Idaho
Day Celebration in the Capitol rotunda.
March 4th is Idaho
Day
By
Representative Linden Bateman
During its 2014 Session, the
Legislature established an official IDAHO DAY to be observed each year on March
4th to commemorate the creation of Idaho by President Abraham Lincoln on that
day in 1863. It will be the day when state and local agencies, historical
societies, schools, Indian tribes, civic groups, chambers of commerce,
clubs, the media, and Idaho citizens in general can celebrate and educate about
Idaho, her culture, her history, her diversity, her beauty, her resources and
her greatness.
Celebrations nourish and inspire the
human spirit. The more we learn about Idaho, the more we will love her and the
more we love her, the more we will want to serve her.
|
|
Students from the Foothills School of Arts & Science and the Honor
Guard from Mountain Home Air Force Base. |
.
The Idaho Day celebration in the House of Representatives
included Students from the Foothills School of Arts & Science, the Honor
Guard from Mountain Home Air Force Base, the members of the Idaho House of
Representatives and four Idaho Governors.
(Gov. Cecil Andrus,
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, Gov. Jim Risch and Gov. Butch Otter. Rep. Gayle Batt delivered comments in behalf
of Gov. Phil Batt.)
We began the week with the setting of the
public school after working since early January to support the Governor’s
recommendations and the needs of those who spend each weekday teaching our
children. The 110 million in new monies in this appropriation included
full funding for the career ladder at 41.5 million and 27.3 for the operational
fund. The latter will finally be back to the 2009 budget year when the economy
soured. As we continue to fund all agencies in state government, we have
been able to address some unmet needs, adequate but not to endanger what
appears to still be a fragile economy in some parts of the state. The
spending part of the budget should be put to bed this time next week, with the
task of helping those in the house to have enough comfort for a “yes” vote.
One of the bright spots in budget setting this
past week was the opportunity to get funding for a behavioral clinic in Magic
Valley. We began this effort to help those who need immediate intervention,
not hospitalization, and certainly not a jail cell. The plan is for a
center in each region of the state. The first started up in Idaho Falls two
years ago with great results. This bill will provide full funding for two
centers - one in Magic Valley and the other in Boise. Both areas have
done the planning and are ready to begin. Because there will be some lag
time for the centers to become operational, we were able to split two
years funding over two centers. The type of help will be available for those
who might harm themselves or others, get them back on the necessary medication
for control, and be one of the steps to the state taking more action in the
area of mental health where we have been lacking. My sincere thanks to
all those in Twin Falls who have been working on a plan for the center.
Along the same line is the suicide prevention
funding we were able to provide this year. This request came from a
Health Quality Planning Commission with startling figures of the need to
address this problem In the Western states, Idaho had age-adjusted suicide
rates of 19.2 per 100,000. Do hope this is part of the solution.
Some very interesting bills are starting to hit
the floor now as we move into the last month. More about that next week
but for now, I am looking at the final days of budget setting. We will
end this week with a great event. Friday, March 4th is Idaho
Day, our newest holiday. We will be treated to a program and do hope
something wonderful happens in your schools and communities. This state
is certainly worth celebrating.
We began the week with the setting of the
public school after working since early January to support the Governor’s
recommendations and the needs of those who spend each weekday teaching our
children. The 110 million in new monies in this appropriation included
full funding for the career ladder at 41.5 million and 27.3 for the operational
fund. The latter will finally be back to the 2009 budget year when the economy
soured. As we continue to fund all agencies in state government, we have
been able to address some unmet needs, adequate but not to endanger what
appears to still be a fragile economy in some parts of the state. The
spending part of the budget should be put to bed this time next week, with the
task of helping those in the house to have enough comfort for a “yes” vote.
