Senate takes up amendments to anti-Occupy bill

The Senate is now taking up amendments to HB 404, the anti-Occupy bill, which would forbid camping on most state property. The first one up is from Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, who said, "This is an amendment to try to avoid unintended consequences." The amendment would exempt "lands owned by the community colleges, public colleges or public universities of the state of Idaho" from the camping ban. Schmidt said without the amendment, the bill would forbid camping on university grounds, but the University of Idaho often wants to accommodate that, "often on summer weekends with soccer tournaments, swim meets ... people are allowed to come and camp on the property of the University of Idaho. I have spoken with officials at the University of Idaho; they are comfortable with this amendment," he said.
Schmidt's amendment was approved on a divided voice vote; up next is another from Schmidt and Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston, to remove the bill's emergency clause, plus one from Sens. Davis and Hill that would soften provisions about seizing property and make other changes. There are about 35 onlookers in the Senate gallery, many of them county commissioners who are in town for their midwinter convention.