Highway Funding... The Governor's Take:

Today we received a copy of a press release from the Governor's office indicating that we in the Legislature are “wringing our hands” when it comes to funding Idaho's Highways. Many of us take issue with that characterization.

Thus far, the ideas that have come from the Executive branch for funding the ITD identified need of an additional $200M/yr have come to a total of about $20M/yr, far short of what that same branch of government is telling the Legislature the need is. The old game of “who’s got the Monkey” comes to mind here…

If we want more funding to be considered, we need to put the Executive Branch cards on the table so we can all see what we are going to play with. The Legislature has the Governor's budget proposal and it doesn't include the extra $200M, or where it should come from. Many of us are not sure just what magic hat that $200M is supposed to be pulled out of...

Getting $200M of new money from 1.4 million Idahoan taxpayers facing an unsure economy, well... you do the math. I think we need to find spending savings and combine that with a number much more feasable to the taxpayers and users.

There are some ideas floating around in the Legislature that might be able to find more money for our Highways, but most of those pull from the pockets of the taxpayers who are the first to feel the "cooling economy". If increased registrations or fuel taxes are the plan, we need to start working on those to see if we can implement those plans, let the people see them and start the dialog.

We had assurances last year that ITD would be doing a better job with the funds that they currently get and I think that they are. They showed us where they were able to find $50M in "savings" from practices that can be changed. However, we don't have the time (or money) to wait for a slow movement to efficiency... we must get a fresh set of eyes on the way we are currently spending ~$700M on our infrastructure to ensure we are delivering the biggest bang for the buck to those that pay the bills.

We are working on a form of a performance audit that will provide the department, Executive and Legislative branches ideas for better operations, policies and spending practices to ensure we are on a track for success. "If we always do, what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always got" my Dad used to say... it's time for a fresh vision and positive change, we can get that from some outside professional eyes.

We need to not only see some more ideas for "finding funds" from the Executive branch that needs it, but we need to ensure that the funds that we are pointing at the roads today are being used where they are needed in the most efficient ways possible.

Those that are "first in line" to feel a "cooling economy" are the taxpaying citizens of Idaho. Some seem to forget that while the State's revenue to be spent will suffer, it must be considered "second in line" when it comes to the "cooling economy".

We must remember that it's always easier to say we need more money than it is to find ways to get it, and especially in a "cooling economy" that’s a bit more than a “bump in the road”. The economy is the basis for the collections of taxes from business and our citizens; State’s spending must be controlled to match the economy, not the other way around.

The taxpayers of Idaho expect that if they are going to be pulling more coin out of their pockets for transportation that it will be used wisely... and we must deliver that to them.

Your thoughts?

The Right to Hunt, Fish and Trap...

In Idaho we have come to depend on hunting, fishing and trapping as a main form of control and management of species that the state is charged with managing. These actives not only provide that management and control opportunity, but provide economic and social benefits as well.

The economic benefit of these activities exceeds $5 billion each year in terms of stimulus of our local economies. Many rural communities are very dependant on those that visit their stores, hotels and cafes while partaking in these various activities.


Socially, our forefathers depended on the land to provide them subsistence and routinely this was a family or community activity that brought people closer together. Families still get together for fishing or hunting vacations that bonds those that are involved forever. Some of the fondest memories of my life were experienced with Moms and Dads, Aunts and Uncles and brothers and sisters while in the field hunting or fishing. These activities are an important cultural event that ties us together as Idahoans and has for generations.


I have worked with many people over the past few years trying to find a way to ensure that these activities will be protected for as long as we call this land Idaho. Hunting, fishing and trapping currently is not a right of the people, it's a privilege that is allowed by our state government.


In Europe and Asia, these privileges are now reserved for only the rich or the select few or not allowed at all. Those countries no longer have the cultural experiences that help to tie them to their lands and to their cultures because their governments have taken these privileges away.


I have introduced a bill, HJR002 (this is the 3rd bill I've been involved with) that will provide for the people of Idaho to vote in November on a state constitutional amendment that will create Hunting, Fishing and Trapping as a right of the people that will be treated like our 2nd amendment rights that can not be taken away except in cases where the individual has violated the trust of the state.


Of course, the state will still have management control over how these activities happen but if we ever experience a "perfect storm" of legislators and a governor that decides that these activities are no longer needed by "the state" we could loose these privileges like those countries that don't have protections.

Your thoughts?...

Is it OK to Gillnet an Endangered Species?...

It appears that it is... Our Idaho Nez Perce Tribal Leadership has decided that the treaty signed in 1855 allows them to set up a commercial fishery for Steelhead and Salmon so they have now been putting out gillnets to capture the fish for resale.

Our native and wild Steelhead Trout have struggled to recover their natural migration ranges. The State of Idaho, Nez Perce Tribe, Sportsmen and conservationists alike have worked hard and spent millions of our tax dollars to recover the wild Steelhead Trout and Salmon in our state. What is the logic in putting out such an indiscriminate killer like a gillnet?

Why have we not heard from Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club or HSUS on the issue of protection of these Endangered Species? (This will be a question for another day...)

