Struggle over bill hearings stalls Idaho House

The Idaho House came to a brief halt after a handful of Republican lawmakers attempted to upend the process used to determine which bills advance inside the state Capitol.

The 20-minute delay on Monday is part of an ongoing struggle between lawmakers unhappy their bills are being blocked and legislative leadership who counter they’re protecting a system that has been in place for decades.

The fight began when Rep. Christy Zito, a Republican from Hammett, asked House members to pull a personal bill from the House Ways and Means Committee so it could receive a full hearing.

In Idaho, lawmakers can introduce legislation by filing a personal bill -where they almost always die due to a lack of hearing – or by introducing bills through a legislative committee.

Just nine other lawmakers out of the 70 House representatives voted with Zito.