Only to educate, not to promote

By KEITH COUSINS

Hagadone News Network

COEUR d’ALENE — Legislation forbidding government entities’ use of taxpayer dollars to promote bond and levy property tax measures is headed to the Idaho House of Representatives.

The bill, Republican Rep. Jason Monks of Nampa, says school districts and cities are improperly using taxpayer dollars to influence, rather than educate, the public on bond and levy measures. After two weeks of debate, the House State Affairs Committee voted Feb. 28 to send the bill, with amendments, before the full House for additional discussion and a vote.

Throughout the debate, the committee heard opposing testimony from groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho and the Idaho School Board Association, whose members are worried the bill will create fear among public workers and kept them from speaking out on bond and levy issues.

Rep. Paul Amador, R-Coeur d’Alene, told The Press Friday that, although he believes the bill has noble intentions, he is still working with his colleagues in Boise to better understand the implications of the proposed legislation.

“I am concerned that some of the language in the current draft will have unintended consequences related to freedom of speech issues and the division of public and private time, facility use, and proximity,” he said, adding the bill is still in a state of continuous change.

The Idaho Freedom Foundation — a Boise-based, nonprofit, conservative advocacy group ­— has been vocal this session in its support for the bill. Vice President Fred Birnbaum told The Press Friday the Idaho Freedom Foundation has identified examples throughout the state where taxpayer money is being used to impact the outcomes of bond and levy elections.

“We don’t like the government putting their thumb on the scale of bond and levy measures at the ballot box. This legislation addresses that,” he said.

Birnbaum also noted the states surrounding Idaho all have statutes on the book related to the topic. He also said the amendments to the legislation address some of the concerns by allowing public officials to express their personal opinions on the measures.

However, in his capacity as the Region 1 chair of the Idaho School Board Association, Tom Hearn said he and the organization believe the bill is a “frontal assault” on school districts. Hearn, who also serves on the Coeur d’Alene School Board, said he believes the bill creates a transparency issue.

“We feel like we need to be transparent about how we’re going to spend this money, and this does not allow us to do that,” Hearn said.

According to Hearn, school districts need to use their resources to send out mailers and other information on bond and levy measures.

“I understand that if we were spending large amounts of money for it, it can be seen as problematic,” Hearn added. “But all we’ve been doing is providing information.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.