Dean Mortimer

The 61^st session of the Idaho Legislature has finally come to a close. It went a week longer than many of us thought and proved to be a difficult session.  I would like to share what was accomplished. It was a session filled with challenging decisions based mainly around the constitutional duty to balance the state budget.  It is worth noting that Idaho’s economy is starting to improve, but because savings and federal stimulus dollars were used in the past two years, cuts to all state government budgets were required. 

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) of which I am a member, is responsible for setting the state budget.  We were able to do this without increased taxes.  As many of you have heard, as well as participated in, JFAC held open public hearings on both the education and health and welfare budgets.  This is unprecedented.  Over a thousand Idahoans attended these two hearings on these budgets and thousands more were able to watch on public television or online.  The positive impact can be seen in the many pieces of legislation that were improved through public input, whether through a letter sent, email received, or a testimony given.  A special thanks to those who were involved in this process of self-government.

 Public Education and Health and Welfare reforms dominated most of this legislative session.  There were many days of public testimony for each of these issues and again the testimony and communication of our citizens was extensive. After hours of testimony and deliberation, it was determined that no Medicaid program should be eliminated. Many different programs were reevaluated and reduced in order to balance the budget. Approximately $35 million from the General Fund was removed from the Health and Welfare budget.

 Education reform focused on putting citizens and local districts in control of the educational process. School districts were provided more control in the contracting and budgeting process through openness, flexibility and transparency.  Legislation passed will require that budgets, expenditures and contracts be online for the public to review.  A pay for performance plan was approved that will compensate school employees on student growth and specific objectives predetermined by each local district.  The beginning salary for teachers as well as the salary grid was restored.  The legislature made a supreme effort to fund public education at the highest level possible. 

 A five-year plan for the implementation of technology in the classroom was approved.  Technology is not new to Idaho.  Last year it was recognized as the third best state in the Union for online learning.  Idaho has budgeted between $7-11 million each year for technology since 1995.  For the past two years Idaho has been implementing the Idaho Educational Network which will provide broad band accessibility to all of our high school students by the end of this year.  This will allow all high school students to participate in a myriad of online learning opportunities.  This will permit students from one school to be receiving instruction from a highly effective teacher with students in another school via teleconferencing.  This is already happening today.  This network makes it possible for those districts, large or small, with limited resources to provide their students with an excellent teacher and curriculum that meets each individual student’s needs.  Idaho’s Idaho Digital Learning Academy provided more than 15,000 online courses to Idaho students last year.  These courses are instructed with an Idaho approved teacher and Idaho approved course standards.  We recognize technology doesn’t replace a good teacher or administrator, it only assists and makes the learning process more uniform and challenging.  

The Department of Corrections and Judiciary’s work to reduce substance abuse and provide mental health support remains a bright spot in our state.  Specialized courts, with an understanding of these issues, have reduced recidivism, incarceration, and have assisted in producing more productive and contributing citizens.  Both of these departments are to be complimented for their hard and successful work within current restrictive budgets.  These bright spots in state government and Idaho policies are exemplary for our nation.

 There are a few specific pieces of legislation that might be of interest to you:

1.  An internet filter policy was passed for public libraries to protect minors.  There has not been a state policy at all in the past.  This legislation will ensure that our libraries will continue to be a family friendly environment.
2. There have been many small changes with water law and canal companies. 
3. The right to farm legislation which has been in effect since 1983 was changed to reflect current conditions.
4. State emergency rights to control the wolf population and wild game.
5. Modification of the state day care provisions to clarify rules and allow local communities to have their own standards.
6. New primary election procedures for political parties.

There were just over 350 House bills introduced to print and approximately 210 Senate Bills, plus resolutions, memorials and proclamations.  This is considerably fewer than previous sessions, but the content was more significant.  For a more complete review of bills and journals I urge you to visit www.legislature.idaho.gov.  

The main requirement of any legislative session is to balance the budget.  This was accomplished, while keeping education as whole as possible and providing the funding for public safety and transportation to maintain the basic structure for our state. Health and Welfare spending was reduced while maintaining basic services. Education was a high priority for funding and policy reform. This wasn’t accomplished without a significant amount of effort and struggle. Both the legislature and the public have been very involved with many of these issues. 

I want to express my thanks for your comments and concerns during this difficult legislative session.  I deeply feel the responsibility to represent the constituents of District 32.  I have tried diligently to fulfill that duty with hard work and fairness.  Feel free to contact me at dmortimer@senate.idaho.gov. I am open to your comments, questions, and concerns.

