Bills Signed By The Dozens, With One Veto

Gov. Phil Batt used his veto stamp for the second time this session on Monday, rejecting legislation giving counties the option of deferring property taxes for financially strapped elderly homeowners.

Batt cited technical problems with the bill, and urged advocates of such relief for senior citizens to work with the State Tax Commission to avoid the same problems in the future.

He vetoed a more liberal approach to the issue last year, maintaining it contained no guarantees that the relief would go only to those really needing it.

Earlier this month, the governor rejected legislation allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive during the dark after 6 a.m. and before 8 p.m., citing safety concerns.

But the veto of the optional property tax deferral was only one of more than 120 bills Batt took action on during the day, leaving only a handful of propositions still awaiting his disposition.

Among the major bills he signed was imposition of the state income tax beginning next year on lottery prizes of $600 and more. He took that action despite warnings from lottery officials that ticket sales could drop off significantly and the lost profits for state and school building construction could total more than the $300,000 the tax will generate.

Advocates of the tax maintained, however, that it seemed a matter of equity since the substantially higher federal tax is already collected.

Some opponents of the bill saw it as another attempt by longstanding lottery foes to undermine the success of the games that will generate an estimated $21 million for building maintenance and construction in the next year.

Also signed was the increase in the state minimum wage that will not only bring that basic hourly rate up to the federal level of $5.15 an hour on Sept. 1 but also maintains and increases the substantially higher state minimum wage for tipped employees like waiters and waitresses.

The federal tipped minimum has been $2.13 an hour since 1991, but Idaho’s has been $3.19 since then and will rise to $3.35 in September.