Erica Curless

Riggs

Sen. Jack Riggs heaved a sigh of relief Thursday as the Senate passed his bill that would leave the fate of U.S. Highway 95 in the hands of Idaho voters. "I feel I got beat up a little bit, but not too bad," the Coeur d'Alene Republican said after the 23-11 vote.

Property tax caps are keeping 42 Idaho cities from providing basic services such as police enforcement and road maintenance. But the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee passed a bill Wednesday that would allow voters in cities such as Hauser, Dalton Garden and Clark Fork to approve up to a 4 percent increase in their property tax budget.

Balking at a Senate proposal to raise salaries for the governor and other statewide elected officials, a House panel passed its own version Wednesday. The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, would give seven state officials 3 percent annual salary increases between 1999 and 2002.

A House panel made sure Gloria's Steak House can't serve martinis when it killed a bill Wednesday that would have granted the Prichard restaurant a liquor license. The House State Affairs Committee rejected a bill by Rep. Larry Watson, D-Wallace, that would have helped businesses like Gloria's get licenses to serve hard liquor.

After eight hours of intense argument Tuesday, a law that would help stop minors from getting tobacco products was amended and approved by a House committee. Parents, retailers, tobacco companies and lawmakers reached a consensus that the measure's supporters insist does not water down the bill's intent.

State Treasurer Lydia Justice Edwards is collecting cash to preserve Idaho's history. Without debate, the House State Affairs Committee passed a bill Monday that would create a fund for donations given to the Governor's Idaho Lewis and Clark Committee.

Geography is hindering North Idaho schools from providing students with Internet access and other technology. Computers are becoming commonplace in Idaho's public schools. But no matter how much money the state stuffs into technology, the northern rural districts suffer because telephone companies aren't providing adequate service, said Debra Dirksen of the state Department of Education.

Not only is Rep. Don Pischner a lawmaker - he's a lawbreaker. Each time the Coeur d'Alene Republican hops on his motor bike to fetch the newspaper, he breaks the law that makes it illegal to operate an off-highway vehicle on a county road. A bill killed by a House panel Friday would have allowed local law enforcement to designate certain public roads for off-highway vehicle use. Pischner said he doubted the highway district would have designated the 1,400 feet of county road at the end of his driveway for such use.

The third time's a charm when it comes to passing school bond elections. And with that belief, a house panel killed a bill Thursday that would have made it easier for local districts to get cash for school buildings.

A good "beauty contest" is better than yanking the public's ability to elect Idaho judges, House members argued Wednesday. The House killed an attempt to change the way Idaho Supreme Court justices, district court judges and appeals court judges are selected.

Under scrutiny from competitors and organized labor, Boise Cascade Corp. withdrew a proposal Tuesday that would have allowed its Washington lumber mill to buy logs from Idaho's state lands. Boise Cascade lobbyist Roy Eiguren said the company may seek passage of the bill during the next legislative session.

The tobacco industry gained ground Tuesday in its fight to derail a bill that would make it tougher for minors to get tobacco. After two days of debate and attempts to kill the bill, the House State Affairs Committee settled on amending the legislation, which has sparked controversy this session.

Happy feet. Students at Garwood Elementary School dance Monday during an assembly celebrating the Read Across America program. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

Special interest groups are trying to gut Idaho's open record laws, defenders of the public's right to information say. Secrecy legislation is flooding the capitol this legislative session, with at least five bills tacking exemptions onto the open meetings and records laws. Three additional bills were proposed, but later withdrawn.

Rep. Larry Watson was awed Wednesday that lawmakers would rather dole out liquor licenses than let 19-year-olds run for the Legislature. "Not all 19-year-olds have purple hair and earrings in their noses," Watson said to counter arguments that young adults aren't mature enough for the Legislature. But the House State Affairs Committee refused to give Watson's bill a hearing.

Fox

Fans of Coeur d'Alene's Lake City High School Timberwolves sit stunned by a call as the basketball team lost a state tournament game Thursday in Nampa. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Calling the proposal "silly," a House panel killed a bill that would have put a $1 tax on the purchase of new tires to fund noxious weed control. "I have a problem with the leap from weeds to tires," Rep. Celia Gould, R-Buhl, said.

The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make it easier for patients to find background information on doctors, dentists and nurses. The bill would require health care providers to disclose background information, including criminal convictions, malpractice judgments and privilege suspensions to anyone interested.

Vying for Lincoln Logs and a Mr. Potato Head, lawmakers strained their brains Monday in the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce's mock game show "The Policy is Right." Correctly guessing that Idaho's recent welfare reforms have saved the state $15 million, Rep. Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, won the final round, beating out three senators, including Clyde Boatright, R-Rathdrum. About 60 people attended the chamber's annual mock game show, where lawmakers take the stage to guess the price tag of legislative decisions that affect North Idaho.

Old age has put kinks in the Idaho law that exempts nonprofit charitable organizations from property tax. The House Revenue and Taxation Committee approved a bill Monday that would create an interim committee to study the archaic law that provides property tax exemptions to charitable organizations and nonprofit hospitals.

Lawmakers want to make it more difficult for minors to buy tobacco, even if the state Department of Health and Welfare has to scrounge for money. The Senate State Affairs Committee on a 6-1 vote passed a bill that would require retailers to have a permit to sell tobacco and to keep all products behind the sales counter.

(From For the Record, February 14, 1998): Senator misidentified: Sen. Cecil Ingram, R-Boise, raised questions about the state not funding a $700,000 AIDS drug assistance program. The proponent was misidentified in an article in Friday's newspaper.