House lawmakers would no longer be able to bypass the committee process with certain legislation under a new bill introduced Tuesday morning.
Last year, far-right lawmakers delayed proceedings for hours by trying to bring bills to the House floor that hadn’t received public hearings. Most often, the tactic was used to try to consider a bill to repeal Idaho’s sales tax on groceries.
House tradition allows legislators to introduce so-called personal bills without committee approval on the condition they won’t be considered. Normally, a committee must vote to introduce any piece of legislation.
Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa), who backs the rules change, called the attempts a “charade” during Tuesday’s House State Affairs Committee meeting.
“It was wrong and it was misleading to the public,” said Crane. “Government is confusing for individuals already and it’s my desire to make this a more transparent and easy to understand process.”
Rep. Heather Scott (R-Blanchard) was among those who tried and failed to use the tactic last year. To her, the problem is committee chairs shouldn’t be able to kill bills without a hearing.
“They’re making decisions that they don’t like your idea or your citizens’ ideas and refuse to hear them,” Scott said.
Limiting the power wielded by committee chairs will be a focus of recently elected state GOP chair Dorothy Moon.
In a press conference Monday morning, Moon said the party apparatus will be keeping a “watchful eye” on Republican legislators, ensuring they toe the party’s platform.
Other tenets include only recognizing marriages between men and women, regardless of federal law or U.S. Supreme Court precedent, banning transition-related care for minors and supporting the criminalization of all abortions with no exceptions for rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is threatened.
If they don’t, “Hell hath no fury like a chairwoman scorned,” Moon said.
Crane’s proposal, which also limits legislators to three personal bills per year, will not receive a public hearing.
It could be considered by the entire House later this week.
