The 2012 session is now complete and we would like to update you on the work we have done over the past twelve weeks in Boise. At the beginning of the session, the Legislature was projecting a small surplus, a welcome change from the years of deficits due to the economic downturn.

Rather than make cuts to state programs this year, we were able to reverse many that have been made in recent years. This preserved the services citizens expect from their government.

The Legislature was able to approve an overall increase of about 4.6 percent for public schools for the 2013 fiscal year. This offsets the nearly $50 million worth of cuts to education made during last year’s legislative session for the 2012 fiscal year. This may help to relieve the request for increased property tax levies caused by un-funded state mandates.

The Legislature also removed the need for future salary cuts to pay for last year’s education reform laws by funding those reforms.

HB 609 co-sponsored by Sen. Broadsword, restored cuts made last year including reversing a section of HB 260 which forced Medicaid recipients with dual diagnoses of a developmental disability and a mental health problem to choose between those services; and restoring preventative dental care for those on the DD an A & D waivers. Rep. Eskridge and Sen. Keough were able to secure $50,000 of funding for the Lakes Commission, helping address Lake Pend Oreille, Priest Lake and Pend Oreille River water quality and quantity issues.

After three years of deliberation, the House and Senate were finally able to pass legislation to implement a ban on texting while driving.

This legislation, S 1274A, defines texting as, “engaging in the review of, or manual preparation and transmission of, written communications via wireless handheld devices.”

We hope this bill will help all Idahoans understand the serious nature of texting while driving.

The Legislature also passed a measure to lift limits on Idaho’s small breweries that prevent brewers from holding financial stakes in multiple enterprises. Idaho has more than 20 breweries, and passage of this law could generate 25 new jobs almost immediately in northern Idaho. Sen. Keough and Reps. Eskridge and Anderson all sponsored this legislation at the request of Laughing Dog Brewery owner Fred Colby.

The Legislature passed SJM 105, co-sponsored by Rep. Anderson, Sens. Broadsword and Keough, and Rep. Eskridge, which urges Congress to re-examine and reform federal laws that disrespect the role of states and local governments in land management decisions which lead to costly and frivolous lawsuits. Senator Broadsword was also the sponsor of SCR 112, which will develop a statewide plan to address Idaho’s increasing population of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

In November, you will be asked to approve a proposed constitutional amendment, passed by the House and Senate, which preserves Idahoans’ right to hunt, fish, and trap.

This proposal aims to protect Idaho’s way of life from out-of-state groups attempting to dictate Idaho’s laws with radical agendas regarding wildlife and domesticated animals.

Thank you to everyone who contacted us with concerns and ideas. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you all at home.