The controversial Common Core standards, in place in Idaho schools since September, promise to remain a hot topic when the Idaho State Legislature convenes on Jan. 6 for the 2014 session.

State legislators representing Kootenai County constituents say they expect the education issue to be at the forefront of discussions in Boise, along with the budget and Medicaid.

Local lawmakers also have a few proposals of their own they hope to bring forward during the session.

Sen. Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, said he plans to introduce a pair of bills that would require drug testing for those who receive cash benefits from the government. Specifically these would apply to two programs: Temporary Assistance to Families in Idaho and unemployment compensation.

Vick identified the state budget as the No. 1 issue for the upcoming session. He said that a small amount of additional money has become available - more than first anticipated - and that he has already been contacted by schools, prison correctional officers and members of the judicial system regarding the possibility of their receiving some of this money.

"I also think Common Core will be a big issue for us," Vick said. "It's controversial and it kind of changes the way kids are taught and what they're taught. Any time you make a change like that, there are people for it and people against it."

Vick said he expects lawmakers will also focus on health care and Medicaid.

"Medicaid is the big challenge because it continues to grow and take a larger and larger portion of our budget," he said.

Another Dalton Gardens Republican, Rep. Vito Barbieri, said there might be some "noise" during the upcoming session about fixing issues involved with the state health insurance exchange, although he didn't know if that would qualify for the hot-issue category.

"The education issue with Common Core, however, will probably be tied in with the budget," he said. "The leadership has said they're going to reach a final resolution of the education budget early in the session so that we will not have an extended length of the session, but I think it will get contentious early if the taxpayers prevail on the legislators regarding their concerns about Common Core.

"Also, they say Medicaid expansion will not be an issue this year, but I'm sure the Democrats will bring it up."

He said that he himself is currently working on introducing legislation involving the ability to amend bills on their way through the House.

"It's a matter of whether to follow Idaho tradition in how amendments are done or whether to follow Mason's Procedural Rules," he said. "It's also my understanding that a gun rights bill will be brought forward this session and that it has a pretty good chance of success this year."

Barbieri said he supports legislation to keep taxes down and rejects federal funding for Idaho projects.

"We have to start saying 'no' to the federal government regarding its mandates. It's as simple as that," he said.

Rep. Ed Morse, R-Hayden, said that regarding the budget, he expects the state to be facing more need than revenue.

"To be thrifty," he said, "we will probably not deal with many tax issues, though there will be a bill presented by Sen. (Chuck) Winder that will allow a local option tax and I think that that will get a lot of interest."

The Department of Commerce will be coming forward with a bill to provide incentives for job creation and economic development, Morse said. He suspects that measure will generate a lot of attention and activity.

Morse plans to introduce several pieces of legislation. One will restrict the use of exploding targets on forest lands during Idaho's closed fire season, from May 10 to Oct. 20, when permits are required for nearly all types of burning other than recreational campfires.

Another Morse proposal will require more specific financial disclosures and auditing requirements for units of local government.

"I'm also presently researching a bill I hope to put forward that will mandate additional anti-fraud measures in the Department of Health and Welfare," Morse said.

"I've been told the session will be short, but that remains to be seen," he said.

Sen. John Goedde, a Coeur d'Alene Republican, thinks education will be a dominant issue for lawmakers again this year.

He said an education task force has come forth with 20 recommendations to improve kindergarten through 12th grade education, which should be implemented within five years. The estimated cost ultimately, if all 20 recommendations are adopted, would be $350 to $400 million a year.

He said legislation has already been drafted to put some of the recommendations in place, but no funding source has been designated.

"It's not sound policy to implement major education reform without designating a funding source for it," said Goedde, who has spent about a decade as chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

He pointed out the Legislature already approved a mandate for new teachers to be mentored, which costs approximately $2 million a year.

However, the Legislature has only appropriated funding for the mentoring twice. The local school districts have had to come up with funding if there is no appropriation, he said.

He said there have been more years when there has been no appropriation than years there has been one.

"I certainly don't want to see that same scenario played out again," Goedde said.

In the context of the debate around Common Core education standards, he said he plans to bring forward a data security bill to protect students' personal data.

His bill would identify what data can be sent out and how it can be used, he said.

The bill will be similar to legislation that has already passed in Oklahoma, Goedde said.

Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, who suffered a broken hip three weeks ago while on vacation in Hawaii, said he is up and walking and feeling fine.

"I'll miss the first two weeks of the upcoming session, but I'm appointing John Chambers to take my place for that period of time. John has been sort of semi-retired from Ground Force Manufacturing and he's very well qualified to participate in the legislation that will come up in the first two weeks or so."

Henderson said he thinks the issue of Medicaid expansion will prove to be a significant one during the session. "I have no idea and no opinion on how that will go, though," he said.

Henderson said he plans to support the proposed Department of Commerce legislation involving economic development.

"It will make Idaho competitive with our neighboring states in the recruitment of new businesses and the support of existing ones," he said.

It will also create jobs, he said: "The people of this state badly need more jobs and especially more good-paying jobs."

According to Rep. Ron Mendive, R-Coeur d'Alene, the Education Committee will be the busiest committee this year. A first-termer on the committee himself, he said, "Education's always big and always has a number of issues to be dealt with.

"It's about money. Everything's about money. When it comes to education, there are lots of things it would be nice to do. The question, however, is whether we can afford to do them."

Mendive also said that as soon as the Legislature goes back to work, the House Commerce and Human Resources Committee is planning a joint session with the Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee to take up the issue of compensation for state employees.

"This concerns almost 18,000 employees," he said, "and the last year state employees received a raise was 2008. Of course, there's always a question of whether there are sufficient funds in the pot for it or not."

Another potential issue for the upcoming session is the Second Amendment. "There is concern about some federal intrusion on the Second Amendment," Mendive said. "I expect we might spend some time on that."

Mendive said he and several others have been working on new legislation he expects to propose. He added, however, that he wasn't ready yet to announce exactly what the nature of this legislation might be.

"The people I've spoken with about the 2014 session say that it could be a pretty quiet session and that it might even end on time.

"Famous last words, right?"