Boise County debt bill passes House, 48-21

After much debate, the House has voted 48-21 in favor of HB 697, the latest Boise County bill. This one, unlike the previous one that failed in the House on a tied vote, requires a vote of the people before the county could bond to cover costs of a big legal judgment.

Rep. Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, called it a “difficult issue” and said it’s one of the toughest he’s worked on in the Legislature. He said he hopes the county’s voters can pull together and pass the measure. Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, was among those speaking out against the bill. “This was brought about by bad decisions, wrong decisions, by county commissioners,” he told the House. “I think they need to think long and hard before they make these decisions.” Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace, countered, “The good citizens of Boise County have got a problem, and the public officials have made bad decisions. But to continue to penalize the public officials that have stepped up now to try to solve these problems isn’t the way to go about it.”

The bill now moves to the Senate.