As the Legislature returns to the Statehouse Wednesday, its education policymaking may be all but wrapped for the session.
Some of the hottest debates over education bills – around school budgets and indoctrination in the classroom – have been settled after Gov. Brad Little Monday signed budget bills funding K-12 teacher salaries and public universities. Those two bills were major sticking points that stalled the end the now record-long session.
The agenda of the session’s waning days — or hours — was set by Little. On Wednesday, shortly before a 10:35 a.m. deadline, Little signed a divisive property tax reform bill passed in the waning days of the session. But not without reservations.
“I am signing House Bill 389 because it provides some relief to Idaho taxpayers,” Little wrote in a transmittal letter to House Speaker Scott Bedke. “However, I fear the long-term consequences may outweigh this temporary reprieve.”
Previously, Little signed all but one in a batch of bills and resolutions the Legislature passed before recessing last week, including four bills trimming his own executive power.
The Legislature recessed last week and scheduled a Wednesday return, in part, to reserve the right to override any gubernatorial vetoes. With no vetoes to override, Wednesday’s agenda is that much shorter.
It leaves a pair of education decisions that lawmakers could weigh Wednesday — or not. A federal early education grant totaling nearly $6 million has languished on the House’s agenda for weeks without getting a vote, though it could theoretically be taken up if House leadership chooses.
An attempt to reject a minor State Department of Education rule change dealing with school attendance and enrollment could move through the House, too, but it also has remained untouched on the chamber’s docket for weeks.
If the Legislature decides to break this week, though, its departure from Boise may not be final. A resolution that Majority Caucus Chair Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, has called a “ticket out” of the session could extend the session until as late as Sept. 1. The Legislature would recess without per diem, allowing it to reconvene without Little’s approval, a move Blanksma said will allow lawmakers to make changes in response to the anticipated release of U.S. Census data this summer.
As of 11 a.m. today, only two committee have Wednesday meetings scheduled, lending little obvious sign of much last-second legislation. The Joint-Finance Appropriations Committee, composed half of senators and half of House members, is set to meet at the same time as the Senate, 1 p.m. The committee will take up two budgets related to the state’s permanent building fund and federal money for Idaho cities. The House Revenue and Tax Committee will also hold a procedural meeting after the House adjourns.
The House is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m.
Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert contributed to this story.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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By EdNews’ count, 69.4 percent of emails to the governor petitioned him to veto House Bill 377.
Nearly four months after the start of the 2021 legislative session, the Statehouse K-12 and higher education budget debates effectively came to a conclusion Tuesday.
The $383 million in cuts were pushed by Statehouse Republicans, who say lower taxes are key to the state’s economic competitiveness.
Monday’s House votes represent one key milestone on the path to adjourning the 2021 legislative session, the third-longest session in state history. Monday was Day 113 for this year’s session, five days shy of the record, set in 2003.
The possible shutdown is a function of timing, and when the session ends. It could affect paychecks for some 20,000 state employees, and raises questions about whether first responders can stay on the job, Clark Corbin of the Idaho Capital Sun reported Thursday.
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Legislature to return Wednesday afternoon with light education load - Idaho EdNews
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