The Senate has failed to override Gov. Butch Otter’s veto of SB 1057, which sought to make changes to the state’s annual salary survey that’s used for comparing state employee wages, among other changes; the vote was 16-19, far from the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto, and not even a simple majority.

Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, spoke out in favor of the override attempt. “I’ve been involved in the process that reviews salary study results, involved in helping make a recommendation with regards to that,” he told the Senate. “I’ve been a little frustrated over the years that the market always shows us 25, 30 percent behind market.” The state is required by law to compare salaries for similar jobs to market rates; its salaries in recent years have fallen fall short of those market rates. Guthrie said rather than follow that process, “I’ve pushed for a study to be done inside Idaho’s borders. This bill addresses that.” He added that he believes references to the Hay profile are addressed in rule, and “does not need to be in code.”

Sen. Jim Patrick R-Twin Falls, said as co-chair of the Legislatures’s Change in Employee Compensation Committee, he’s learned that lawmakers can request other information, “And that’s what we did this year. So I take this seriously, that maybe we should change some of the process of what we’re asking for. I vote no.”

Sen. Kelly Anthon, R-Burley, said, “There is an issue here that needs to be addressed. I’m not sure that overriding the veto is the best way to do that.” He, too, voted no.

The Senate made no attempt to override Otter’s other veto, of SB 1046, which sought to require state employees to be offered a state-funded Health Savings Account.