Idaho House overrides Gov. Little's veto, passes restrictive bill on citizen initiatives
After Gov. Brad Little's veto, the House was not about to let House Bill 214 go gently into the good night, voting 62 to 7 to override the veto -- far more than the required two-thirds margin.
The legislation would reduce the power of the Idaho Tax Commission chairman who is appointed by the governor and give more authority to the three other commissioners.
"The chairman remains the administrative head but with 214, he must have approval from other commissioners for his unilateral actions," said lead sponsor Rep. Dustin Manwaring (R) Pocatello.
The governor earlier hit the bill with his veto stamp, saying it does nothing more than add red tape. The bill now goes back to the Senate where it easily passed last month, 23 to 9.
The House also hotly debated Senate Bill 1110, which would require signatures of 6% of registered voters in all 35 of Idaho’s legislative districts to get a citizens' initiative on the Idaho ballot.
"What SB1110 does do is make sure all corners of Idaho have a say in this formation of Idaho law," said sponsor Rep. James Addis, (R) Coeur d' Alene.
But opponents say it would be the most restrictive citizen initiative law in the country -- making impossible the expression of the people.
"You can't take away a constitutional right through statute," said Rep. Ilana Rubel, (D) Boise. "This puts so many barriers in place. If you want to take it away through the (Idaho) Constitution, put it on the ballot and ask the people if they want to take away their own right. I dare you."
The House took a break from debate to have lunch. After lunch, the debate continued and the House voted 51 to 18 in favor of the proposal
The bill, already passed by the Senate, now heads to the governor's desk.
And the big question is will Gov. Little veto the measure.
Gov. Little vetoed even tougher legislation to restrict the initiative process in 2019.
