Idaho has tried to encourage private landowners to allow hunters access to their land with a Landowner Appreciation Program (LAP). This program lets large landowners enter a lottery for game tags in
controlled hunt areas. SB 1283 is being run by Senator Siddoway. It would allow landowners who get the tags by lottery to sell them to the highest bidder.
Fish and Game has come out opposed to this. But it seems from the emails I’m getting that there’s a lot of folks out there mad at Fish and Game. It seems to me the management and protection of our wild herds and game and fish should be of interest to us all. The original purpose of the LAP program was to increase access for hunters onto private land, not enrich the large landowners. Let me know what you think.
Constitutional Amendment Concerns
A freshman senator had a plan to amend the Idaho constitution to say Idahoan’s had a right to hunt fish and trap. When this first came through Senate Resources & Environment Committee, the Minority got an Attorney General opinion on whether the amendment establishing this “right” would make it difficult to charge people to hunt (i.e. buy a license) or limit this “right” (hunting seasons).
The AG had serious concerns that the Idaho Department of Fish and Game would find constitutional problems restricting hunting, fishing and trapping if indeed they were identified as people’s rights. The original Joint Resolution [SJR104] was held and a new one [SJR 105] with different language has been introduced. So our rights will be identified but our ability to regulate and limit those rights will remain.
Ethics Working Group Slowed
I was appointed to the Bipartisan Working Group on Ethics about 5 weeks ago to address ethics reforms. We were supposed to come up with a draft legislation that would reflect our mutual input. At this point we have no future meetings scheduled and no draft legislation has been developed. I was hoping for more by now.
It has been a steep learning curve for me this last year just getting to know the players names and faces, but I have come to learn you also need to know who is related or married or divorced from whom and who they used to work for. It is a small state. Over my years here I got a sense that in Idaho you could get things done based on who you knew,not the merit of your ideas or your honest effort. I want government to treat people fairly. People in government shouldn’t expect special treatment or offer it. This motivated me to work for meaningful ethics reform in this State. I am still hopeful. I’ll share what I can.
Fracking Continues
HB 464 passed out of the House today and will come to the Senate. It takes decisions about control of natural gas development away from the local communities and gives them to the state. It will be
interesting which Senate committee gets this. At this point I oppose this bill. I can see how industry can influence our slim state government. Local officials are most responsive to their neighbors.
Next week budgets will begin to be set in JFAC so we can start moving toward the end of this session. I’m thinking there are about 5 more weeks that you’ll need to be protecting yourselves from our mischief.
I’d also like to mention the Moscow High School Girls Basketball team. They were in Boise for the state tournament and I got enjoy the game Friday night.
I am always available by email or phone. Let me know what you think.
