A House panel has flatly refused to consider another way to give state employees a raise that was eliminated by legislative budget writers.

An Idaho Public Employees Association lobbyist tried to get the House Revenue and Taxation Committee on Friday to introduce a bill raising the state sales tax by 1 cent for a year. The money would have been earmarked for state employee pay raises and meeting the potential costs of flooding.

The proposal failed to get a single vote from committee members.

Gov. Phil Batt recommended raising state employees’ pay 2 percent, which would cost $8 million in general tax revenue. But the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted to eliminate the raise, fearing that the governor’s revenue estimate for the coming year was too optimistic and that Idaho will face big bills from flood damage.

, DataTimes