more,” Siddoway said Thursday.
However, he said, “I have 100 percent confidence in Dan Johnson, who’s now going to chair the tax committee. I know that we have similar concerns.”
Johnson, a fourth-term senator, said, “It’s a big assignment – I’m looking forward to the challenge. We have a lot of work ahead of us.” He noted that Siddoway will be among other experienced members still serving on the panel.
The switch comes a day after Gov. Butch Otter told the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho that he’s not planning to propose any tax-relief legislation this year, and education will continue to be his top focus – but that he’ll consider tax-cut proposals from lawmakers if they make it through the Legislature.
“But we don’t believe, never have, that using tax policy to starve government is the right policy to have,” Otter said. “Tax policy should be ... based on what is needed.”
Siddoway said, “I have no wish to grow government, but if we’re going to hire people to run our schools and teach our kids, we’ve got to treat those people properly, and to do that, we’ve got to have the revenues available.”
Idaho is in the third year of its five-year plan to improve education; to continue it, lawmakers will need to cover a $58 million increase in funding for teacher pay next year to continue phasing in a new career ladder.
The panel that Siddoway will now chair previously was chaired by Sen. Curt McKenzie, who left the Senate to make an unsuccessful run for the Idaho Supreme Court.
