Betsy Z. Russell

The legislative session that closed last week was an anti-environment session that favored business interests over the public interest, the Idaho Conservation League said Tuesday. "We think this year's Legislature and the governor are the most anti-environment combination in the West," said ICL's Mike Medberry.

Idaho became the fourth state in the nation to ban dog racing as Gov. Phil Batt signed a ban into law Monday. Washington is poised to become the fifth. Legislation banning dog racing in that state is awaiting action by Gov. Mike Lowry.

North Idaho interests fought hard this year to win legislative approval of a bill to allow Kootenai County voters to decide whether to change their tax system - but the bill still faces a major hurdle. Gov. Phil Batt, within the next few days, could sign the bill into law, veto it, or let it become law without his signature.

Idahoans will see higher speed limits, more protection for farm workers who suffer on-the-job injuries, a new kind of welfare system and a statewide road-repair program funded by higher gas taxes. Fast-growing North Idaho cities will, for the first time, be able to tap new development to help pay its service costs through impact fees.

Idaho is poised to move ahead with welfare reform, whether or not the federal government acts. Five of the eight bills that made up Gov. Phil Batt's welfare reform package passed the Legislature this session. Three already have been signed into law, and the other two are likely to be signed within a week.

Gov. Phil Batt on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have registered practitioners of alternate medicine like acupuncturists, herbalists and naturopaths. The Senate attempted to override the veto, but was only able to summon 15 of the necessary 24 votes. "It's a difficult subject to regulate," Batt said. "Maybe they can come back with something better." In his veto message, Batt wrote, "Depending on one's point of view, this bill either goes too far or does not go far enough." Supporters of the bill argued on the Senate floor Thursday that a third of Idahoans use alternate forms of health care, which Idaho now doesn't regulate at all. Referring to acupuncturists, Sen. Mel Richardson, R-Idaho Falls, said, "They don't know which ones have been trained, and which ones bought a set of needles." The bill would have required acupuncturists, herbal therapists, naturopaths, homeopaths and massage therapists to register with the state and disclose their training. Their registration could be revoked for practicing outside their area of training. But opponents said that didn't go far enough to protect the public. In the vote to override the veto, North Idaho Sens. Gordon Crow, R-Hayden; Mary Lou Reed, D-Coeur d'Alene, and Tim Tucker, D-Porthill, voted yes. Opposing the override attempt were Sens. Clyde Boatright, R-Rathdrum, and Marguerite McLaughlin, D-Orofino. The Senate also failed Thursday to override another veto, this one of a bill by Sen. Clint Stennett to allow counties to grant disabled or elderly people an additional property tax exemption. That bill, like the other one, had easily passed both houses of the Legislature. Stennett, D-Ketchum, contended that the governor's veto was retribution for Stennett's outspoken opposition to Batt's deal with the federal government on nuclear waste.

Rep. Hilde Kellogg admitted defeat Thursday, and withdrew a bill calling for a statewide vote on a $300 million bond issue to repair Highway 95 from Canada to Oregon. But she urged lawmakers to continue to look at such innovative proposals for fixing Idaho's pressing problems, and noted that Idaho desperately needs to improve its major north-south route, on which 114 people died in traffic accidents between 1990 and 1994. "I do want to take just a moment to remember the people that have died on that highway," Kellogg told the state House. "There were many of them that I knew."

Candidates like having their names appear first on the ballot. Kootenai County Clerk Dan English was bucking that desire when he lobbied for legislation to end the expensive, error-prone process of rotating candidates' names on ballots so each one gets to be first.

Legislation to regulate personal watercraft passed the Senate on Wednesday, only an hour after the same chamber had rejected the bill by one vote. But when the Senate reconsidered the bill, it passed 19-15.

Christian conservative groups rallied outside the state Capitol Tuesday to celebrate their impact on the Idaho Legislature this year. None of the bills pushed by the groups, however, has passed.

The owner of "The Point" at Hauser Lake is offering to give the tip of the peninsula to the state for permanent public access. "We'd just like to get it settled, because it's been 3-1/2 years," said Garth Everett.

With Kootenai County's state senators united behind it, the county's special resort tax proposal passed the Senate Tuesday on a 23-10 vote. The measure, sought by Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and Kootenai County, allows the county's voters, by at least a 60 percent vote, to approve a local-option sales tax. At least half the proceeds would go to property tax relief.

In a room filled with grim-faced police officers and Mothers Against Drunk Driving members, a Senate committee Monday killed a bill to toughen Idaho's drunken driving standard. The measure, which would have lowered the standard from .10 percent blood alcohol to .08, was opposed by lobbyists for beer and wine dealers and bars. It had earlier passed the House.

The state Transportation Board will decide which roads get which speed limits. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Lawmakers gave final approval Monday to legislation requiring cities, counties and the state to pay billboard owners for their lost income if they require a billboard sign to be removed. Despite protests that the bill would make taxpayers pay millions of dollars for signs if a road has to be widened, the measure passed the House on a 60-9 vote. It had earlier passed the Senate, and now goes to the governor.

Rep. Jim Stoicheff went after a timber industry-written bill Friday that he said would unintentionally open up Priest and Payette lakes to hydropower dams. Stoicheff's impassioned argument swayed a third of the House, but the bill still passed. Under heavy timber lobbying, it already had passed the Senate, and now goes to the governor.

Kootenai County's "resort county" tax legislation cleared its toughest hurdle so far on Wednesday, winning over a Senate committee. The bill appeared dead following a tied committee vote, but less than an hour later was revived and sent to the full Senate for minor amendments.

So many Idahoans are using unconventional forms of medicine, like acupuncture and herbal therapy, the state should start regulating the practices, lawmakers declared Wednesday. The House overwhelmingly gave final legislative approval to a bill to register acupuncturists, homeopaths, naturopaths, massage therapists and herbal therapists. The bill, which already passed the Senate, now goes to the governor. Practitioners sought the registration requirement, saying Idaho now has no way to stop unscrupulous practitioners.

The Clark House sits on the shore of Hayden Lake. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

By just one vote, the Senate on Monday passed legislation that forces owners of newly built homes to wait two years to qualify for a homeowner's tax exemption. Supporters said it was the last chance this legislative session to pass something to make growth in fast-growing communities help pay for itself. The bill now goes to the House.

State Health and Welfare workers have had rocks thrown at their cars. They've been threatened, heckled, harassed - even shot at, department official Joyce McRoberts told a House committee Monday. That's why the department has asked the Legislature to free it from a requirement that all its cars be labeled with logos on the doors.

Kootenai County voters need the option of shifting part of their property taxes onto the sales tax, Post Falls Mayor Jim Hammond and county Commissioner Bob Macdonald told a Senate committee Monday. "I hope you'll give us that opportunity," Hammond said. "We need this type of tool, this opportunity to take local issues on and deal with them if that's what the people want," said Macdonald.

California's giant E&J; Gallo Winery would get a 30-cent-a-gallon tax break on its hard cider under legislation being pushed by Orofino Rep. Chuck Cuddy. The bill would classify Gallo's new hard apple cider as beer, rather than wine, even though its alcohol content puts it in the wine category.

Kootenai County taxpayers would get a $2.5 million property tax break under a bill passed by the House Thursday over the objections of Rep. Tom Dorr. The measure would replace some of the property taxes that Kootenai, Jerome and Twin Falls county taxpayers pay for Idaho's two community colleges. It would shift $5 million from liquor profits that now go to the state general fund to the community colleges.