Batt Taking Demo Bills Personally

Outnumbered Senate Democrats unveiled their legislative agenda Wednesday, but Gov. Phil Batt hinted he might block all their bills if the Democrats don’t temper their criticism of his nuclear waste agreement.

“It hardly bodes for cooperation when they bring up something purely political to try to embarrass me,” Batt said in an interview Wednesday. “If they’re going to attack me on a baloney deal, a purely political deal, why should I cooperate with them? The question has merely been posed.”

The Democrats outlined five topics on which they’re pushing legislation, from a higher minimum wage to a measure calling for a statewide vote on the nuclear waste deal.

“We may be few, but we certainly are players,” said Sen. Mary Lou Reed, D-Coeur d’Alene. “We want people to know there are differences here.”

Batt last fall signed an agreement with the feds that allowed a limited number of additional nuclear waste shipments to come to Idaho. In exchange, the state will receive money, cleanup assistance, and a promise that all the waste will be removed by 2035.

Batt has blasted three bills introduced by Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, as “pure politics.” One declares that Batt’s deal with the feds on nuclear waste shipments is void without ratification by the Legislature. The second calls for rejection of the agreement. The third, which was endorsed by the entire caucus, calls for a voter referendum.

“None of this is meant personally at all. We are not out to get the governor,” said Reed, the assistant minority leader.

“The governor is very sensitive on this issue,” said Sen. Bruce Sweeney, D-Lewiston, the minority leader.

Stennett said it’s not a partisan issue. “A decision of this magnitude should be voted on by the people,” he said.

But Batt countered that the Democrats never moved against agreements former Gov. Cecil Andrus, a Democrat, made with the feds.

Batt hasn’t yet taken any action against the Democrats’ bills, and he did say he thought the disagreement probably would “work itself out.”

Reed said, “Clearly we don’t feel that it’s just a political deal.”

Though caucus members differ on the nuclear waste issue, she said, they are supporting Stennett because his questions need to be raised and “are valid for a minority to raise,” she said.

Sweeney said the top issue of the five for him is requiring worker’s compensation insurance for farm workers. That’s also one of Batt’s top priorities.

Though Democrats have introduced their own bill, they may back Batt’s version instead, Sweeney said. “I think he covers it in some cases a little better than we do.”

The Democrats’ other issues are:

Raising the minimum wage. Sen. Lin Whitworth, D-Inkom, has proposed a bill to raise the minimum to $6.25 by the year 2000. His bill, co-sponsored by all the other Democrats in the caucus but Stennett, also would delete references to tips in the minimum wage law.

Campaign reform. Reed has introduced legislation, co-sponsored by four of her fellow Democrats, that would outlaw campaign contributions by corporations in Idaho races. A similar law already exists at the federal level.

Education. Sen. Sue Reents, D-Boise, plans to re-introduce a bill that never got a hearing last year calling for an intensive (and expensive) reading program for any children who haven’t learned to read by the third grade. Reents said Democrats also are supporting proposals for state funding of school construction, which now is left to local property taxpayers.

Sen. Tim Tucker, D-Porthill, said the eight Democrats will do whatever they can to make sure their issues are heard.

Most of their bills were introduced before last Friday’s deadline for personal bills. After that date, a lawmaker would need a committee’s blessing to introduce a bill. There was no guarantee that Republican-dominated committees would even introduce the Democrats’ bills.

“I think you’ll find us small in numbers here but big in determination,” said Sen. Marguerite McLaughlin, D-Orofino.

Even if the Democrats’ bills fail this year, they’ll bring up important issues, McLaughlin said.

Said Reed, “There are a lot of good ideas that are now laws that started out as Democrats’ ideas.”

, DataTimes