Dems offer substitute motion: Adopt governor’s revenue forecast for budget

As JFAC members debate their budget target for next year, Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, offered a substitute motion, to adopt the GOP governor’s forecast for state tax revenues for next year. “We think that the trends we see give us a reason for confidence in the progress that Idaho is making in an economic recovery.” She called the governor’s projection, for 5.78 percent growth over this year, or $2.7003 billion in state tax revenue, is a “realistic projection.”

Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, said, “We have kind of frozen state government in place. We’ve stopped hiring, we’ve stop replacing things, we’ve stopped building things. … This is having a really negative impact on our economy and our private sector. I worry a bit that our pessimism could put our economy at risk. … I am concerned that our pessimism could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said her view from North Idaho is different. “In the Panhandle, we are not seeing the growth and the rosy picture that is occurring in other places in the state,” she said. “The trends have been up and down. Our economy, at least in the rural areas of the state, is still suffering. We don’t have job opportunities. We’ve got a great number of Idahoans that have exhausted their unemployment benefits. … At this point in time it’s good to not be overly optimistic.”