Sun sets on successful legislative session

Saturday, April 5, had many long-distance legislators traveling home since the session ended Friday afternoon. 

Overall sentiment is that the session was very successful. A great many new bills were passed, and some problematic legislation was revised. There were nearly 800 bills proposed of which the Legislature took up something over 300. Many legislators, like myself, spent a great deal of time reading legislation to gain an appropriate understanding before voting. I saw a lot of that going on in Boise. And I was encouraged by it. Bills ran the gamut from legalizing chickens in the backyard to putting proper sideboards around Medicare, making sure that it was available for those who most need it. 

A couple of interesting bills that I think people will be truly grateful for, like H354, which revised the way the board of equalization works. Coming from the statement of purpose, the legislation provides that the burden of proof shifts on appeal from the taxpayer to the county assessor if the increase in value exceeds 10% of the value from the previous year, and the increase resulted at least in part from the assessor failing to use the required equalization methods. Second, it clarifies Idaho Code, which removed the April 15 homeowner’s exemption deadline for existing homes (properties going from rental to a primary residence). 

It does this by directing all 44 counties and the State Tax Commission to implement the homeowner’s exemption in a uniform manner by including the new formula (levy rates multiplied by the value of the home, either with or without the homeowner’s exemption, multiplied by the days of ownership, divided by 365 or 366 days). Further, it continues to allow the assessor to assess the property within 90% to 110% of its actual value, but now also requires the commercial assessments and the private assessments to be within 5% of each other’s target values. 

One of the bills that I ran, which made it through the process successfully, was Senate Bill 1021, which was run on the Senate side by Senator Shippey. Prior to 2020, if a family had parents who wished to give their child over for adoption, or if a child was in Health and Welfare foster care, the decision to terminate parental or agency control and transfer the child into a willing, loving home could be accomplished with one hearing. 

The state courts decided, after 2020 that since that particular action was not enshrined in statute, it would now require two hearings. This would mean that a child would be held in limbo for up to four more months. My bill, very simply put into statute, that termination from willing parents who did not feel they were able to properly care for the child and adoption into another willing home could again be accomplished in a single hearing. It passed in the Senate unanimously and in the House unanimously. 

All the bills aside, though, one of the things that I saw in the Legislature that was at once heartening and delightful was the way both sides of the aisle came together when one of the representatives was going through a very difficult series of cancer treatments and diagnoses. And during that time, she lost her father. We had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time praying for her, encouraging her, and offering help and assistance. A group of men from both sides of the aisle voluntarily showed solidarity with her by having their heads shaved, demonstrating camaraderie for the difficult treatments she was going through. 

When it was all said and done, after all the difficult legislation, good legislation, and debating was put to rest, the Idaho Legislature showed, in my view, remarkable compassion and a deliberate desire to truly serve the people of Idaho. Despite being spread over a state of 84,000 miles, the Legislature is truly representative of the varied needs and perspectives that make up the polity of our state. 

It was a privilege to serve and be useful to the citizens of District 1. I answered many emails and phone calls and discovered early on that I couldn’t answer them all. So I created a newsletter and a Substack that I was able to use to more effectively answer the questions and concerns I received. I intend to continue that throughout the entire time I am in my office, including the off-season. If you would like to be put on the newsletter or have access to my Substack, simply send an email to my legislative email address: crasor@house.idaho.gov 

Rep. Cornel Rasor represents Bonner and Boundary counties in District 1. He can be reached at crasor@house.idaho.gov or by phone at 208-332-1185.