The 2021 legislative period in Idaho has ended, at least for the time being. For the first time in our 130-year statehood, the Idaho House and Senate have not agreed to postpone the “Sine Death.”
In a typical year, the House and Senate meet in early January and adjourn to the year in late March. We met in early January 2021 and spent most of the first month discussing the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. February switched to more typical legislative topics, although the Idaho Capitol was still pretty empty compared to previous years.
The consideration of remote statements in committee hearings was positive for this year’s legislative period. I am confident that the chairmen of the committee will continue to allow remote testimony. It is beneficial to rural Idahoans across the state. March saw a flurry of budget plans and other laws, but ended with a string of lawmakers contracting the coronavirus, resulting in a two-week hiatus. In April the larger topics of the meeting, income tax, property tax and financing of transport projects were discussed. In the second week of May, legislators left Boise to return to their civic role, although it is not clear if or when we could be back in Boise.
Why was there a disagreement about adjourning for the year? Most of the debate revolves around federal funding and the executive’s ability to determine how the money could be spent. The American Rescue Plan Act funds are on their way to Idaho. Before leaving Boise, lawmakers enacted law that requires all ARPA funds to be used as part of normal legislative process.
There is a possibility that other means, such as B. an infrastructure package of the federal government, flow to the state. However, the governor made it clear in a written letter that he would convene a special legislative term in an urgent situation where an expenditure authority is required. In my opinion we could have adjourned like every year since statehood. The legislature is a political body. The executive carries out this policy. I believe we have a policy that takes us from one year to the next without a full-time term, and that any weaknesses in the policy that became apparent over the past year have been corrected.
In terms of tax policy, Idaho legislature cut the income tax rate for individuals and businesses from 6.925 percent of adjusted gross income to 6.5 percent. The change was made in House Bill 380, which also provides a one-time tax relief in the form of a 9 percent discount based on your 2019 tax amount in Idaho.
H389 made changes to real estate and personal property tax laws. Homeowner Exemption increases from $ 100,000 to $ 125,000. Circuit Breaker Exemption, which reduces property tax liability by $ 1,320, changes to $ 1,500. At the same time, the breaker income cap increases from $ 28,000 to $ 31,900. From 2022 houses with an estimated value of more than 125 percent of the national median value can no longer be exempted from the circuit breaker exemption. The property tax deferral program will continue to be available for these homes.
Currently, the first $ 100,000 in business personal property is tax-free. Going forward, the first $ 250,000 in business personal property is exempt. Temporary personal property such as logging and construction machinery will also no longer be taxable from 2022.
Finally, H389 also set new limits for the allowable household growth for cities, counties and all other tax districts.
A transportation study conducted ten years ago found that we are underfunding our state road network by about $ 250 million a year. The study was updated last year and gave the same answer. In response, H362 was incorporated into law, providing $ 80 million in running transportation from existing sales tax revenue. The $ 80 million will be used for bond payments that will enable new transportation projects worth around $ 1.5 billion.
A total of seven bills have been signed that will change the way Idaho handles emergencies. Senate Bill 1217 included a 90-day limit on emergencies unless the legislature is called to a session. This requirement applies when the emergency is in twelve or more counties. S1217 is the follow-up version of S1136, which was vetoed and not overwritten.
H135 was also vetoed and not overridden. There were three successor laws, all of which are legally signed. H391 prohibits any restriction on firearms or the right to peaceful assembly or freedom to practice one’s religion during a disaster. H392 prohibits the executive from changing, adapting, or creating any provision of Idaho law. H393 prohibits unnecessary restrictions on a person’s ability to work or care for their family.
S1060 requires district officials to approve state or health public health ordinances. H67 and H68 change the authority to close schools, community colleges, and universities to the governing body instead of the health district.
Other notable laws include:
H126, which legalizes the production, processing, research and transportation of industrial hemp. Idaho was the last of the fifty states to take this step.
S1102, which authorizes electronic vehicle registration by car dealers. Hopefully this will help with backup in the DMV offices.
S1211 changes the requirements for hunting and catching wolves to better manage livestock and predators while maintaining a sustainable wolf population.
H129 allows OHV travel on public roads that are signposted 60 miles per hour or less for up to five miles. OHV travel is limited to 45 mph.
H86 makes buying OHV and snowmobile stickers easy. In the past, the stickers were assigned to a specific vehicle. Now the stickers are available without a vehicle identification number, should be available in multiple locations, and multi-year stickers will be available
Nearly twenty bills were passed as part of the governor’s effort to cut red tape. Obsolete and unnecessary laws are being systematically removed from Idaho law.
Finally, S1110 changes the signature collection requirements for the Voter Initiative petition. The total number of signatures required to put an initiative on the ballot remains unchanged at 6 percent. However, the signatures must come from all thirty-five legislative districts of Idaho.
Unlike in previous years, I have listed the invoice numbers in this letter to make it easier to refer to. The Legislature’s website is https://legislature.idaho.gov. You can find the invoices under the link “Legislative Sessions”. Each invoice is listed with a declaration of purpose, the actual invoice text and the voting protocol.
As always, it is a privilege to represent the district. I look forward to your contributions and look forward to future discussions.
Senator Jim Woodward represents District 1, Bonner, and Boundary counties in the Idaho Senate. He can be reached at jwoodward@senate.idaho.gov.