LEGISLATIVE REPORT – WEEK TEN

The end is near!

Budgets have been set and JFAC is done (Joint Finance Appropriations Committee).  This usually means that the legislature is winding down and there’s a couple more weeks left.  The target adjournment date of March 25th will be challenging.  For the trades, it can’t come soon enough.

Electrical Licensing

Senate Bill 1009 (the installer bill) remains tucked away in Chairman Patrick’s desk drawer.  That’s a perfectly good place for it, and we hope that’s where it will be when the legislature adjourns.

Senate Bill 1138, the bill we wrote to hasten the death of SB1009, remains in the amending orders in the Senate.  We have been told it may stay there. 

The most recent attack on licensing, House Bill 229, came out of the House Business Committee yesterday. 

The hearing was a mess, to say the least.  When it was first on the agenda, Monday, the Committee sent it to the floor without allowing any testimony. Many people had signed up to testify against it.  This was brought to the Chair’s attention, and he said he would bring the bill back on Wednesday to allow public testimony.

So, we all came back on Wednesday.  We all testified, in opposition.  Here’s a line up:

            Idaho Building Trades

            Idaho AFL-CIO

            Idaho Building Inspectors

            NECA

            Chairman of the Idaho Electrical Board

            Non union electrical contractor from Twin Falls

            IBEW Apprentice

            IBEW

In closing, the sponsor, Rep. Brent Crane (R, Nampa) went on a mini-rant about how oppressive and unfair it is to have to seek an exception to the ratio, as currently allowed, and how the Electrical Board wouldn’t do its job so he had the bring the bill for “a constituent” who just happens to be former Representative Steve Kren, owner of Stephen’s Electric.  Apparently, Stephen’s Electric has sought ratio exception several times, and got it every time.  In spite of that, several citations have been issued for being above ratio.

So.  Here’s a bill to benefit ONE contractor, who can’t be bothered to comply with the current law.   To make him happy, Rep. Crane is willing to blow up the entire industry.  And the House Business Committee went along with him. 

Rep. Berch (D, Boise) made a motion to hold the bill in Committee.  This would have killed it.  It lost on a voice vote.

The motion to send it to the floor passed, with only Rep. Berch having the courage to vote no.

Please take a minute and send Rep. Berch a thank you.  Nothing fancy, just a short and sweet thank you for standing with electricians on House Bill 229.

sberch@house.idaho.gov

DO THIS!

Here’s who voted to send this bill to the floor:

            Sage Dixon (R, Ponderay)  note:  he’s a licensed journeyman electrician

            Gayann Demordaunt (R, Boise)

            Gary Collins (R, Nampa)

            Brent Crane (R, Nampa)

            Vito Barbieri (R, Dalton Gardens)

            Thyra Stevenson (R, Nezperce)

            Randy Armstrong (R, Inkom)

            Lance Clow (R, Twin Falls)

            Jason Monks (R, Nampa)

            Kevin Andrus (R, Lava Hot Springs)

            Rod Furniss (R, Rigby)

            Tammy Nichols (R, Middleton)

            Jerald Raymond (R, Menan)

            Elaine Smith (D, Pocatello)

            Brooke Green (D, Boise)

Evictions

I wrote recently on a nasty bit of legislation that would allow for expedited evictions.  Fortunately, it failed on the House floor by two votes. 

Click Here for details about the Bill

Somebody else is about to be evicted.  State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth.

When the Statehouse was renovated several years ago, everyone agreed that when it was done the offices of many elected officials would be moved to make room for more legislative space.

Well, Julie Ellsworth doesn’t want to move.  She apparently likes her nice big office on the first floor and is staying put.

Here’s what the Republican Caucus has to say:

The Idaho House of Representatives is asking Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth to not stall a negotiated compromise set more than a decade ago in an effort to save taxpayers money during the remodel. During the Capitol renovation and restoration in 2008 Legislative leadership at the time and former Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter struck a deal to eliminate the expense of adding a second level in the underground wings, reducing its request of a needed 50,000 square feet of space down to 25,000 square feet. The negotiated compromise gave the Executive Branch control of the entire second floor and ceded the first, third and fourth to the Legislative Branch. (see Idaho Statute 67-1602).

Do you suppose they’ll just throw her stuff to the curb some weekend?

Federalism Committee

Every year, there’s another bright idea from legislators who claim to know the Constitution.  Except, they really don’t.

They’ve got nothing better to do with $15k of your tax dollars than to create a committee to sit around and fancy themselves to be constitutional scholars. 

Click Here for details about the Bill

You know, there’s a way for them to easily find out if a federal law violates the constitution.  They could ask the Idaho Attorney General.   Oh, but I forgot.  When they do that they don’t like the answers they get.  They know more than he does!

Should I send them all coffee mugs?

You Can’t Make this Stuff Up

It happens every year.  Another legislator with criminal charges.  This year, it’s Freshman Representative John Green (R, Post Falls).

Seems that he’s under federal indictment for conspiracy and tax fraud.    What’s really interesting is that he was one of the attorneys who represented former Representative Phil Hart, who was convicted of tax evasion and had a civil judgment for taking public property.  He built his home with lumber unlawfully harvested from public lands.  Karma got him and his home was seized and sold to pay his tax liability. 

Green holds Hart’s old seat.

Green, who is listed as an attorney in the Legislative Directory, had his license to practice law in Texas suspended for making “recklessly false statements” about a judge. 

Click Here to read article about Tax Evasion charges

As an added bonus, he likes to quote Hitler!

Yes indeed, these are the people that are making laws for the State of Idaho.    No doubt he wants a seat on the Federalism Committee. 

Sincerely,

Marty Durand

Piotrowski Durand, PLLC