Money, power, humility and budgets - that’s this week’s episode of “Legislative Breakdown.” In this week's podcast, Samantha Wright and Boise State Political Science Professor Gary Moncrief are joined by special guest, co-chair of the powerful Joint Finance Appropriations Committee, Representative Maxine Bell of Jerome.
Bell has served in the Idaho Legislature for 15 terms – 30 years at the state capitol. She’s been co-chair of the budget-setting committee since 2001.
She says it’s a big responsibility for a citizen legislator and she takes it very seriously.
“There are people who only want to be safe, there are people who only want their children to have a better education than they did and there are people who don’t want potholes and they’re at my mercy,” Bell says.
Bell talks about how the committee, known as JFAC, works. And she talks about her plan to retire at the end of the year, leaving a vacuum of knowledge on the budget panel.
Join us for the “Legislative Breakdown” podcast every Friday.
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