Oddly, the Senate sponsor of HB 404, the anti-Occupy Boise bill, is Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d'Alene, whose district is 400 miles away from the Occupy Boise site. Hammond said he "drew the short straw." He said, "Nobody wanted to do it, so I volunteered." This was at a Senate GOP caucus. Quipped Hammond, "I'm thinking I might be able to use that as a bargaining tool for something else I don't want to do."

On a more serious note, he said, "These people, I have a great deal of respect for how they have handled this whole issue, from beginning to end." He hasn't change his mind that the state should ban camping on the Capitol Mall grounds. The bill is headed for the Senate's amending order, at which any senator may offer an amendment; the Senate's two highest-ranking  leaders have said they'd like to do so. Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, favors changes to the property-seizure portion of the bill, and Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, proposes eliminating the bill's emergency clause.