The House Education Committee has voted 11-6 to kill HB 411, the bill to expand and change Idaho's' community college boards. Before the vote, Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, told the committee he's received more than 40 emails from people who want more representation from "the outlying areas" when community college boards vote on budgets and taxes.
 
Rep. Jim Marriott, R-Blackfoot, who moved to kill the bill, said, "As I've listened to the testimony today here, it appears this bill is to solve a communication problem in your area, between the North (Idaho) College and what's there, and it doesn't really have a problem in the other areas. I feel to take a bill to solve one part of the state's problem to the other areas is not really the way to do that."

Rep. Pete Nielsen, who supported the bill, said, "This is an agricultural state. It is  moving fastly towards urban control and that's what we don't want to have happen." The bill was strongly opposed by all three of the state's community colleges, who said it would grow government, increase their costs, and reduce local control.
 

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