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Eye On Boise

HB 1 clears House committee on 12-5 vote

Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, speaks in committee. (AP / Otto Kitsinger)
Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, speaks in committee. (AP / Otto Kitsinger)

The House Judiciary Committee has voted 12-5 in favor of HB 1, with just Reps. McMillan, Sims, Cheatham, Nate and Scott dissenting. Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, said, “I will not be supporting this bill. Director Armstrong said this is all about efficiency, so that’s it. So we are throwing away our state sovereignty and due process for efficiency. That’s absurd. I will be voting against the bill.” She said, "I do believe these amendments we've added for protection of Idaho citizens ... are put there for cover for the four legislators to change their votes."

Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, interrupted. "I'm going to object to that," he said. "That's an aspersion on those of us who have been engaged in good faith to try to resolve an issue."

Luker said in his view, the amendments made the bill better. They’ve been out on the governor’s website for 10 days, he noted. “People have had a chance to review that.” Luker said he never intended to disrupt Idaho’s child support system. “This bill is not about disrupting the child support system and it never was – the only reason it was was because of the coercive effort by the federal government,” he said. Luker said he has “lingering concerns,” but will support the bill.

Scott said, "Unfortunately as soon as this treaty is ratified, those amendments don't mean squat."

Rep. John McCrostie, D-Boise, said, “This was a good bill a month ago. Whether or not it’s a better bill today is an argument I’m not going to enter into. I will still be supporting this bill because it’s a good bill.”

Rep. Ryan Kerby, R-New Plymouth, said, “I’m going to support this bill. My position really has not changed.  … I voted to table this bill so we could work on amendments and either get an extension or some kind of waiver from Health & Welfare, or worst case … have to come back here. People who know better have led the media believe that some of us voted to get rid of child support and that is unbelievably false.”



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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