North Idaho senator calls some Valley legislators 'selfish' on road funding

A senior Senate Republican is critical of House members who voted to borrow another $82 million for road building this session but have withheld support for new revenue to protect existing highways.

Sen. Shawn Keough, a seven-term lawmaker from Sandpoint, is a vice-chairwoman of the budget committee and the senior member of the Senate Transportation Committee.

She is distributing her analysis of the House's three recorded votes on fuel tax increases and the reauthorization of Connecting Idaho bonds. Most of the $598 million in Connecting Idaho improvements has or will be spent in Ada and Canyon counties.

"I find it selfish, quite frankly," Keough said Thursday. "To take the position that I have mine but you all will suffer, I think is irresponsible."

Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, one of the House members singled out by Keough, said the Connecting Idaho borrowing is making up for the fact that the Valley's transportation needs have been historically shortchanged. The borrowing program is sometimes called GARVEE, for Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle bonds, which are backed by future federal highway aid to Idaho.

"GARVEE was one of the only ways that we were allowed to bring some of the money back to this area," Labrador said.

The 10 Valley lawmakers who voted for GARVEE but against fuel tax increases in three recorded votes are: Republicans Labrador of Eagle, Cliff Bayer of Boise, Gary Collins, Brent Crane and Steve Kren of Nampa, and Boise Democrats Sue Chew, Brian Cronin, Branden Durst, Bill Killen and Phylis King.

Durst said he opposed the tax increases because Republicans refuse to give local governments authority to ask voters for sales tax increases to pay for transit or other needs.

King said she drew a distinction between the ongoing road-debt plan and a tax increase. She echoed Labrador's argument that the Valley has about 40 percent of the population but receives only about 25 percent of the funds from the state's regular road-building pot.

Keough questioned the claim of House Republican leaders who say there is no way to find the 36 House votes necessary to pass a gas tax increase and end the second-longest session ever.

She notes that 40 of the 70 representatives voted for one of the three tax increases.

"The record shows they clearly have said yes," she said. "The question is how do we package something they like as a whole?"

House Assistant Republican Leader Scott Bedke of Oakley said those 40 votes can't be cobbled into a winning coalition.

"I have worked at the angles, I've disaggregated all the votes," he said. "The House has been emphatically clear."

Dan Popkey: 377-6438. Reporter Brian Murphy contributed.