SANDPOINT - Former Bonners Ferry mayor and councilman Darrell Kerby is scheduled to be sworn in today to complete the balance of the legislative session for District 1 Sen. Shawn Keough, who is bowing out because of a family health emergency.

Keough, a Republican who represents Bonner and Boundary counties, tapped Kerby to complete the session because her husband, Mike, is slated to undergo heart bypass surgery next week or possibly sooner if circumstances warrant.

"It was important to make sure that the needs of the legislative district were attended to so I asked Darrell if he would accept an appointment," Keough said on Wednesday night.

Although it doesn't happen too often, lawmakers are allowed to appoint a proxy during emergencies.

"He has a great amount of experience and knowledge," Keough said of Kerby, who had served as an elected official in Bonners Ferry for more than 20 years. "He knows our issues really well, he knows how the system works, and he's always had a very good working relationship with the legislators and the governor."

The legislative session is targeted to end on March 26, but Keough said it could go longer depending on how the state's budget comes together.

Kerby, a Bonners Ferry businessman who retired as mayor two years ago, said he was humbled by Keough's appointment, which he greeted with a healthy dose of pensiveness.

Keough is vice chair of the powerful Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee and has a seat on the Senate Transportation Committee.

"Shawn's not your average senator and as a result, she's not sitting on average committees. She has leadership roles and walking off the street and into those positions will be a huge, steep learning curve," said Kerby.

Kerby and Keough plan to stay in regular contact as the remainder of the session unfolds.

Lawmakers are trying to forge a state spending plan in light of a sharp decline in revenue from sales, income and corporate taxes.

"We've lost about $700 million out of our income stream due to the economic downturn, which is a pretty significant bite out of what is generally a $2 billion to $2.5 billion budget," said Keough.

Kerby, 59, acknowledges that it is not a particularly joyous time in Boise.

"It's a matter of trying to do as little damage as possible to those programs that we all hold dear in our region," Kerby said.