House approved new version of transportation bonding bill

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) - The Idaho House has approved a new version of a transportation bonding bill.

House Bill 362 would shift 4.5% of Idaho's sales tax proceeds to road and bridge projects.

That's up from the current 1%.

This is a different from a bill approved last month by the House, House Bill 342.

In that bill, funds would be split 70-30 between ITD and local highway jurisdictions.

The new bill would give a fixed $80 million a year to ITD for bonding and local jurisdictions would split the remainder.

The bill's sponsor says this is a better bill.

"What this bill does is limit the bonding. In the last bill, that everyone voted for, bonding was unlimited, it could have went on forever, it could cost as much as possible," Rep. Joe Palmer said. "This bill actually limits it, so I think it's a better bill to limit the bonding and set in a statute in a way that make this state safer and takes care of our transportation."

Rexburg Representative Ron Nate voted against the bill saying he believes this type of borrowing is unconstitutional, even though he voted for the previous bill.

It now goes to the Senate.