From The Legislature

Senators want vote on aid for schools

Two Republican senators on Wednesday called for an advisory vote this November on raising the state’s 5 percent sales tax with the extra cash financing public school buildings. Senate Education Chairman Gary Schroeder of Moscow and Sen. Moon Wheeler of American Falls offered the personal bill as another way of heading off a trial this spring on school district claims that the state has failed to meet its responsibility to provide students a safe place conducive to learning.

The advisory vote, similar to one held in 1998 on retention of term limits, would provide lawmakers a gauge of public sentiment toward a sales tax hike. It would still be up to the Legislature in 2001 to vote to raise the tax.

The proposal is an alternative to Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s plan to finance health and safety improvements in schools - estimated to cost as much as $50 million statewide - with bonds that would be repaid by the school districts.

Bighorn sheep plan gets budget writers’ goat

State legislators want to slow the progress of a proposal by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to reintroduce bighorn sheep to Cassia County.

That could hamper a fast-track plan to bring the trophy game animal back to the Albion Mountains next month.

Members of the budget-writing Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee said the Legislature’s resource committees should review the reintroduction plan before they look at the financial end of the proposal. JFAC voted Tuesday to recommend the resource panels take up the issue.

“The idea is to slow this down to get public comment on the whole thing,” said Republican Sen. Cecil Ingram of Boise.

The Idaho Wool Growers Association worries the wild sheep could transmit disease to domestic flocks.

Judges ask for salary boost

In her annual State of the Judiciary address to legislators, Chief Justice Linda Copple Trout called for approval of “our modest request for a salary increase,” a plan to sweeten judges’ retirement benefits and a pay rate for the part-time work of retired judges.

The judges want 5 percent pay raises that would cost the state $653,000. If approved, pay for the five Supreme Court justices would increase from $94,423 a year to $99,144, and district judge salaries would go up from $88,499 to $92,924. Legislators approved a 4 percent pay raise last year. The judges had asked for 7 percent.