Keough to lead budget committee

BOISE (AP) — Republican state Sen. Shawn Keough of Sandpoint has been appointed to co-chair Idaho’s powerful budget-setting committee.

“I’m honored to have been appointed and humbled to serve,” Keough said of her appointment to the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee. “Sen. Dean Cameron left some big shoes to fill with his stable leadership as the previous chairman.”

Keough’s appointment as co-chair was announced Monday by Idaho Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill of Rexburg. Cameron, a longtime legislator from Rupert, left the Idaho Legislature earlier this year to lead the state Department of Insurance.

Keough said her focus in the chairmanship will be the same as the past 10 years during her time as the committee’s vice chair. She was appointed to the committee in 2001 and became vice chair in 2005.

“My focus will be to work to be a responsible steward of our tax dollars while recognizing that the services Idahoans expect as the proper role for state government need to be funded in a prudent manner,” she added.

Keough has served 20 years in the Idaho Statehouse, making her the longest-serving female senator in Idaho’s history.

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Keough will join Republican Rep. Maxine Bell of Jerome in leading the legislative panel. Keough will also be working closely with Republican Sen. Dan Johnson, who was bumped up to vice-chair — Keough’s former position — of the budget committee.

Looking ahead to the fall JFAC meeting in October, as well as the 2016 legislative session, which convenes Jan. 11, Keough said the state is in a better place that during the “Great Recession.”

“Many areas of Idaho are experiencing a positive rebound in the economy,” she said. “This is a better place to be than where we were during the ‘Great Recession’ but we need to recognize that not every corner of Idaho is rebounding or doing better. As always, we’ll need to work to be realistic and conservative with the money taxpayers send in.”

Committee chairs are coveted positions in the Statehouse because they have the rare power to kill any bill that crosses their desk. In Idaho’s Republican-dominated Statehouse, this means it’s more likely for a chairman to allow a hearing for politically favorable bills like a new tax break.

Meanwhile, unpopular legislation proposals such as raising the minimum wage or expanding Medicaid eligibility have been killed by chairmen unwilling to anger their Republican caucus or risk slowing down how quickly lawmakers can adjourn.

Chairmanships and committee assignments are typically finalized every two years following the fall election. However, after two veteran senators left the Idaho Statehouse earlier this year, Senate leadership was tasked with reorganizing each legislative panel. This set off a domino of changes, where members were shuffled to fill the missing holes.

Along with Keough’s appointment, Hill selected Republican Sen. Jim Patrick of Twin Falls to oversee the Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee. Patrick replaces former GOP Sen. John Tippets of Bennington, who left to be director of Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality.

• Staff writer Caroline Lobsinger contributed to this story.