The House State Affairs Committee has voted 13-3 in favor of HB 387, to require community college trustees to run from designated zones. Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, said community colleges boards currently don’t provide enough representation to rural areas within their districts. Mark Browning, vice president of North Idaho College, told the panel the NIC board hasn’t met since the bill was introduced, so hasn’t had an opportunity to take a position on it. But he also noted that lawmakers represent multiple communities within their legislative districts, even though they only live in one of them.

Rep. John McCrostie, D-Boise, made a substitute motion to hold the bill until the community college boards could weigh in. “This whole discussion centers around making sure that everybody’s voice is heard at the table, that we’re getting adequate representation,” he said. “If the stakeholders haven’t been brought to the table, then it’s inappropriate for us to take a vote on the bill until they have been brought to the table.”

Rep. Gayle Batt, R-Wilder, countered that versions of this bill have been kicked around since 2010. “This is not a new issue,” she said. “This is something we’ve seen time and again. It’s just finally now we have a legislator who’s gotten the language right. The options are right. He has paid attention, he’s gone through my file, seen what the problems were last time.”

Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, said, “NIC, four of the five board members reside in Coeur d’Alene, one resides in Post Falls. CSI, four of the five board members reside in Twin Falls, one in Kimberly. CWI, three in Boise, one in Eagle, one in Nampa. So the maps themselves prove that we have a representation problem.” He said, “We do have some concerns. … The boards primarily are centered around large urban areas and the needs of those urban areas, and the individuals that are purporting what we need to have in those community colleges being taught is different than those out in the rural parts of Idaho.”

Those voting in favor of HB 387, sending it to the full House with a recommendation that it “do pass,” were Reps. McMillan, Bateman, Cheatham, Nielsen, Crane, Palmer, Sims, Holtzclaw, Loertscher, Batt, Andrus, Luker and Jordan. Those voting “no” were Reps. Smith, McCrostie and Wintrow.