HB 102, the IRS conformity bill, has passed the Senate on a unanimous, 35-0 vote. The measure, which earlier passed the House on a unanimous 65-0 vote, now heads to the governor's desk. It would cost the state's coffers $20 million over two years, rather than the $70 million originally estimated. That's because it conforms to only some, not all, of the federal tax code changes. "This is a key component of us being able to balance our budget and determine how much money we have," said Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert. "I look forward to better economic times when we can fully conform without having such dire straits."

Sen. Joe Stegner, R-Lewiston, said, "If we don't conform to this, we are causing our citizens and the financial industry that supports the tax preparations in this state a tremendous amount of headache, because most people figure their income taxes and they start with their federal tax liability." Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, said, "By far the bulk of what we're doing is to make it easier for the citizens of Idaho to file their tax returns."