House approves measure for Idaho legislators to call themselves into special session
Idaho lawmakers are one step closer to allowing themselves to start special legislative sessions.
Idaho House members on Thursday in a 51-18 vote approved a constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to call themselves into special sessions, something they cannot do now under Idaho law.
Reps. Steven Harris, R-Meridian, and Gayann DeMordaunt, R-Eagle, initially sponsored the legislation. By the time it hit the House floor, it had 43 more co-sponsors. It required 47 votes to pass.
DeMordaunt said the measure, House Joint Resolution 1, would help restore the balance of powers and allow “the people to always have a voice in our state.” If the constitutional amendment passes by a two-thirds vote in the Senate, it then would be put to voters on the ballot. The governor does not get the option to veto a constitutional amendment.
Harris said legislators “all experienced a bit of angst” when they found themselves unable to call a session during the COVID-19 pandemic without the governor.
“We came to special session only to discuss things that were appointed to us,” Harris said. “Again, that was frustrating.”
The special session would begin within 15 days if it garnered 60% support from legislators in the state House and Senate. It does not include limitations on the amount of time or topics to address within a special session.
Some legislators debated whether the amendment left it open for legislators to become full-time, or whether lawmakers would take advantage of a special session to advance their own agendas.
House Assistant Minority Leader Lauren Necochea, D-Boise, said with no limits and with only a 60% threshold of members — who could have a number of priorities in a Statehouse —“it is a slippery slope” that could lead to year-long sessions.
Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace, also opposed the measure. He said legislators should only hold special sessions if two-thirds support it. If they were to take any action during a session the governor didn’t approve, Gibbs said, any action they take may get vetoed by the governor.
“I just think we should be starting with the two-thirds majority,” Gibbs said. “For me, that’s a significant problem and a tripping point.”
Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, chairman of the committee that passed the bill, said it would tie legislators’ hands — and would be “short-sided and foolish” — if they were limited to address just one issue during an extraordinary session that dealt with a crisis as large as the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the Senate approves the legislation, voters would ultimately decide whether to approve the constitutional amendment in the 2022 general election.
Two other pieces of legislation were tabled until Monday — a House resolution to remove restrictions on gatherings of more than 10 people and a Senate resolution that would remove the governor’s emergency declaration over COVID-19.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 1:47 PM.
