Local legislators give a preview to the 2016 State Legislative Session
Transportation, water, education, energy, and taxes. These were the main topics that came up in a legislative forum put on by the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce. The semi-annual meeting provides a chance for local community and business leaders to learn what’s expected to be hot in the upcoming legislative session.
State Senators Steven Bair, Jim Guthrie attended the forum as well as Representatives Jeff Thompson, Julie Van Orden, and Neil Anderson. Each legislator discussed certain issues, and answered questions or concerns brought up by local leaders.
State Senator Steven Bair said arguably the most controversial issue facing Idaho in the near future could be water rights. Bair discussed how lawmakers are working on a compromise between the primary water rights of surface water holders, and the secondary rights of deep pump irrigation users and cities. He also spoke of the need to invest millions of dollars in water infrastructure to help recharge the aquifer and provide for future population needs.
State Representative Julie Van Orden discussed the recently passed education ladder bill and how the state will need to insure funding is available. “Along with the careerladder we had a piece in there for teacher evaluations,” said Van Orden. “I know there’s been some controversy about teacher evaluations, part of the career ladder, so I think we’re going to have some discussions about that.”
State Senator Jim Guthrie talked about the state’s finances. He focused on the transportation funding bill saying it will need another fix soon. Currently, tens of millions of dollars in transportation funding comes from the state’s surplus eliminator law. The law works by moving surplus money from the state’s general fund towards transportation. As of right now the law is set to expire in 2017. If that happens, the state’s transportation needs will fall short by millions of dollars and could cause a huge backlog in road construction and maintenance.
State Representative Anderson also discussed taxes. He spoke on the general mood to reduce the current income tax rate across Idaho in order to make the state more competitive for business and workers. Anderson said the biggest challenge will be reducing taxes without severely cutting funding for other services. Another issue Anderson discussed was how some want to change the way business bid for state business. “I think the discussion into how we change the the purchasing process will be a big discussion,” said Anderson. “There’s over a billion dollars of economic impact through contracts with the state of Idaho.”
Representative Jeff Thompson spoke about the state’s future energy needs. He said one of the big discussions coming up involves the so called “Dig Bill.” Right now homeowners are supposed to call 8-1-1 before they dig in their backyards. The federal government wants to create new rules and restrictions if people don’t call ahead of time and damage utility lines. “We can have a better plan in the state of Idaho instead of relying on the federal government,” said Thompson.
Idaho’s next legislative session will begin in January of 2016.