One of the bright spots in budget setting this
past week was the opportunity to get funding for a behavioral clinic in Magic
Valley. We began this effort to help those who need immediate intervention,
not hospitalization, and certainly not a jail cell. The plan is for a
center in each region of the state. The first started up in Idaho Falls two
years ago with great results. This bill will provide full funding for two
centers - one in Magic Valley and the other in Boise. Both areas have
done the planning and are ready to begin. Because there will be some lag
time for the centers to become operational, we were able to split two
years funding over two centers. The type of help will be available for those
who might harm themselves or others, get them back on the necessary medication
for control, and be one of the steps to the state taking more action in the
area of mental health where we have been lacking. My sincere thanks to
all those in Twin Falls who have been working on a plan for the center.
Along the same line is the suicide prevention
funding we were able to provide this year. This request came from a
Health Quality Planning Commission with startling figures of the need to
address this problem In the Western states, Idaho had age-adjusted suicide
rates of 19.2 per 100,000. Do hope this is part of the solution.
Some very interesting bills are starting to hit
the floor now as we move into the last month. More about that next week
but for now, I am looking at the final days of budget setting. We will
end this week with a great event. Friday, March 4th is Idaho
Day, our newest holiday. We will be treated to a program and do hope
something wonderful happens in your schools and communities. This state
is certainly worth celebrating.
President
Lincoln greeting the sunrise.
Photo
credit: Rep. Clark Kauffman
Idaho Business for Education report ( www.idahobe.org )
shows the 2015 Idaho College and Career
Readiness Report. Take a look and let me
know your thoughts. IBE’s goal with this
report is to help Idaho communities shift focus from high school graduation
rates to preparing students for post-secondary education and training, and set
their priorities for the future.
Community leaders can use this data to reset their priorities and goals
for students if they so choose.
Supreme Court: Idaho Education Network Contract Void. The Idaho
Supreme Court sided with a district judge Tuesday, voiding the contract for the
Idaho Education Network broadband project.
The court’s unanimous ruling could have $25 million
worth of implications for the state — and its taxpayers. Idaho could be forced
to write off or give back federally administered fees that were supposed to
offset the costs of the high school Internet system.
Idaho’s loss on appeal should not have any immediate
impact on schools, however. The state mothballed the Idaho Education Network in
early 2015, after Ada
County District Judge Patrick Owen tossed the $60 million project contract. Since then, Idaho schools have purchased high-speed
Internet service locally, often at greatly reduced prices.
http://www.idahoednews.org/news/supreme-court-idaho-education-network-contract-void/#.VtYV7seRjzI
HCR038 National
Day of the cowboy recognized. This concurrent resolution recognizes the history, power
and impact of the cowboy in our society and asks for Idaho to observe a
National Day of the Cowboy each year on July 25th with appropriate ceremonies
and activities.
Over the month of February 54 legislators
participated in the Steps for Schools Challenge, walking a total of 12,871,665 steps in one month.
AMAZING!
Although I didn’t win, I walked enough steps
to receive $350 for an elementary school in District 25. The winning school will be determined by a
drawing in the future.
Revenue & Tax
Committee
The tax
committee had a quiet week with H540 being the only policy bill to be
introduced. H540 is a clarification to the sales and use tax exemption provided
to fixed wing aircraft which fly tactical wild fire suppression missions under
contract with the federal government. The bill was unanimously supported and
sent to the House Floor with a “do pass” recommendation.
The House
Committee met on Friday morning to introduce a bill dealing with the findings
of the Interim Committee on Urban Renewal. I will keep you updated as this moves forward.
Next week
the Division of Financial Management will release the February General Fund
collection numbers which tracks how closely collections meet revenue forecasts.
This report will give the legislature a better idea of where the FY2016 General
Fund collections will end up. With budget writing wrapping up next week we
should have a better idea if any tax relief legislation will be heard in the
Senate and whether or not some of the hot button issues will be addressed
I also met
this week with the Idaho Technology Council, the Idaho Soft Drink Assn., Idaho
Ambulatory Surgery Centers Assn., and the National Federation of Independent
Business/ Idaho Retailers Association.
On Friday we
celebrated IDAHO DAY at the Capitol.
HCR 46 Recognizes
Idaho's
unique honor in providing the 2016 "People's Christmas Tree" from the
Payette National Forest at the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. and to
encourage Idahoans to participate and support this event.
|