House Republicans reject reconsideration of Arts Commission budget, could delay end of session
The House, after its lunch recess, went straight to House Minority Leader John Rusche’s request to reconsider the 33-36 vote in which it killed SB 1368, the budget for the state Commission on the Arts. Rusche asked for unanimous consent for reconsideration, but there was an objection. He then moved to reconsider the vote. That motion failed, 31-36.
Now the House has moved on to start suspending rules and taking up the bills that are on its 2nd Reading Calendar, which has a half-dozen appropriation bills at the top. Most are passing by very large margins.
So what does this mean for the budget for the state Commission on the Arts? JFAC, which finished agency budget-setting this morning, will have to reconvene and pass a new budget bill. It could be almost identical to the defeated one – which earlier passed the Senate, 32-3. The new version would just have to have some small difference, even if it’s just $1.
The budget in question was what’s called a “maintenance of current operations” budget. Although it reflected a 3.1 percent increase in state general funds to $782,900, and $1.96 million in total funds, a 2.6 percent increase, the entire increase was due to the required change in employee compensation, employee benefit costs and 27th payroll period expenses.
The Arts Commission had requested one line item, for $50,000 for arts education project grants. JFAC didn’t grant the request.
Oddly, there was no debate on the original House vote to kill the Arts Commission budget. The 36 “no” votes included 29 Republicans and eight Democrats – a few of whom switched their vote to “no” at the last minute, enabling them to then call for reconsideration, having voted on the prevailing side.
But with 29 of the 56 House Republicans opposing the budget bill, the vote showed that House GOP leadership doesn’t have a majority of its own caucus in support of even a basic, maintenance-level budget bill – and raises questions about whether it can get the job of governing and wrapping up this year’s legislative session done without working with the minority Democrats. The minority is steamed that its ideas haven’t been considered this session; its members have introduced dozens of bills that haven’t been allowed hearings, instead being shunted to the leadership-controlled House Ways & Means Committee to die.
In the reconsideration vote, all 14 House Democrats voted yes, as did 17 Republicans. But 36 Republicans voted no.
The Legislature’s most basic job during its session each year is to pass a budget, as required by the Idaho Constitution. With the Arts Commission budget now twice-defeated in the House, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, which this morning had completed its schedule of agency budget-setting, will have to reconvene, set a new budget for the Commission on the Arts, and that bill will have to go back through both houses. It’s the kind of development that can extend the length of a legislative session.
House Assistant Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, said after today's session, "We support the arts fully. We believe that a new appropriation will come back to the House."
He said, "Our feeling was that we are consistently relied upon to keep the train running on the tracks," including in passing important budget bills. "Our goal isn't to be disruptive. Basically, we're committed to continuing to keep the train on the tracks. But when it comes to the 'arena of ideas,' that full hearings and up-or-down votes should be respected."
The "arena of ideas" is a concept GOP House Speaker Scott Bedke has discussed since he took office as speaker, saying he wanted all ideas to be aired and considered in the Statehouse. In January of 2014, Bedke, speaking to a crowd of more than 100 at the Andrus Center for Public Policy, said, “I view the Legislature as an arena of ideas, so if you bring an idea, then with very few exceptions … those ideas need to be heard, and then vote up or down on ‘em. And then if you lose, then bring a better idea next time. It’s not the end of the world. We’ve got to start this public dialogue on some of these issues.”