The State, Federal government and Tribes enacted strict fishing rules for hatchery Steelhead Trout and Salmon, where any wild fish must be released upon it being caught during the normal fishery for hatchery Steelhead and Salmon. It disturbs me as a Sportmen and conservationist that the Tribal Leadership has decided to jump into the commercial fishery business using gillnets that are not discriminate to wild fish. It also concerns me that our fisheries biologists have predicted near record returns of Salmon this spring as well, heightening the chance of Salmon once again up in Redfish lake.. Will these Salmon (wild or not) be subject to the same nets?

I'm told it's a tradition within the Tribe where gillnets have been used in the past to provide for subsistence for Tribal members. I think it’s admirable that Tribal members take care of members in need, but I also think it's pushing "tradition" to use those gillnets to create a commercial fishery based on a 1855 treaty (when the logic used at the time was to support Tribal subsistence for those members).

Supporting and remembering one's heritage is important, we've all have past family histories that should be handed down from generation to generation. My family (The Hagedorn "Tribe") has hunting and fishing traditions as well. I understand that we had traditions in our family hunting history that were a bit more destructive, but we've learned and grown from those ways and now practice good conservation when in the field.

It would seem to me that the Nez Perce Tribal Leadership would have the vision to grow and learn in the same way. Passing on traditional histories and cultural heritage is important and useful, but on the other hand, exploiting those traditions at the expense of good relationships with your neighboring communities is destructive behavior.

Millions of Sportsmen’s tax dollars paid through the purchase of their sporting equipment to the Department of Interior have been used to ensure the success of all the fish hatcheries that contribute to good fisheries and economic returns to those Idaho communities around the rivers, streams and lakes supported by those hatcheries. By not working closely with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the local county, cities and groups relying on these fisheries, the Tribal Leadership have set themselves up for microscopic examinations of their practices.

Rumors of not cutting adipose fins (the method used to determine wild (with) from hatchery (without) fish) from smelts released from the hatchery they operate to not providing good (or any) reservation catch counts to the Department of Fish and Game contribute to the lack of credibility of those in Leadership when they say they will only use so many nets and that catches will be closely monitored.

We are currently told that a minimum number of nets have been put out, with few fish caught. "Only one Wild Steelhead" has been killed is what’s been reported... If I were out hunting and came in with my limit of Grouse and claimed "Only one Wolf was killed" during my hunt, would that be an acceptable excuse to the public? I suspect not...

Driving on Highway 95 and seeing Steelhead and Salmon being sold out of the back of cars and trucks without any safety or health inspections endangers not only the fishery but our citizens as well.

Actives surrounding this fishery approved by Tribal Leadership is unhealthy for our wildlife and our citizens. That's why I've introduced House Bill H0471 requiring the buyers of Steelhead and Salmon (and other wildlife) to have a "buyers license".

Safety of our citizens and our wildlife should be important to all of us, regardless of the State or Nation you hail from.

Your thoughts?

District 20 Legislative Predictions...

If you haven’t already done so, go down and take a look at the old Ada County Courthouse. I think you’ll like what you see.

The historic structure was a mess only a few months ago. But workers cleaned it up, reworked it from the inside and now it’s ready to go for the 2008 and 2009 sessions. It will be the place we call home while he Capitol receives a facelift.

The quarters at the old courthouse will be much tighter; for instance, we don’t have room for a gallery on the House side. But I think it will work out well for the next two years. It’s good to see this wonderful old building come back to life. And it’s good to know that the structure will be useful to state government after the Capitol renovation has been completed.

Although we will be working out of "new" quarters in 2008, we will be facing some of the same "old" issues that surfaced in 2007 -- namely the grocery and personal property taxes. Both should be abolished in my opinion, and there are discussions about ways to accomplish that. One idea I’ve heard is phasing out the taxes over a five year period to avoid any kind of a major hit on the State's budget.

Last year, the House passed some good bills to provide broad-based relief from the grocery tax and took a progressive step toward ending the personal property tax on business operators, but there were disagreements as those bills progressed through the Senate. Hopefully we can come to reasonable compromises and move a strong bill through the Governor's office that will be acceptable to the people of Idaho.

Transportation -- again -- will be a hot issue this session. We have heard talk about raising car-registration fees and/or raising the fuel taxes, nothing is off the table at this point. I invite constituents in District 20 to share your thoughts on this issue. We have a lot of demands for construction, and not enough dollars. I want my votes on this issue to reflect the views of the people of District 20. I am serving on the Transportation and Defense Committee, so I will be in the middle of discussions about all of these issues.

I will be pushing hard to ensure funding for the construction of the 10 mile interchange project. It's currently within the proposed GARVEE ~$135 million bill coming from the Dept of Transportation along with some other smaller projects, it's possible we won't pass this GARVEE bill due to these other projects. I've asked many times for the Department to ensure they have something as a back up for this critical project.

I’m also going to be working with Rep. Tom Trail of Moscow and Sen. Brad Little of Emmett on a bill relating to dog fighting. Although dog fighting is not prevalent in Idaho, we need to send a strong statement that makes it clear the practice is not acceptable in Idaho and allow our state Prosecutors to cross state lines to retrieve offenders that might not get that message.

I’m looking forward to a productive session, and not as short as many are predicting. If you have any comments or concern about any legislative issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

And if you visit the old courthouse during the session, please stop by and say hello.