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Legislative smorgasbord

| September 26, 2018 1:00 AM

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Watts

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

COEUR d'ALENE — Liquor licenses, the local option sales tax, public school funding formula, continued technical education investments and changes in committee leadership are expected to be among the highlights of the 2019 Legislature, a lobbyist told local business leaders on Tuesday.

John Watts, Idaho Chambers Alliance lobbyist, delivered Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls chambers of commerce members a peek at the upcoming session during the nonprofits' Legislative Forum at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn.

Due to resignations and upsets during the primary, Watts said six, possibly seven, out of the 14 House committees will have a new chairperson.

In the Senate, two of the 10 committees will have a new chairperson for sure, but the domino effect could make as many as six slots up for grabs.

"It's important that everybody votes (in November) because there's high stakes when there are that many chairs open," Watts said, adding that he can't recall a session in his 35 years of legislative involvement when there's been so much pending change in leadership.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations, Education, Commerce, Energy and Technology, Government, State Affairs and Ways and Means committees will have openings in the House.

The Finance and State Affairs committees in the Senate will have guaranteed new leaders.

The local option sales tax, a special-purpose tax levied at the city or county level, will be debated by legislators again, Watts said. Examples of how it would be used include funding for improving roads or improving a downtown area.

"It would be for infrastructure only, not ongoing maintenance and operations," Watts said. "There would be public hearings on the projects, then the city or county would put it on the ballot."

Part of the debate will be whether to require a simple majority or supermajority by the voters for proposals to pass, Watts said.

Watts said he expects multiple bills that will aim to decrease property taxes due to some residents’ belief that local government has too much money now.

A public school funding formula is expected to be discussed as there have been hearings across the state, he said.

“It affects every community,” he said. “You’ll see a lot of energy about this.”

Watts said he expects a bill that attempts to address the "vibrant secondary market" for liquor licenses to come forward.

Some believe Idaho's 70-year-old system of issuing liquor licenses is flawed because it only gives out a single license for every 1,500 residents of cities.

The quota system has resulted in long waiting lists, spawning complaints that the system meant to promote "temperance and morality" has instead created bidding wars. Some licenses have been sold for as high as $300,000.

Watts said he's unsure if a grocery sales tax effort will be revived.

"It's still a very real issue (for Idaho border communities impacted by lower or no sales tax in neighboring states)," he said.

Dwight Johnson, Idaho's director for Career Technical Education, said several strides have been made to train students for high-demand, high-paying jobs in the field and he hopes that momentum continues in the next session. Additional funds through the Legislature will be sought to support programs from middle school to college to increase awareness, apprenticeships and admissions.

Johnson praised North Idaho College for setting a precedent for the rest of the state with the Parker Technical Education Center next to the Kootenai Technical Education Campus in Rathdrum.

He said that model is now being followed in other areas of the state.

The Idaho Department of Labor estimates 105,000 new jobs will be created in the state through 2026, but only 90,000 people will enter the workforce.

"We have a workforce shortage, so we need to make sure the 90,000 coming in have the skills necessary to fill the jobs that are created," Johnson said.