March 30, 2010

The 2010 legislative session has come to a close; I would like to take this opportunity to share some of what the Idaho legislature has accomplished this year.

To start with, State revenues have continued their unprecedented decline over the past year which had a major effect on the General Fund and the decisions we were forced to make. Not only is there no growth in state government, but we have reduced almost $700 million dollars from the General Fund. This has not been easy, but necessary. The original FY 2009 appropriation was set at $2.959 billion and the legislature set the FY 2011 target number at $2.29 billion. It was imperative that we set as realistic and conservative number for the FY 2011 budget as possible because after the budget is set, there is nearly no savings left in the state accounts.

The public education budget was one of the most difficult for most Legislators this year. Even though the public education budget was forced to take a significant reduction, I think the Legislature did everything it could to provide the local school districts with the flexibility that they need to set and control their budgets. It is important that we as a state continue to do everything that we can to provide flexibility and maximize all education spending. We expect the continued progress of our students even with the unfortunate and hopefully short-lived budget reductions. I specifically want to thank those in education for their excellence and service in these difficult times. We did continue to fund, with strict controls, the Idaho Education Network to provide better use of technology and online classes in our schools. We continued to promote dual concurrent enrollment where our high school students can take college courses while still in high school.

This year, Idaho made the national news as the first to pass a Health Care Freedom Act (HB 391), as a preemptive measurement that charges Idaho’s Attorney General to go to court against the federal government for any health care mandates. Given the recent events in Washington D.C., this legislation may prove to be invaluable. This bill is to help ensure Idaho citizens remain free of unconstitutionally based compulsion by their federal government.

The legislature has considered making a number of small changes to Idaho’s Constitution. This requires a referendum, meaning that the changes will be decided by you, as a voter and you can expect to see them on this year’s ballot. I would like to explain a couple of the changes briefly for your benefit.

The first two proposed changes to Idaho’s constitution are Senate Joint Resolution 102 & 103. They both deal with the sale of state land. SJR 103 deals specifically with the sale of university land. SJR 102 deals with the sale of public lands. Both are meant to increase revenues for the State by allowing more flexibility in the process. The changes would allow the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) to act more like a prudent investor when leasing and selling lands and could lead to the state making more money on the 2.6 million acres of State lands in Idaho. These resolutions may not be adopted. You can check their status by reading the website below.

There are three adopted proposed changes to Idaho’s Constitution: House Joint Resolutions 4, 5, and 7. They deal with airports, publically owned hospitals and power cities. With these referendums, an airport would be allowed to incur debt without voter approval as long as the debt is payable solely from airport revenues and not tax funding. HJR 4 deals with the debt incurred by medical facilities. It will allow hospitals that are owned by counties or districts to incur debt without vote, as long as no tax payer money is used to pay for the debt. The third, relates to cities such as Idaho Falls, that own their own municipal power systems to enter into long-term power supply, transmission and other agreements with suppliers without the need for an authorizing election.

Making changes to Idaho’s constitution is a serious matter and is nothing to be taken lightly. That is why the legislature feels it is important to give you, the voter, the chance to have your voice heard on these issues.

We heard the voice of the people on Public Television and reduced the budget and gave direction to become as self supporting as possible. Public Television provides two critical services. It provides coverage of the legislature and serves our rural areas. It also represents our State.

As a summary, I am satisfied with our efforts. We balanced the budget, we kept education as whole as possible, and we provided the minimum funding to maintain safety and corrections for our citizens. We reduced Health and Welfare spending and yet tried to protect crucial services. We maintained and hopefully focused the Parks and Recreation Department. We combined several functions and asked for efficiencies. I want to compliment those who serve us in State government for their willingness to make the changes necessary and still provide their services in a positive way.

I am very grateful for the opportunity I have been given to serve in the Idaho Legislature. I hope to hear your input, concerns, and suggestions. You can still contact me at dmortimer@senate.idaho.gov. For a complete review of bills and journals you can go to www.legislature.idaho.gov.

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) met this morning and voted on FY 2010 and FY 2011′s budget proposals. JFAC agreed to set FY 2010 at $2.28 billion and FY 2011 at $2.29 billion. These numbers are the exact same numbers that were proposed by the Joint Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee but below the Governor’s Proposal by $69 million. I supported these budget projections and hope that we are able to meet these revenue numbers.

