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Shawn
Keough's report from Boise |
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February 19, 2017 |
By Idaho Senator Shawn Keough
Greetings from our state Capitol! Thank you to
those who have contacted me to let me know your
perspectives on the idea of renaming our Long
Bridge across the Pend Oreille River the
Veterans’ Memorial Long Bridge. I appreciate
hearing from you.
So far, most of the response has been that
though we support our veterans and their
sacrifices renaming the Long Bridge is not
desired. Most feel that the name “Long Bridge”
is historic and should remain unchanged.
Some add that it would likely be called the Long
Bridge even if the name was changed and so the
goal of honoring our veterans would not be
achieved. Still others articulated that our
Veterans’ Memorial Field in Sandpoint is one
place to focus showing our gratitude to our
veterans as well as appreciating them each and
every day.
Thank you again for your feedback.
The deadline for introductions of the bills to
be considered — with exceptions for the budget
bills and a few last minute stragglers — has now
passed. 573 bills have been prepared as I write
this on Friday, February 17.
This is fewer than last year’s 707 but more than
this time of the session in 2015. Of the 573
bills that have been prepared, only 322 of those
have been actually introduced.
Much of my work is focused on setting our
state’s budget as I’m co-chair of our Joint
Finance and Appropriations Committee.
We have completed our budget hearing process and
beginning Tuesday, February 21, we will start
setting the budgets for the state fiscal year
which begins July 1.
There are 104 budget bills that make up our
state’s budget. One of my responsibilities as
the co-chair is to make certain all 104 budget
bills — or some alternative to them should they
fail to pass — makes it all the way to the
governor’s desk by the time the Legislature
completes its work at the end of March.
In the budget process I’m looking out for our
statewide needs for funding the services we
expect from our government, producing a balanced
budget and being a wise steward of the public’s
tax dollars.
I’m also paying attention to the needs we have
at home in our legislative district. One of
those needs that impact us — and the entire
state — is to try our hardest to keep aquatic
invasive species from entering our water ways.
A few weeks ago we learned that the Department
of Agriculture was running short on money to run
the boat inspection stations. On Monday, I will
be introducing a bill to secure the additional
funds we need to get our boat stations open and
underway for the summer.
I have support of many other legislators in this
effort. We will also be proposing to add three
new stations in light of the recent discovery of
quagga mussel larvae in the Canyon Ferry
Reservoir near Helena, Montana.
These three new stations, combined with the
others will place a station on almost every
major route that a boat is likely to be hauled
into our state. This is a situation of pay me
now or pay me later. We can invest in prevention
and efforts to keep these invasives out of our
state or we can pay millions more later to try
to mitigate the damage they will do to our water
ways, our drinking water intakes and much more.
I’m about out of space and there is so much more
activity occurring at your state legislature.
With the internet, the miles between us and the
Capitol can be shrunk and you can keep tabs on
the work being done at the Legislature’s
website:
www.legislature.idaho.gov.
You can see all the bills, the meeting agendas,
listen to committee hearings, watch the work on
the Senate and House floors, email your
legislators — or every legislator if you wish to
— and even construct your own list of bills
you’d like to keep track of if you are not
interested in every one of them on the list.
I encourage you to stay tuned and to stay in
touch. I can be contacted via our Information
Center as follows: Toll free 1-800-626-0471 or
via email at
idleginfo@lso.idaho.gov. I can be reached
directly at
skeough@senate.idaho.gov.
Please let me know your thoughts, concerns, and
positions on the bills of interest to you as the
session moves forward. I look forward to hearing
from you. |
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