Stunned backers of the governor's gas tax bill said they hope the governor will be able to come up with some kind of plan that will clear the House. “I’ll continue to work with the governor’s office to see if there’s another proposal that would be acceptable, because the problem is not going to go away,” said Rep. Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly. “We’re still at a funding crisis in transportation here in Idaho.” North Idaho lawmakers split right down the middle on the governor's gas tax bill, which went down 27-43, and only three Democrats in the House voted in favor of the bill; House Speaker Lawerence Denney had estimated he'd need nine Democratic votes to get the bill through the House because of opposition in his own party. The debate, which lasted close to two hours, included 11 representatives speaking in favor of the bill, and 10 against. Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com.

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