Big flurry of new bill introductions ahead of deadline, from public defense to broadband to bee hives

If it seems like a particularly crazy day at the Legislature today with regard to bills being introduced – the House Judiciary Committee, for example, had 11 new bills on its agenda to introduce this afternoon, and the Senate Education Committee has eight – it is. First off, today is President’s Day, but the Legislature doesn’t take holidays during the session, so it’s business as usual here. Secondly, it’s the 36 ^th Day of the legislative session, which is the deadline for bill introductions in non-privileged committees in both houses.

The Senate plans to go back on the floor at 4 p.m. today solely for the purpose of reading all the newly introduced bills across the desk. The House doesn’t reconvene until morning, so it’ll read its newly introduced bills across the desk then. The new bills being introduced today range from major legislation on public defense reform, introduced in House Judiciary this afternoon; to a new version of Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll’s bill to allow counties to “declare a catastrophic public nuisance and request abatement from federal land management agencies.” That measure differs from her earlier version in that it removes all mention of state lands.

New bills were introduced in the Senate Education Committee this afternoon to implement the recommendations of an interim legislative committee on broadband services to Idaho schools. There are new elsewhere proposals on child exploitation, ethics, rape kits and more.

There’s even a bill about bears, bees and honey. Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, got legislation introduced in the Senate Resources Committee this afternoon adding the words “bees and bee hives” to the expendable depredation account. That existing law allows payments, through the Fish & Game Department, to property owners who suffer depredation when black bears, grizzly bears or mountain lions damage their livestock, berries or honey. Lee’s change would also allow compensation for damage to bees and hives.

The Senate and House rules that are prompting today’s flurry of bill introductions:

Senate Rule 11 says, “No bill shall be introduced after the twelfth legislative day except by one of the standing committees, and no bill shall be introduced after the thirty-sixth legislative day by any standing committee except the following committees, which shall not be bound by such rule: State Affairs, Finance, and Judiciary and Rules.

House Rule 24 says, “After the 20th day of any session, no bill shall be introduced except by committees and after the 36th day no bill shall be introduced except by the State Affairs Committee, the Appropriations Committee, the Education Committee, the Revenue and Taxation Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.” The House rule also allows the speaker to temporarily designate any standing committee as privileged when “essential to expedite the work of the House.”