The House State Affairs Committee this morning unexpectedly revived a bill it had killed a day earlier – HB 496, which calls for making the directors of the state departments of Transportation, Parks and Correction serve at the pleasure of the governor, rather than be appointed by the agency’s board.

The measure died yesterday in a series of tied votes. But Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, moved today to reconsider the bill. “They were all tie votes and there’s no final disposition on the bill, really,” said Chairman Tom Loertscher, “so it can be brought up again.”

Crane proposed to send the bill to the House’s amending order for unspecified amendments. His motion to reconsider the bill passed with just three “no” votes, from Reps. Giddings, Scott and Smith. But when he moved to send the measure to the full House for amendments, Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, offered a substitute motion – to hold it for a week instead. Luker said an Attorney General’s opinion is being requested on the bill, and he’d like to wait for that. Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, the bill’s sponsor, said he’ll get the opinion before the bill comes up in the House’s amending order.

Luker’s substitute motion failed on a 6-8 vote; Crane’s then passed on a voice vote with four recorded “no” votes from Reps. Barbieri, Smith, Giddings and Zito. So the bill will go to the amending order in the full House.