On The Record

Highlights from the past week in the Idaho Legislature:

They said it

“I feel I made a terrible vote in 1987 and I’d like to redeem it.” - Rep. Jim Stoicheff, D-Sandpoint, on his earlier vote to allow dog racing in Idaho and his new bill to ban it.

“Representative Stoicheff, you’ve made a lot of bad votes over the years!” - Rep. Ron Crane, R-Caldwell, joking with Stoicheff.

Votes

Here are some of the votes taken this week:

Bad dog: A bill by Stoicheff to make dog racing illegal in Idaho after three years passed the House by a vote of 67-0.

$70,000 in one blow: Rep. Hilde Kellogg’s bill to give 14 Idaho tree farmers a $70,000 tax break passed in the House, 65-1. Only one of the farmers affected showed up to testify in the bill’s committee hearing. Rep. Bill Sali, R-Meridian, was the opposing vote.

Holistic: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee was split on whether to register practitioners of alternative medicine. The committee voted 5-4 to send the bill, proposed by Rep. Sali, to the Senate floor without recommendation. Voting in favor were Sen. Gordon Crow, R-Hayden and Sen. Mary Lou Reed, D-Coeur d’Alene. Sen. Clyde Boatright, R-Rathdrum, voted against.

To contact your legislator, call (800) 626-0471, e-mail infocntr@lso.state.id.us, or fax (208) 334-5397.

For information on the current status of legislation, those with a computer, a modem, and Internet access can look up http://www.state.id.us/legislat/legislat.html or search for keywords “Idaho Legislature.”

, DataTimes