Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo, asked to return HB 449, an Idaho State Police bill imposing new fees on drug offenders, to the Senate Judiciary Committee today, saying the bill's authors and sponsors have discovered problems with the measure as drafted; it was on the Senate's amending order. Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, objected. "I think there is perhaps a better purpose of the legislation," she told the Senate. She already had an amendment to the measure prepared and submitted, she said - to add the "Add The Words" human rights legislation into the bill, expanding Idaho's Human Rights Act to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill would impose a $20 fee on all misdemeanor or felony drug violations, to raise about $250,000 a year to fund narcotics enforcement efforts by the Idaho State Police, including drug buys and surveillance. LeFavour's attempt to block the bill from being sent back to committee failed on a 31-4 vote.