Thank You to This Week's Sponsor
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The legislature is back at work this week after a recess of two weeks, and so are we!
The legislature abruptly recessed on March 19th for two weeks to allow recovery time for several legislators who had tested positive for COVID 19.
Things were happening while they were on recess, so let's get caught up.
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Governor Signs First
Transportation Funding Legislation
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Governor Little has signed H308, part of his Building Idaho's Future plan for transportation.
This bill provides cash transfers totaling $126,000,000 from the General Fund to dedicated funds and provides an appropriation of $2,000,000 to the Aeronautics Program, $15,000,000 to the Strategic Initiatives Program within ITD, and $2,000,000 to the Strategic Initiatives Local Program.
According to ITD, if the transfer of funds takes place in March, local highway jurisdictions will receive an additional $47 million, in addition to their quarterly highway distribution in April. Just in time for spring and summer road projects. This money will be divided according to the highway distribution allocation formula.
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Governor Little Pitches Transportation Funding
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While the Legislature was on recess, Governor Little was busy traveling the state pitching transportation funding that is part of his Building Idaho's Future plan.
He also held transportation roundtables across the state with ITD, businesses and other stakeholders. Learn more here.
Hear what he had to say while visiting Kootenai County here.
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What's up with H342?
Did it Die During the Recess?
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If we all remember, H342 was the big transportation funding bill that zipped through the House without a committee hearing and made its way to the Senate where it was assigned to the Transportation committee before the legislature took a two week recess.
The legislation would increase the sales tax distribution to Transportation from 1% to 4.5% with 3% going to the state and 1.5% to the locals. It would also allow locals to pool funds for larger projects. These changes would allocate no less than 45 million dollars to the state TECM account and no less than 22.5 million dollars to the HDA. For FY 2022, the anticipated distribution to the state is 56 million dollars and distribution to locals is 28 million dollars.
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New Transportation Funding Introduced
H362
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So, one could guess that H342 did indeed die during the recess. But, we will have to wait and see until all options have played out.
One Tuesday, Representative Joe Palmer introduced another transportation funding bill that is co-sponsored by the Senate Transportation chairman Lori Den Hartog. HB362.
Like H342 this version would raise the amount of state sales tax revenues shifted from the general fund to roads and bridges from the current 1% to 4.5%, but it would send $80 million of the amount shifted to the Idaho Transportation Department to bond for big projects. The remainder, and any growth, would go to local highway jurisdictions.
According to the Statement of Purpose, the new transportation bill would shift from the general fund approximately $84 million. Locals would get $4 million. Rep. Joe Palmer told the committee that based on revenues so far this year, he’s guessing it could go higher, likely providing about $7.5 million to local highway jurisdictions.
The $80 million figure is what Governor Brad Little has proposed in his Building Idaho's Future budget for transportation and what he has been pitching during his recess road trip across the state.
The legislation passed the full House this week and is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday.
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Governor Signs Uniform Accounting and Transparency Bill
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Governor Little has signed H73 into law.
This legislation has a big impact on local governmental entities and the way they handle accounting and financial transparency.
The new law lays out uniform accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting procedures for counties, cities, urban renewal agencies, and all other local districts. The purpose of the law is to enable local governmental entities and the state controller’s office to provide comparable data by the use of uniform accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting procedures.
The law will create the Committee on Uniform Accounting and Transparency for Local Governmental Entities. The committee’s primary duty and responsibility will be to cooperatively develop, approve, monitor, and revise, as needed, the uniform accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting system, and manual, for local governmental agencies.
The controller’s office will publish the resulting uniform accounting, budgeting, and financial information on the controller’s Transparent Idaho website.
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Biden Harris Infrastructure Plan
Allocates $621B for Transportation
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The $2.3 trillion infrastructure investment package unveiled by the Biden Harris administration on March 31 – entitled the American Jobs Plan – allocates $621 billion in overall spending to the transportation sector, with the largest slice of that funding aimed at spurring major growth in the electric vehicle market.
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Bill Tracker
Where are we Now?
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Maintaining Idaho Roads and Bridges
Track Bills That Make a Difference
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Still in Local Gov't and Tax
Probably Dead
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Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding limitations on taxing district budgets
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awaiting Governor's Signature
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Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding professional service contracts.
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Amends existing law to revise the definition of highways to include certain public transportation and pedestrian infrastructure.
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Amends existing law to provide that local ordinances shall not apply to state and local transportation systems and essential facilities.
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Amends existing law to provide that a highway district shall not be financially responsible for certain urban renewal projects unless agreed upon.
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Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding a taxing district’s budget limitations.
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Adds to existing law to provide for the protection of certain monuments and memorials.
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Adds to existing law to provide a sales tax rebate on certain road construction materials.
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Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding construction and maintenance of railroad grade crossings.
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Awaiting Governor's Signature
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Amends existing law regarding sidewalks to allow for wider sidewalks or side paths if necessary.
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House Transportation. Probably Dead
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Amends existing law to provide for new state and local transportation funding sources through a sales tax adjustment, a certificate of title fee adjustment, and through certain local funding opportunities through a revised Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation Fund Program to be administered by the Idaho Transportation Department.
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Amends existing law to require that certain vehicle loads be covered and to remove exceptions.
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Awaiting Governor's Signature
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Amends existing law to remove a provision regarding certain optional charges related to technical review and to remove certain sunset provisions from session laws
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Amends existing law to provide that local jurisdictions shall not have authority to regulate off-highway vehicle traffic on sections of highway under their jurisdiction.
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Relates to the appropriation to the Idaho Transportation Department for fiscal year 2021.
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Amends existing law to increase funding for state and local transportation through sales tax and adjustments to the transportation expansion and congestion mitigation program.
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Amends existing law to increase funding for state and local transportation through sales tax.
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Amends existing law to increase funding for state and local transportation through sales tax.
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- November 9-11, 2021 Idaho's Local Transportation Conference-Coeur d'Alene
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House Transportation Committee
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Senate Transportation Committee
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How to Contact Your Legislator
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There are several ways to contact your legislator.
Click the button to find out who your representative is. It's easy, just put in your address.
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Send them an email directly, or contact the Legislative Information Center. They will take a message to your legislator.
E-mail must contain the sender’s name and address. To help us forward your message appropriately, please include your legislator’s name and/or legislative district.
Phone Numbers: (session only)
Hearing Impaired: 800-626-0471
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