By Tom Loertscher

Another session of the Idaho Legislature is “In the can,” as Rush Limbaugh would put it. And as the end was getting closer this week, it was interesting to see the comments of the editorialists trying to describe the results. One I read today for instance labeled it the “worst session in a generation,” enumerating our “failures” along with several not so complementary remarks about House Leadership. Other items I read indicated that we had really done nothing, and some folks I know were quick to point out that if that were the case, it would be a good thing. From where I stood it sure didn’t seem like nothing.

From my perspective there were some good things enacted and some not so good. There were even a few things that almost made it, but then you know that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. If you and I were to look at the list of bills passed this year and pick out what we each thought was good and bad I am sure our lists would be different. At least this year the list is a lot shorter than previous years.

One item I think most would agree on as positive would be that the overall Health And Welfare budget was held under a six percent increase this year. Double digit increases have been the order of things for a long time now. A disappointment we may also be able to agree on was holding teacher salary increases to three percent while state employees received a five percent boost. Please don’t ask me to explain the rational for that one, even though I’ve heard some attempts.

We did manage to put you in debt for the next twenty plus years for building roads to the tune of two hundred fifty million dollars. What is little appreciated is that by this action we have committed ourselves to borrowing upwards of a billion dollars just to complete the projects begun with the two fifty. As an old banker friend of mine used to tell my dad and me each year as we signed on the dotted line, “Gentlemen, this is a lot of money, and you shouldn’t borrow it all.” I voted no.

Speaking of debt, the capitol restoration and expansion project, in scaled down form, will commence very shortly now, as soon as the occupants can be moved to other quarters. This too is done with borrowed money to be paid back by our faithful smoking public. I could have supported the renovation, and even though it will provide nice new digs for the legislature, the expansion just seems excessive with other facilities nearby. One fellow commented to me that with more space, the legislature will end up needing more staff and more of everything. Sort of, “If you build they will grow.”

The session this year had a much different feel. No matter what you might have read about House leadership, I think this is one of the hardest working teams I have seen in a while. One very noticeable thing was that the agenda flowed smoothly, just keeping at it day after day, at a steady pace.

This being the last legislative session to be convened in the capitol for at least two years, we paused the other day for a bit of a ceremony. Rep. Ken Andrus’ wife Colleen was invited to the chamber to sing the Star Spangled Banner. It was a rare moment and brought a lump to the throat of all. It’s a grand old building, and what a rare privilege to serve there.