Plans shift $50 million south
Highway bonding plans approved by a divided legislative budget committee Wednesday will shift $50 million from work on U.S. Highway 95 in North Idaho to freeway improvements in the Treasure Valley area of Southern Idaho. The plan totals $246 million, $18 million short of the governor’s original recommendation. Gov. Butch Otter agreed to the lower dollar figure in negotiations with lawmakers.
The plan, proposed by Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, spends the lion’s share of the next round of bonding on freeway improvements in southwest Idaho. Henderson said his proposal spends the money on work that’s ready to go.
The Idaho Transportation Department had planned to spend the $50 million on the Garwood-to-Sagle project, the congested section of U.S. 95 between Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint. That money originally was intended for an interchange that North Idaho lawmakers had objected to, but Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, had hoped the money instead could be used to speed up other aspects of the North Idaho project.
Senate acts on grocery tax
Standing up to the governor, the Idaho Senate voted unanimously Thursday to pass its amended version of the grocery tax credit increase, acknowledging that the governor may veto it. “We are the legislative branch, and we have a voice in this,” declared Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian. Otter’s press secretary, Jon Hanian, said, “He’ll take action when it gets to his desk.”
Earlier in the week, Otter said he still wants a means-tested credit that would cost the state about $22 million, not an across-the-board credit like the Senate-approved plan, which has an annual price of $32.6 million.
Within hours of the Senate’s unanimous vote, the House agreed by unanimous consent to concur in the Senate amendments to House Bill 81.
No benefits
The Idaho Senate on Monday overwhelmingly approved a plan to exclude illegal immigrants from most state benefits, despite concerns about unintended consequences.
Senate Bill 1157a would require people 18 or older to provide proof of legal residence before receiving any state benefits. The bill includes some exceptions, including emergency health care and prenatal care.