Clark chairs first meeting - finally

Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, chaired his first committee meeting today – two months into the legislative session. That’s because the panel that he chairs, the House Ways & Means Committee, typically isn’t called into session until the speaker of the House wants to quickly push something through.

Today, Clark’s committee introduced two bills – one sponsored by House Assistant Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, and the Idaho Association of Counties, to address the burden of proof in property tax appeals, and one from House Health & Welfare Committee Chairwoman Sharon Block to start requiring co-payments for prescriptions for some Medicaid patients.

Clark said he lost a bet – he had figured his leadership-dominated committee wouldn’t meet until March 15.