Bill would make milk state drink

If freshman Rep. Branden Durst has his way, milk will be designated as the official “state beverage of Idaho.”

Durst is co-sponsoring the bill to make milk Idaho’s official drink with Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, and he’s successfully gotten it introduced and has a full committee hearing scheduled for Monday.

The state can “lead by example” in persuading Idaho kids to make good health choices, said Durst, D-Boise. “They’re choosing between a can of soda and a glass of milk,” Durst said. “The state does care about choices kids are making.”

The new state symbol also would honor the dairy industry, Durst said, which has become one of Idaho’s leading agricultural industries. That’d be similar to the honoring of Idaho’s potato industry on the state’s license plates, he said.

Asked if there was anything else he wanted to say about his bill, HB 485, Durst said, “Drink your milk.”

Church volunteers: Correct ‘crucial flaw’

Volunteers from an array of churches and faith-based organizations were at the Capitol Annex this week, urging lawmakers to correct what they say is a “crucial flaw” in Idaho’s current grocery tax credit: That poor people are disqualified from receiving it.

Anyone who doesn’t make enough to have to file tax returns – that’s at least $17,500 for a married couple filing jointly – is ineligible for Idaho’s current grocery credit. Various proposals to expand the credit over the past year would have corrected that, but none have passed.

“This is the minimum they need to do on the grocery tax this year,” said Vivian Parrish of the Idaho Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger. “Nothing was done last year. We are very concerned that this is an unjust flaw in the grocery tax credit.”

Lake returns, wins on bill

When Rep. Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, suffered a stroke during a House debate a week ago, he was debating against a bill sponsored by his seatmate, Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, to shore up Idaho’s judges’ retirement system by creating a stabilization fund. On Monday, with Lake back in the House, Clark gave the closing debate that he’d started the previous Thursday, and the House voted – and the bill failed by one vote, 34-33. “That’s the first one he’s beat me on on the floor,” Clark said of his seatmate, recalling besting Lake similarly on a bill the two differed on back in 1999. “So we’re even.”

Clark said he’s worked on the measure for two years, but he was philosophical about the loss. “Big issues like that take time,” he said. “So we’ll come back next year.”

Conflict of interest questioned

The Senate has confirmed Mike Gwartney as Gov. Butch Otter’s administration director, but there were a handful of “no” votes. In an earlier committee vote, the one “no” vote came from Sen. Kate Kelly, D-Boise, an attorney who’s sponsored ethics legislation.

Kelly quizzed Gwartney at his confirmation hearing about his service on the Regence board, and whether that poses any conflict of interest. In Gwartney’s new position – for which he’s taking no salary – he’s proposed legislation to trim state employees’ state-paid health benefits.

Under questioning from Kelly, Gwartney told the panel he’s in the “waning months” of service on the Regence board, which he said oversees both Blue Shield and Blue Cross in a group of western states including Idaho. Kelly asked if his board service posed a conflict of interest. “Do I have a conflict position? Yes,” Gwartney responded. “If we bid that contract today … I think I would have to recuse myself.”

Blue Cross currently holds the contract for state employees’ health insurance.

Kelly also questioned Gwartney about why he’s not accepting a state salary. He cited three reasons: 1 – “The state’s been awfully good to me.” 2 – “I was head of the transition committee, and as such unfortunately had to terminate some people. … I didn’t want to be in a position of having to terminate somebody and I took their job.” 3 – His close relationship with longtime friend and business partner Otter. “If this thing was turned around, he would do the same thing for me.”

Kelly said the board service and lack of salary combined for her to raise questions of how accountable Gwartney is as a state official. But Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, said he liked the idea of a top state official not accepting a salary. “Perhaps we need a few more,” he said.

Kelly said, “I just have concerns about accountability, and the other concern is about the conflict of interest that I see with the Blue Shield board. The Department of Administration is extremely important, especially from a fiscal standpoint, and the head of the department has a lot of authority. I simply was not comfortable with this candidate.”