Tuesday morning's House vote to kill a small fee hike on offenders sought by the Idaho state police academy "might just be the first big 'no new taxes or fees' vote of the 2011 session," writes AP reporter John Miller. "The 'no' vote on a relatively insignificant fee hike — assessed on criminals and other law breakers, no less — left some in the Capitol shaking their heads over the stridency of opposition to new fees or taxes." Click below for his full report.

Idaho House dumps $1.50 hike for police academy
By JOHN MILLER, Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — In what might just be the first big "no new taxes or fees" vote of the 2011 session, the Idaho House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a small fee hike sought by the Idaho state police academy to shore up its dwindling budget.

House members voted 35-31 to dump the Peace Officers Standards and Training academy's plan to boost a fee paid by people found guilty of felonies, misdemeanors or other infractions to $11.50 from $10. This accounts for 72 percent of the academy's total revenue but has 14 declined in recent years.

Idaho State Police Col. Jerry Russell told lawmakers last month that the additional $390,000 to be raised by the increase would help ensure the state offers adequate training programs for law enforcement officers from across Idaho. The academy offers basic and specialized training programs for all commissioned peace officers, adult and juvenile corrections officers, and dispatchers.

But conservative House lawmakers aligned against the measure, sticking to the mantra that Idaho government should live within its means, not look for new sources of funding, during the economic downturn.

"The fact is, a fee is a tax," said House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star. "There's a contingent that keeps bringing these fees and other taxes to backfill the budget cuts."

The vote clearly bodes poorly for proponents of a $1.25-per-pack hike to cigarette taxes, from 57 cents now.

Advocates say it will especially help discourage youth smokers — and raise $50 million to help fill what's now estimated as a $185 million budget gap for fiscal years 2011 and 2012, which starts in July. Smoking-related illness already costs Medicaid some $83 million annually.

The "no" vote on a relatively insignificant fee hike — assessed on criminals and other law breakers, no less — left some in the Capitol shaking their heads over the stridency of opposition to new fees or taxes.

"I guess you can say law enforcement isn't the proper role of government," said House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston.

He's referring to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's oft-repeated line that Idaho must balance its state budget "in a way that fulfills the proper role of government," a main theme of the Republican chief executive's Jan. 10 State of the State speech.

One of the bill's main proponents was Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry and a former Idaho State Police trooper whose sons now work at the law enforcement agency.

Wills, hardly a tax-and-spend liberal, said he's gotten the vote's message loud and clear — fee hikes, regardless of stripe, are doomed.

But he remains concerned this rigid attitude will leave Idaho's police academy with insufficient resources. The facility in Meridian, located west of Boise, is meeting its training demands now, he said. But it won't always be able to keep up. After all, academy funding from the fees and the federal government is due to drop 3 percent to about $4.4 million this year, below 2006 appropriation levels.

"At what point does it become a liability on the streets?" Wills said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.