Idaho’s 2015 key legislative topics

Idaho Senate Majority Leader, Bart Davis, said during the recession the education budget numbers weren’t ideal.

Davis said that this year, lawmakers’ primary focus is finding out how to put as much money as they can into higher and public education.

“(We want) to make sure our children get a thorough education and that it’s an equal education so that the children that are in our more rural, remote schools gain some of the same educational advantages that children that are going to a more populous school district can have,” Davis said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Brent Hill believes that there could also be some changes that would help larger businesses in Idaho.

Hill said that a few years ago, lawmakers eliminated the personal property tax on the first $100,000 of business property.

Now there is a move to eliminate the tax completely.

“Well, it would, of course, give them more money to go into profits which could then be spent for expanding their business, creating new jobs, and helping out the owners and the stockholders whatever that business is going to do with those extra funds,” Hill said.

Hill also said that there will be disscussions on transportation funding.

He said that having good infrastracture is important not only for the safety of Idahoans but for the economy as well.

Other topics that will be discussed are Medicaid expansion, government transparency and adding to Idaho’s Human Rights Act.