Scorecard: Education, Real ID

In her latest report on votes by North Idaho legislators, long-time Republican congressional aide Sandy Patano begins:

March Madness isn’t just for college basketball!  Activity in Boise has ramped up a bit, as the legislature scurries to adjourn before Easter. While there still are numerous bills to receive a hearing, others await committee action or a vote from the House or Senate.  This article will focus on legislation that has recently passed both legislative bodies including several key pieces of Governor Otter’s public education initiative:

• HB 513 – REAL ID Moratorium Repeal (as amended) Originally, there were a number of principled and practical concerns with REAL ID, so the Idaho Transportation Department set about improving Idaho drivers licenses to try and meet some requirements of REAL ID where possible.  Eventually, ITD found they could meet nearly all the REAL ID requirements without infringing upon the liberties of Idahoans…yet the ban on REAL ID compliance in Idaho remained.   After the legislature killed REAL ID compliance again last year, Idahoans were in jeopardy of losing their ability to board airline flights or enter federal facilities with their driver’s licenses.  The most recent action taken by Idaho lawmakers on an updated version of REAL ID (HB 513) lifts the moratorium and allows sanity to prevail.  Idaho’s compliance means you won’t have to obtain a passport to board domestic flights.  Still, a majority of North Idaho legislators opposed the bill.
• HB 357 – Education Tax Credit for STEM Education Fund (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Passed the House last month 66-4 and ear ned unanimous support from the Senate, now awaits the Governor’s signature.
• More here.