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Plum panel plug pulled

The House had a little fun with HB 547, the measure to eliminate the state Prune Commission, which hasn’t met for at least two decades.

“A once thriving Idaho industry … has now shriveled up,” intoned Rep. Allen Andersen, D-Pocatello. “Please join me in a moment of silence, as we press the green button to de-commission the Idaho Prune Commission.”

When another representative asked, “Does that mean that this is going plumb out of existence?” the lawmakers cracked up. Just before the unanimous, 65-0 vote on the bill, Andersen told his House colleagues he’d drawn a “plum assignment.”

Incidentally, Webster’s defines “plum” as “something superior or very desirable; especially something desirable given in return for a (political) favor.”

* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "Eye On Boise." Read all stories from this blog