House Will Still Vote On Abortion

When a House committee spent a wrenching two hours debating a ban on so-called partial-birth abortions this week, its members didn’t know that the Idaho Attorney General’s office had issued an opinion the day before essentially declaring the bill unconstitutional.

Sponsor Rep. Dan Mader, R-Genesee, said he thinks the opinion has “no new information” and he’ll press ahead with a full House vote on the measure on Monday.

That puts representatives in a sticky situation. If they vote for the bill, they’re potentially violating their oath of office to support the Constitution, and setting the state up for a costly court battle over an unconstitutional law. If they vote against it, election opponents get the chance to brand them as supporters of partial-birth abortion.

“Somebody’s gonna go out and wave this in the air, and say, ‘See,”’ House Speaker Mike Simpson said. “It happens. It’s a reality.”

Simpson should know. He’s faced relentless attacks from state Sen. Stan Hawkins over his vote against the restrictive anti-abortion bill HB625 in 1990. Both men are running for Congress in the 2nd District. Although Simpson says he opposed the bill on constitutional grounds, Hawkins insists the vote means Simpson is pro-abortion.

“It’s a tough issue,” Simpson said. “People don’t want to be seen as voting for partial-birth abortions, if you will. They’ve seen how Stan has attacked me in misrepresenting my views on abortion because of HB625.”

So why was the new opinion kept quiet until two days after the House State Affairs Committee had voted 17-4 in favor of the partial-birth bill?

Sens. John Sandy, R-Hagerman, and Mel Richardson, R-Idaho Falls, who requested the opinion, both say it didn’t occur to them to share it with the House committee.

“This was a personal thing to John and I,” Richardson said.

Said Sandy, “This was for our information. … It’s quite obvious it looks to us like it’s unconstitutional. I guess I can’t speak for the House.”

The Attorney General’s office also didn’t bother to let the committee know. Deputy Attorney General Bill von Tagen said that’s because the new opinion is consistent with an earlier opinion the office released on all three proposed abortion bills.

Rep. Jim Stoicheff, D-Sandpoint, who voted for the bill, said, “The vote was pretty strong - I don’t know if it would have changed it at all.”

More scary stuff

Legislators sat transfixed in the hearing by the emotional, moving testimony they were hearing from a woman about her abortion. In that high-tension atmosphere, a small disruption seemed right in character.

A man who had arrived late crouched over a large, open leather briefcase on the floor near the speaker’s podium, fumbling with its contents. Suddenly and silently, a state police officer in a dark suit appeared and whisked the man out of the crowded hearing.

But the case didn’t contain a bomb or a bucket of blood. Actually, the man turned out to be a radio reporter who arrived late and wasn’t wearing his name badge.

And for my next question

Rep. Ron Crane, R-Caldwell, is known for pulling practical jokes, but Rep. Celia Gould, R-Buhl, pulled one over on him when she called him on the House floor and identified herself as Betsy Russell of The Spokesman-Review.

Crane’s first question: “How did you get my number?”

Gould responded that she was looking into reports Crane had illegally used his House phone for campaign use - and that’s when he saw her merriment as she sat with her phone, right across from him on the House floor.

Is Rep. 007 shaken? Stirred?

No comment from these quarters on the report that certain Boise women claim Rep. Don Pischner, R-Coeur d’Alene, is a dead ringer for Sean Connery.

, DataTimes MEMO: North-South Notes runs every other Saturday. To reach Betsy Z. Russell, call 336-2854, fax to 336-0021, or e-mail to bzrussell@rmci.net.

This sidebar appeared with the story: ON THE RECORD Highlights from the past week in the Idaho Legislature

They said it “This does not pertain to Jim Clark. I’m a Gucci-wearing, silk suit-wearing management consultant,” Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, said reminding the House that a bill giving property tax relief to disabled veterans would apply only to low-income residents.

Votes Here’s how North Idaho lawmakers voted in the past week: Abortion: Members of the House State Affairs Committee passed two abortion bills this week. House Bill 576 would ban so-called partial birth abortions. Voting yes were Reps. Jeff Alltus, R-Hayden, and Jim Stoicheff, D-Sandpoint. Voting no was Rep. June Judd, D-St. Maries. House Bill 610, sponsored by the Idaho Family Forum, would overhaul Idaho’s abortion law and add more restrictions. Voting yes were Alltus and Stoicheff. Judd voted no. Sex offenders: The Senate passed 32-2 a bill that would provide easier access to information on the statewide sex offender registration list. Senators voting yes were Clyde Boatright, R-Rathdrum; Gordon Crow, R-Hayden; Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint; and Jack Riggs, R-Coeur d’ Alene. Sen. Marguerite McLaughlin was absent.