Senate quickly pushes out new property tax bill

by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports

The Idaho Senate quickly moved to address Gov. Brad Little’s veto of a major property tax bill over concerns it would jeopardize funding for transportation.

The Senate took up amendments to several bills on Monday afternoon, gutting House Bill 198 with no debate to transform it into a version of HB 292 that they believe would satisfy the governor.

House Bill 292 would have eliminated a March election date for school bonds and levies.

“It removes the question of the election date. It re-establishes the previous funding for public defense. It also deals with online sales tax,” said Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise. “It removes what we consider the jeopardy to our bonding ability for infrastructure projects.”

This type of amendment – colloquially referred to as a “radiator cap” – swaps out the existing text of a bill to take advantage of its bill number or the point it has reached in the legislative process.

Winder called the amended bill "a true radiator cap," legislative jargon for completely rewriting the bill. It's meant to evoke pulling a radiator cap off of one car and placing an entirely different vehicle underneath it. #idleg
— Clark Corbin (@clarkcorbin) March 27, 2023

After taking some time to review the new bill — with several senators during a brief debate voicing concerns about the process — the Senate passed House Bill 198 as amended on a 32-3 vote.

The House would have to agree to any changes to HB 198 for it to make it to the governor’s desk. The original House Bill 198 already made it through committees on both sides of the rotunda. Lawmakers in the House could simply concur with the amendment, reject the changes, or possibly send it to committee for another public hearing.

The full House reconvenes for business at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

Idaho Ed News: Moyle says veto override vote possible

House Speaker Mike Moyle said he expects House Republicans to caucus, and then make a run at overriding Little’s veto. “I’m pretty sure they’ll want to,” Moyle, a co-sponsor of HB 292, told Idaho Education News on Monday afternoon.

Logan Finney | Associate Producer

Logan Finney is a North Idaho native with a passion for media production and boring government meetings. He grew up skiing, hunting and hiking in the mountains of Bonner County and has maintained a lifelong interest in the state’s geography, history and politics. Logan joined the Idaho Reports team in 2020 as a legislative session intern and stayed to cover the COVID-19 pandemic. He was hired as an associate producer in 2021 and they haven’t been able to get rid of him since.