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| published Monday, February 18, 2008 |
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This week, before legislators could start setting Idaho’s budget, they had to decide whether and how to adjust state employees’ compensation. Even in years of economic expansion, the legislature has told the thousands of people who work for us that Idaho does not have enough resources to invest in them on par with their peers in the private sector. “Someday, there’ll be roses,” they kept promising. In January, the chief public employee – Governor Otter – proposed increasing pay “for those who merit it” by 5% but also to shift more cost of insurance onto employees. It was kind of like presenting a big bouquet of Valentine’s Day roses but when you grab them you notice they have a lot of extra thorns. The thinking seemed to be that since so many people were facing family crises because of poor insurance and rising health care costs, the problem for state employees might as well get worse too.
This week, the legislature’s budget director announced that revenue projections should be reduced by $70 million. The Republican majority on the CEC (Change in Employee Compensation) committee chopped the pay increase to 3% with additional limitations. The governor’s office insisted that there was still room in the budget for a 4% increase. The Democrats on the CEC committee proposed a 4% increase with an additional 1% in bonuses if revenues improve by the end of the fiscal year (spring of 2009). They were soundly outvoted. Meanwhile, the tax committee – having blithely rejected all reforms to fill huge holes in the tax base so we don’t have these wild swings in revenue – did not seem to notice the pain being discussed down the hall in the CEC committee. Instead, it decided to take up another vital tax issue on Monday: how to use ticket revenues to promote amateur boxing. Is that a subtle suggestion to state employees on how they might earn a little extra cash?
While the tax committee seems to have no clue about preventing long-term budget problems, this week the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) showed that it did have a clue. It voted to increase funding for community-based drug treatment with a supplemental appropriation of $3.38 million. It is only for this year (and tapped into a dedicated fund for $1 million of it) but at least it was an acknowledgement that investing in drug prevention on the community level DOES having an impact on long-term prison costs. What makes this vote especially notable is that Governor Otter did not request it, even though he showered praise on his Office on Drug Policy in the State of the State address. Rep. Margaret Henbest has long advocated better investment in prevention and seemed a little surprised that fellow JFAC members went along with her. Is it too much to think that they might be overcoming their addiction to short-term budgeting to address long-term problems?
Senators finally heard the full story behind why Idaho should divest from companies that are funding genocide in Sudan. People packed into the hearing room on Friday morning to show their support for Senate Bill 1367. Even though the US government and its allies are trying to stop the murder of nearly a million people in Sudan’s Darfur region, genocide continues because some foreign companies persist in financing the Sudanese government’s state-sponsored terrorism. The President and Congress unanimously asked all states to divest from the highest offending companies. Many states have, but the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) takes the position that “prudent investors” would not consider participation in genocide relevant. They would only look at how much money they can make. Last year, PERSI persuaded legislators to deny a public hearing on divestment. This year, the hearing went forward and the full story came flowing out.
PERSI’s argument that divestment campaigns are always just symbolic was overwhelmingly refuted in the Senate State Affairs Committee. Because the nationwide campaign to divest has been so narrowly targeted to the highest offending companies and because it has garnered strong support in other states and countries, it has been successful. The committee saw a list of companies have withdrawn from Sudan to avoid being targeted. And, in a report released at the hearing, market data shows that the highest offending companies are now underperforming their peers (similar types of companies). In fact, over the past year, the highest offending companies have underperformed their peers by 53%! The committee will continue to take testimony next Wednesday, February 20th. Perhaps that would be the opportune time for PERSI to announce that it has initiated the divestment process of the six highest offending companies it still has in its portfolio.
Sponsors of the bill to improve Idaho’s day care standards found out last week that Senator Patti Anne Lodge (chair of the Senate Health & Welfare Committee) doesn’t like the bill and may not schedule it for a public hearing. This, even though the vice chair of her committee Sen. Joyce Broadsword is a co-sponsor. Idaho Women’s Network and other groups of parents and providers are frustrated at this latest roadblock. It appears that some committee chairs don’t have standards of their own for how to include the public in their decisions. Persistent calls to Senator Lodge’s office until a hearing is scheduled are in order. 208-332-1319.
Imagine that you were not born in Idaho, but that you grew up in Idaho, went to school in Idaho, graduated from an Idaho high school, your family paid taxes in Idaho all those years and you get accepted to the University of Idaho, BSU, ISU or LCSC etc... Then, suddenly, you find out that unlike your classmates who have been accepted as in-state students at these universities, you have to pay out-of-state tuition. On Monday, Senate Bill 1427 – the Idaho Student Investment Act – was introduced to remedy this injustice. Oh, of course, there is one key fact that stirs up the ideological hornets nest: because your parents were caught in the nightmare of this country’s broken immigration system, they don’t have their citizenship yet. Sadly, the Senate Education Committee got distracted by that hornet’s nest and four of its nine members voted against even introducing the bill. They want to avoid hearing stories of great kids that Idaho has invested in. Obviously, the legislature is not going to solve the larger hornet’s nest of our country’s trade deals, broken promises, economic dislocation and a morass of an immigration system, but at least the legislature ought to protect Idaho kids from continuously being stung by it.
For years, cities, counties, chambers of commerce and many community organizations have asked the legislature to give communities the tools they need to invest in an effective transportation system – including public transit. At the start of the session, compromises were presented as part of the “Moving Idaho Forward” proposal. It incorporates tools for local taxpayers to invest in a more effective transportation system includes authorizing up to a penny sales tax as well as vehicle registration fees. The legislature is more than halfway finished with its other work but so far NO transportation legislation has been introduced. The House Majority Leader Mike Moyle of Star is seen as the biggest road block. He continues to promote the idea of amending Idaho’s constitution to make it harder for communities to invest in transportation solutions. Here is the legislature’s main phone number: 208-322-1000. Put it on your cel phone’s speed dial. Next time you are stuck in traffic or get choked up by a particularly smoggy day give them a call.
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