After much debate, the Idaho Senate has resoundingly killed a proposal from Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, to cut off the $16.7 million that now flows from Idaho’s state highway fund to the Idaho State Police, shifting that money instead to roadwork. The money is 21.6 percent of ISP’s budget; the bill, SB 1230, didn’t identify a replacement funding source, but noted that if the funding were replaced, it’d cost the general fund $16.7 million.

Den Hartog told the Senate that the Idaho Constitution restricts the use of motor vehicle taxes and registration fees, which must be used “exclusively for the construction, repair, maintenance and traffic supervision of the public highways of the state.” She said the 5 percent of highway funds that go to ISP fall under the “traffic supervision” clause, but argued that the Idaho Transportation Department does much more traffic supervision than ISP.

“If we’re going to take the position that the only funds available for the maintenance and repairs of our roads and highways are road user fees, then I believe that all user fees collected from Idahoans should be dedicated to that purpose,” Den Hartog told the Senate. “Recognizing that there are many pressures on the general fund, I believe that public safety rises to the top of that list. If we cannot fully support state police through our general fund tax revenues, then I would argue that perhaps we are appropriating our general funds more toward wants than needs.”

She noted that when lawmakers voted last year to raise the gas tax from 25 cents a gallon to 32 cents a gallon to attack the state’s road and bridge maintenance shortfall, the additional 7 cents went all to roads, without a share going to ISP. Den Hartog said her bill would treat all 32 cents of the gas tax like that. Last year’s moves cut the state’s annual road and bridge maintenance shortfall from $262 million a year to about $165 million a year.

Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, said, “I think all of us in here want good roads, good highways. Certainly we took some steps last year to move that.” He said he thinks another bill will be successful this year, “we’ll call it the sand and gravel bill, that’s probably going to be successful and shift another $10 million out of general fund monies, away from our schools toward our highways.” He said, “I’m afraid that if we start pulling this dedicated fund away from our Idaho State Police, we’re going to end up regretting that.”

Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, said, “Remember, these troopers provide highway safety, forensics, drug busts, homicide investigations and much more. … This puts public safety in jeopardy. There’s no assurance that we can cover these losses with general fund dollars.”

Sen. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, said, “I don’t think it was an accident that we put in the Constitution that traffic supervision is one of the things that the fuel tax could be used for. … I think these are wise and these are prudent measures.”

Senate Transportation Chairman Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, said, “This is a policy question, it’s not a defunding the state police bill. State police will be funded. … It’s a matter of setting priorities.”

Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, told of the many accidents she sees on Idaho’s roads each day as she commutes to Boise, and seeing the Idaho State Police responding to them. “There are wrecks every single day,” she said. “These guys are risking their lives for the public every single day. There is a reason why … the Constitution stated that part of this money was for the traffic supervision of the public highways, to make sure that those highways are safe.” The money ISP would lose under the bill, she said, wouldn’t even fund one overpass, but it now funds much of ISP’s patrol operation.

The bill was killed on a 27-8 vote. The eight senators who supported it were Sens. Bayer, Brackett, DenHartog, Hagedorn, Harris, Nuxoll, Rice, and Vick.

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