Idaho is one of 11 finalists to bring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to our state. Being selected could bring upwards of 3000 jobs to the state! The economic impact of being selected is immense and would guarantee the Air Forces continued existence in this state for the next 40 years. We have been the home of military aviation for over 60 years and we need to continue to show our support. We need to show our support through writing letters to the Air Force, filling out the “I support the F-35 in Idaho” postcards, and letting your local representatives know your thoughts. This is a joint effort between State, Congressional, and Business leaders alike and we need the support of the public as well.

With the never-ending talk about how bad the recession is and how many cuts are being made throughout the state I believe that many people lose sight of some of the great things our state is doing. Idaho compared to many other states is doing very well considering the current times. While some states are selling their public buildings in order to keep their heads above water Idaho has retained a very positive business climate. Even throughout this recession, we have not raised our taxes and we continue to be an attractive location to start, or run, a business. As well as a positive business atmosphere in the state we have been making strides in our Corrections Department also. We have decreased our overall incarcerated population over the last year. The Department of Correction Director, Brent Reinke, has been working closely with the legislature in order to improve efficiency and responsibility throughout his department.

You can monitor legislation on the web at www.legislature.idaho.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any ideas or concerns you may have. It is an honor to serve you and I will do my best to represent your suggestions. If you would like to be added to our contact list please email me at dmortimer@senate.idaho.gov.

It is officially 2010 and the legislative work has been going on for some time. It started with the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee updates in September, then meetings with constituents and organizations that wanted to bring us up to date with issues of concern. October, November and the first of December were filled with dinners and meetings to give us updates on what legislative issues they might bring to the legislature in January. The announcements of meetings during the upcoming session started coming early this year.
I found my time this fall, busier than ever with possible legislative changes brought forth from constituents. Some of those issues are, pornography, school district consolidation, property tax relief for non owner occupied properties, concurrent enrollment for high school students, and child support in new separated couples with children to name just a few.
The discussion of the state budget shortfalls has also been a major topic. It is of grave concern to the legislators about how to balance the budget with shortfalls projected at from 7-9 percent or more.
The legislature convenes on January 12th, but the week before is filled with economic outlook meetings, the open house for the newly remodeled state capital and pre-legislature budget meetings.
I want to invite you to become involved again this session in the process of self government. You can do that by e-mailing me any issues that need to be addressed this year or just your feelings about state government to me at dmortimer@senate.idaho.gov. You can also watch what is happening online live by clicking on the state legislative page and view the Senate, House or JFAC live when they are in session each day. As a reminder I serve on the Joint Finance and Appropriations, Education and Judiciary and Rules Committees.
It is always an opportunity to serve the citizens of this great state. I again pledge my best efforts to represent the constituents of District 32 to the best of my ability.

The last few weeks at the State Legislature have been a lot of work and I seem to learn new things daily. The work in the committees at times feels endless but Joint Appropriations and Finance Committee (JFAC) is just wrapping up hearing reports from all the state departments and we are listening to discussion on the stimulus package. We are preparing to set the state budgets for 2009 and as I am sure everyone knows the decisions this year are not easy ones. As a representative of the people, one must make decisions at times that people do not agree with, but I strive daily to make sure that all my constituents are in the best possible situation in these tough economic times.

Through all the trouble and strife that everyone keeps talking about I still have a firm belief in the “light at the end of the tunnel.” We WILL get through this recession and we WILL come out stronger then before due to the resiliency and hard work of the Idaho citizens.

We have considered some important issues thus far in this session and I would like to
make you aware of some of them. Here are a few examples:

HJM-002: Regarding the 60th anniversary of the Idaho National Laboratory.

S1011: Regarding moving the Idaho State Historical Society from under the State
Board of Education to the Department of Self- Governing Agencies.

S1013: Moved the Commission for Libraries within the Department of Self- Governing
Agencies.

If you want to see how I voted on an issue go to the state’s webpage at: www.legislature.idaho.gov. I encourage you to look and please send me your thoughts,
comments, concerns to my email at dmortimer@senate.idaho.gov or feel free to write
me a letter at Dean Mortimer, Capitol Annex, P.O. Box 83720, Boise, Idaho
83720-0081. I value your input and will always keep it in mind while voting for you.

As always I want to thank you for the opportunity to represent you in the
legislative process. I recognize the responsibilty and take it seriously. I pledge
my best efforts and time.