Legislation Makes State Pay For Its Mandates

The state Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation Thursday requiring the state to provide the money local governments will need to implement any state mandates in the future.

“Every time this Legislature acts, it costs money,” Republican Sen. Rod Beck of Boise told his colleagues. “The responsibility of this Legislature is to pay for those additional costs.”

The bill, which cleared the Senate 28-7, now goes to the House, where it also is expected to win approval.

The concept has the support of nearly all lawmakers, but the opposition focused on the way Beck’s proposal would be applied.

It cited an attorney general’s opinion indicating there could well be unintended consequences that essentially would tie the hands of lawmakers in addressing serious statewide policy issues.

Beck contended, however, that the kind of problems cited by critics are extreme.