New Lawmakers Learned Lessons From The Art Of Lobbying To The Last Minute Frenzy, Session Held Surprises

When Rep. Carol Pietsch of Sandpoint needed to pry loose some legislation trapped in a Republican appropriations grudge, she headed to the supermarket.

The Democrat bought an apple for one Senator, and a peach - as in “Pietsch” - for another. A couple of notes, a little buttonholing other lawmakers, and the bill was saved.

That wasn’t the way Pietsch thought the Legislature worked, but the retired teacher learned fast.

She wasn’t alone. Of North Idaho’s 15 lawmakers at the Capitol, seven were freshmen this year. Most had surprises.

For Rep. Jeff Alltus, R-Coeur d’Alene, it was the frenzied pace as the Legislature neared the end of its 68-day session.

“You get a bill put in front of you which you’ve had no chance to read. You get 10 minutes, maybe, for debate, so you’re reading it and debating it at the same time. To me, that pollutes the process,” said Alltus.

He said he also learned about lobbying. He sponsored a bill to require 60 days of residency before counties will pick up the health tab for uninsured people hurt in accidents. Figuring the bill was obviously a good idea, Alltus assumed passage would be easy. He didn’t do much research or try to win votes in the hallways. The bill died in committee, and Alltus says he learned a lesson.

“That bill will pass next session, I’m pretty sure,” he said.

His seatmate, Rep. Tom Dorr, R-Post Falls, felt the process was often “frustratingly slow,” especially early in the session.

“There are times when that’s good - a lot of bad ideas don’t go very far,” he said. “Other times, it’s just frustrating.”

Dorr said he also realized that he’s only a small part of the legislative machine.

“I came in thinking that freshman perspective would affect a lot of people, and I realized it’s going to take a long time.”

Rep. Wayne Meyer, R-Rathdrum, felt the same way. The main thing he learned this session: that he still has a lot to learn.

Sen. Gordon Crow, R-Coeur d’Alene, said he didn’t realize the session would be so much work.

“The hours are much longer than I’d expected,” he said.

“You come down here as a freshman thinking you’ll get all this stuff done. You think it’s a greased rail,” Crow said. “But there’s a process you go through that allows for healthy debate, and some of your brilliant ideas fade under the full light of day.”

For instance, he said, he initially opposed taking some cigarette tax money away from drug abuse programs and putting it toward juvenile corrections. After hearing the testimony, he changed his mind.

Crow said he was also surprised by the camaraderie of often-opposing groups: Republicans, Democrats, staff, pages and the press.

“I guess it’s born of the fact we’re all going through the same process at the same time,” he said.