Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, was carrying a bill on penalties for inattentive driving when House Majority Leader Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, interrupted him with this question: “Would this take care of the driving habits of the gentleman from (District) 1?”

Harwood responded, “I’m not sure anything would take care of the driving habits of the gentleman from 1.” Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, then jumped up to announce, “Just a point of clarification – that would be the gentleman from 1B.”

Rep. George Eskridge, the District 1B representative, leaned back in his chair with a grin. But once the bill, SB 1067, had passed on a 57-12 vote, House Speaker Bruce Newcomb offered an explanation for the comments. During a trip up north, he said, he and other members of leadership “had an occasion to ride with him, and we almost got run over by a semi truck.” Later, at a town meeting, Newcomb said, a local told him that any atheist new arrival to the area is “required to ride with George so he can get in touch with his personal savior.”

At that point, Eskridge stood, and declared, “I would remind the speaker that he and the passengers got there safely, and the logging truck was behind them – you can’t get run over by something that’s behind you.”

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