IAC Legislative Committee Sets 2023 Priorities

Last Wednesday, the IAC Legislative Committee met in Boise to set priorities for the upcoming legislative committee.

The membership approved sixteen legislative resolutions at the IAC Annual Conference. IAC Affiliates agreed to take the lead on seven resolutions, leaving nine for the legislative committee to consider for prioritization.

After a robust, thorough discussion regarding all nine resolutions, the legislative committee prioritized the five resolutions listed below. Due to feasibility considerations, these priorities may need adjusting after leadership races in the House and Senate in early December. As it currently stands, here are the 2023 IAC Legislative Priorities in no particular order.

IGA-04 Election Recount Fees

Currently, county clerks may charge $100 per precinct when an election recount is requested. This amount was put into law in 1957. The current $100 fee per precinct does not begin to cover costs. IGA-04 proposed the $100 fee rise to $400-$500. This increase would save taxpayer dollars, shifting the costs associated with the recount to the requester instead of county taxpayers. This fee would not apply to elections with a 0.10 percent vote margin since, according to law, candidates may request a recount at no expense to the candidates.

IGA-06 Eliminate Preliminary Levy Rate

IGA-06 proposes reverting the levy calculation process to how it was calculated before HB389 with a caveat. House Bill 389 (passed in 2021) changed how to calculate levy rates creating a new preliminary levy rate. In keeping with House Bill 389‘s original intent, instead of multiplying the entire value of new construction by the prior year’s levy rate, 90 percent of new construction would be multiplied by the preceding year’s levy rate. All other aspects of House Bill 389, including the eight percent cap on property tax budgets, would remain intact, as would restrictions on forgone and urban renewal.

IGA-07 Clean Up House Bill 735.

House Bill 735 was a priority for IAC last year. Upon passage, a few outstanding issues were discovered that need resolution. IGA-07 will place the definition of reimbursement into the jail medical statute to allow the pricing policy to remain. In addition, the $5 seatbelt fine currently routed to the CAT Fund will be diverted to a different fund once the CAT program is repealed. Other CAT funding also needs repealing once the program ends. IGA-07 also will put a policy in place to take care of any CAT settlement offers and any litigation that may arise after the repeal of the CAT Board.

IGA-11 Nicotine Vapor Products Tax

IGA-11 would define “Nicotine vapor product” in Idaho Code to include vaping liquids containing nicotine intended for use in e-cigarettes and vaporizer equipment. The products would be taxed at the same level as tobacco products. The distribution of funds will be the same as it is for tobacco products.

IGA-18 Homeowners Exemption Cleanup HB562

Currently, there is an active lawsuit between Latah/Lincoln Counties and the State Tax Commission regarding the original intent of HB562. IGA-18 would create a uniform, prorated system for implementing a new homeowner’s exemption.

After prioritization, the eleven remaining resolutions, including the seven resolutions that affiliates agreed to carry, are now considered official policy for 2023. As such, this means IAC fully supports these resolutions. IAC policy staff will watch for opportunities to push these resolutions through as opportunities arise and time allows. Since IAC policy staff time is limited, most of their time and efforts will focus on the IAC priorities.

If you have any questions about the 2023 IAC Legislative Package, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your representatives on the IAC Legislative Committee as well as any member of IAC’s policy staff.

See and download more photos from the committee meeting on our Flickr page.