Democrats Give 1995 Legislature A C-Minus Gop’s ‘Constitutional Defense Fund’ Called A Slush Fund For Lawyers
The $1 million that Republicans dumped into a “slush fund” for lawyers in the legislative session could have funded 35 new Idaho teachers, 500 more school computers or 33,333 new school textbooks, Democrats say.
Democratic officials on Friday issued their assessment of the 1995 Idaho Legislature, and said the session graded at C-minus.
“Individually, you’re looking at a failing grade on topics such as workers’ compensation for farm workers and the performance of the state Department of Education in regards to the public schools budget,” Democratic Chairman Bill Mauk said at a news conference.
State Republican Chairman Randy Smith said it would have graded the session A-minus. He said the lawmakers should have approved a bill forbidding tax increases unless three-fifths of the members favored it, because that’s what the voters want.
Smith said Democrats didn’t get the message from the November general election, which resulted in a GOP landslide, that the people want less spending and taxes.
Mauk and Rep. Ken Robison, D-Boise, were critical of a bill pushed by the Republican leadership to create the “Constitutional Defense Fund,” with $1 million. Sponsors said it was intended to defend states’ rights, if necessary through lawsuits.
But the legislation also says the money can be used for any other purpose as decided by a panel of four Republican officials, leading Democrats to allege it was just a “slush fund” for Republican lawyers.
“Why couldn’t that million dollars be put to work for Idaho’s children through education and the building of adequate schools?” Robison asked. “This state should be worrying about the education and health of Idaho’s children, not some imaginary federal bogeyman.”
The Democrats said the GOP majority cut environmental protection and social programs important to people.
“There really was a slash-and-burn mental ity toward many of the social programs targeted at the most vulnerable sections of our state,” Robison said.
Mauk said new GOP Gov. Phil Batt didn’t do much to settle the controversy over Boise State University’s bid for a stand-alone engineering school in Boise. “There was lack of leadership from Phil Batt,” Mauk said.
“Before the next legislature convenes, we need some real leadership from the governor’s office on this issue,” he said.
The Democrats also downplayed a development that Republicans say was one of the most important accomplishments of the session, creation of the new Department of Juvenile Corrections to deal with young lawbreakers.
“They accomplished this, but again proved their overemphasis on punishment as opposed to prevention and rehabilitation,” the Democrats said. “If the Republicans put more effort into preventing crime, they might find they don’t need to spend so much time building detention centers and prisons.”
Smith said Batt had nothing to apologize for in his environmental record.
“If anything, he has taken heat from his own party in environmental affairs,” he said.