MAKE CALLS AND SEND EMAILS TODAY to members of the Idaho State House! Tell them this is a bad bill that will cripple cities and counties.
H409, Rep. Mike Moyle’s (R-Star) bill, which creates a property tax budget freeze for the upcoming fiscal year, has moved forward to the House Floor following a vote in the House Revenue and Tax Committee with a “Do Pass” recommendation. City and County services are funded in large party by property tax revenue and the freeze to local budgets will have direct impact to local governments’ ability to deliver services, including emergency services, as noted by Rep. Lauren Necochea (D-Boise). Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane testified against the bill, describing the outsized burden residential property owners are bearing compared to commercial property owners; McGrane said that making changes to the homeowner’s exemption and circuit-breaker property tax break would provide better relief.
And some good news! The Idaho Senate’s Education Committee unanimously approved all of our public school standards for math, science and other subjects, as well as certification and other professional standards for teachers. This reasoned move nullified the House Education Committee’s rejection last week of all the same standards. As Rep. Muffy Davis (D-Hailey) explains in detail in her weekly video update, these standards are administrative rules. The legislature failed to reauthorize all of the state’s administrative rules at the end of the 2019 session, triggering a full review for every rule this session. Luckily, Idaho’s approval for state administrative rules can come from just one legislative body.
The House State Affairs Committee will hear a proposed bill on citizen initiatives, petitions and signature gathering. Stay tuned!
