Highlights from 02-18-2013

ENDANGERED SPECIES

Committee backs bill to give state more say

A bill giving Idaho more decision-making power over endangered species is headed to the full Senate for a vote.

The Senate Resources and Environment Committee voted Monday for legislation that would give the state final say on whether an endangered plant or animal is reintroduced into the state. Current law already requires the legislature to approve reintroducing rare species.

Rogerson Republican Sen. Bert Brackett said the measure will help state to manage wildlife.

But Ketchum Democrat Sen. Michelle Stennett questioned whether the bill would have any teeth when matched against federal authority. She says the state could ultimately lose money arguing the question with the federal government in the courts.

Brackett said he thought those questions could instead be resolved through an administrative appeals process.

The Associated Press

TEEN HEALTH

Bill would allow doctors to order protective custody

The House Health and Welfare Committee voted Monday to debate a measure that would allow medical practitioners to hospitalize mentally ill juveniles for up to 24 hours. Under existing statute, only law enforcement officials can detain potentially teens.

Idaho Medical Association Lobbyist Ken McClure said the bill puts provisions dealing with young people in line with a similar state law covering mentally ill adults.

McClure said the measure is designed to protect teenagers and those around them from imminent harm. He said the proposal would also give health providers more tools to deal with an emergency.

The Associated Press

COUNTY ASSESSMENTS

Panel: Bad idea to tax Indian tribal land in Idaho

The House Revenue and Taxation Committee unanimously passed a bill that would forbid counties from taxing tribal government land on the state's reservations.

Monday's vote sends the measure to the House floor.

Helo Hancock, the lobbyist for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe in northern Idaho, says the issue first arose in 2006.

That's when Idaho tribes received a "flurry" of assessments on land that had once been homesteaded, but later reacquired by tribal governments.

The total at stake is about $303,000 in assessments annually for all five Idaho tribes.

The Associated Press

BOOZE AND BRONCS

Committee backs bill allowing liquor at rodeo

For years, hard liquor has been served at the 78-year-old Caldwell Night Rodeo, using a catering permit from a local restaurant.

But the state liquor regulator said last year that was actually illegal.

The rodeo could continue its tradition under a measure backed by the Senate State Affairs Committee 6-3 Monday.

Sen. Chuck Winder of Boise concedes he remembers alcohol-fueled fights at rodeos in Caldwell, but said he supported the plan as an important part of the city's economy.

Sen. Bart Davis of Idaho Falls countered he was opposed to making it easier to drink at family events, pointing out the bill could expand cocktail drinking to rodeos in other communities, too.

The Associated Press

STATE EMPLOYEES

Workers ask for better pay, work conditions

Dozens of state workers made emotional appeals at the Capitol Monday during a two-hour listening session organized by Democrats.

Many who testified complained they've only received minimal raises during their tenures with various state agencies. But low salaries aren't the only concerns.

Employees from law enforcement, the Idaho Transportation Department and education said there are too few opportunities for career advancement. Others noted training programs have diminished.

In response to the economic downturn in 2008, many state agencies implemented furloughs and layoffs.

Lawmakers approved a 2 percent merit raise to state employees in 2012, but data shows the average hourly pay for Idaho state workers is still 10.7 percent below eight surrounding states

The Associated Press