More questions on megaloads bill: ‘They’re not the ones who issue permits to themselves’

Hannah Brass, legislative director for the ACLU of Idaho, told the Senate Transportation Committee, “We are also concerned about HB 193. … We think it would chill public access to the courts.” The bill, Rep. Dick Harwood’s measure to stop lawsuits against megaloads or other proposed hauls on Idaho roads, is up for a hearing in the committee this afternoon; it’s drawn lots of questions and criticisms.

Brass noted problems in the bill, as well, responding to questions raised earlier by Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home. Corder said the bill targets lawsuits against the Idaho Transportation Department, but also seems to envision the business proposing the haul as a co-defendant in the lawsuit. “I fail to see how that business becomes a party to the action,” he said. Brass noted a similar concern in how the bill treats the business involved, when the lawsuit is over ITD’s issuance of a permit. “They’re not the ones who issue the permits to themselves,” she said.