The Legislature returned to Boise last week in the shadow of Gov. Butch Otter's stop-work order on Statehouse renovation — and left without the issue being resolved.
Lawmakers still managed to make some big decisions in the second week of the session: A House committee approved a proposal to raise the cap on the state's "rainy-day fund" to 8 percent from 5 percent, and the Senate Education Committee approved a new, pared-down version of the state Board of Education's plan to increase high school math and science requirements.
Legislators also put one big decision off. The committee on worker pay delayed its vote on Otter's proposed 5 percent raise for all state workers.
Committee members said they didn't have enough information to consider his plan, which would also make state workers pay for any insurance cost increases next year.
Most committees moved slowly this week, with lots of review of rules for the two dozen new lawmakers trying to catch up. Committees held information sessions on issues like building safety, child-care licensing, sales taxes, cigarette taxes, hotel taxes, wine taxes, property taxes and trucking fees.
The Joint-Finance Appropriations Committee dove into health-care hearings. Committee co-chairwoman Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, said the committee worked hard to move slowly through the budgets.
Luckily, the Legislature had lots of visitors this week to keep company.
Roughly 100 volunteers from the Idaho Community Action Network were at the Statehouse on Monday to encourage lawmakers to increase Idaho's minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from $5.15 an hour.
On Wednesday, dozens of Idaho businesses set up booths for visitors to sample their wares in the annual Buy Idaho Day.
On Thursday, more than 100 Idaho nonprofits took over, lobbying the Legislature on behalf of their causes and attending workshops set up by the Idaho Nonprofit Development Center.
Throughout the week, legislative leaders and Otter met to try to work out their differences over the $130 million Capitol proposal.
Otter complained during the campaign about the $40-million-plus underground-wings proposal that is part of the project. Lawmakers hoped he would drop the issue once he got to the Statehouse. He didn't.
Legislative leaders pleaded their case on Friday, laying out the history behind last year's wings decision and the costs and drawbacks of some of the other options, like legislative use of the Borah Post Office and the old Ada County Courthouse, both nearby.
Otter listened, but he didn't give any indication what he might do.
