Idaho Senate bill seeks to regulate knives, too

On a 25-10 vote, the Idaho Senate has endorsed legislation banning local government ordinances regulating the carrying or use of knives, despite an Idaho attorney general’s opinion that the measure conflicts with an existing law that says schools can regulate knives on campus and at school events.

Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, waved around a folding Buck knife during his debate for the bill, SB 1092, which he’s sponsoring. He said cities have varying local ordinances about knives. “Essentially what it says is that the state has primacy,” he said of the bill. “The state of Idaho has primacy over knives just like we do over guns, just like we do over so many other things.”

He said that should include schools. “Quite frankly, the state should have primacy over schools,” Heider said. “If we don’t want children, whatever age, if we make it junior high, if we make it grade school, whatever, the state should be the one that writes the laws relative to children or young people or adolescents or even adults who carry knives, when they can carry them, where they can carry them.”

Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, noted that the bill has no reference to schools; if it included provisions for schools, she could support it, she said. “Passage of this legislation would leave school districts in limbo,” she said.

Sen. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, said, “This could potentially impact school safety.”

All North Idaho senators, except Keough and Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, backed the bill, which is up for a House committee hearing Monday.

Community EMS bill passes

Legislation to allow communities to set up “Community Health EMS” systems passed the Senate unanimously late last week, on a 35-0 vote, and now heads to Gov. Butch Otter.

The bill, HB 153 from Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene, wouldn’t cost the state anything. Instead, it would give communities the option to set up systems in which paramedics could help people with emergencies without transporting them to hospitals, and still be reimbursed.

“The current reimbursement model actually creates an incentive for the paramedics to transport that individual to the hospital,” Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, told the Senate. “So for example, when they go to a home and find out that someone needs insulin or needs a little bit of help, in this model they can treat them at home, make sure they’re stable and then leave, whereas in our current model, they can’t get reimbursed unless they transport that person to the hospital.” She said, “This is a good model. It’s been piloted. … It doesn’t create any fiscal impact to the general fund.”

Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood, also spoke in favor of the bill. “This is a great concept,” she said. “I think this will be much more advantageous to cutting costs and helping our citizens.” The bill has six co-sponsors, including all three of the physicians who serve in the Idaho Legislature.

Out-of-state vehicle sales

The Idaho House has voted 39-31 in favor of HB 252a, legislation from Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, to change how Idaho treats its sales taxes on sales of vehicles to out-of-state purchasers.

It would collect up-front the portion of the tax that’s higher than what the purchaser would pay at home, and divert half of the collections to the state highway fund.

Rep. Kathy Sims, R-Coeur d’Alene, urged the House to reject the measure. She noted for the record that she is a car dealer.

“This bill is penny-wise and pound-foolish,” she said. “I urge you to vote ‘no’ and stop potential border wars.” She added, “The auto dealers association strongly opposes this legislation.”

Rep. Janet Trujillo, R-Idaho Falls, a co-sponsor of the bill, countered that the association backed the bill earlier.

Rep. Dan Rudolph, D-Lewiston, said, “Not only are the auto dealers in Idaho competitive, they’re smart.” If they sell a car in Idaho but deliver it to the purchaser in Washington, the sale still would be exempt from Idaho’s sales tax, he said. “So what we have done is require all of our border dealers to go through this unnecessary step.”

Rep. Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, said, “This creates a tax war in a commonly purchased item.” But the House narrowly supported the bill; it now moves to a Senate committee.