The salamander strikes back

BOISE - The House State Affairs Committee has revived a grade school student's bill to designate the Idaho giant salamander as the state amphibian.

The same committee had voted 10-6 in late January to block the bill, citing concerns about federal overreach. But the committee pulled an about-face Wednesday by voting to send it to the House floor for a full vote.

Chairman Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, said if lawmakers have time to talk about diapers, then they have time to talk about salamanders.

A resolution on Diaper Need Awareness Week passed the House on Tuesday.

Reps. Don Cheatham, R-Post Falls; Kathy Sims, R-Coeur d'Alene; and Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, all sit on the State Affairs Committee and voted against hearing the bill in January.

Cheatham and Sims reversed their votes on Wednesday, but Barbieri again voted no.

Cheatham said he decided to change his mind after doing a little research on how the salamander may affect water rights litigation in North Idaho.

"That is less of a concern for me now," Cheatham said, adding the whole process taught him a lot.

"That was the first bill I had to deal with when I got down here," he said. "I didn't want to pass a bill that could have unexpected and unintended consequences."

But since the student that was pushing the legislation had been doing it for so long, Cheatham thought she should have an opportunity to move the bill through the legislative process.

Ilah Hickman, 14, has been trying to persuade lawmakers for five years to choose the salamander, which lives exclusively in Idaho and can live to be more than a foot long.

Sims felt that Hickman should have a chance to get her bill through as well.

"It was encouragement from other legislators that changed my mind," Sims said, explaining her vote reversal. "So I just took one for the team."

Barbieri could not be reached for comment Wednesday.