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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

House Ways & Means introduces bills on taxes, Fish & Game

The House Ways & Means Committee met this afternoon and introduced two new bills: One combining Senate-passed SB 1195 to cut unemployment insurance tax rates for employers with an income tax rate cut of 1/10 of 1 percent on all brackets; and one, which won’t advance beyond being introduced, to require a warrant or consent before a Fish & Game officer can search a car, boat, camper, trailer or aircraft for evidence of Fish & Game violations. “The intent of this section is to preserve the presumption of privacy for all citizens,” the bill states; it amends a section of state law dealing with authority of Fish & Game officers to make inspections and searches when they have “probable cause to believe” they’ll find evidence of wildlife violations.

The first one was proposed by House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, and it matches amendments he had proposed yesterday to add to SB 1195, instead putting both provisions into a new bill. The second was proposed by Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, and House Speaker Scott Bedke. It was introduced on a party-line vote, with Democratic committee members dissenting.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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