The Idaho House has voted 58-11 in favor of HB 155, the bill to increase fines for violations of the Idaho Open Meeting Law. Fines for violations would rise from the current $50 to $250; fines for knowing violations would rise from the current $500 to $1,500; and fines for repeated, knowing violations would rise from the current $500 to $2,500.

“For the law to have integrity, these penalties must keep up with inflation, so it’s entirely fitting that we make these changes,” Rep. Linden Bateman, R-Idaho Falls, told the House. No one spoke against the bill; Bateman noted that it cleared the House State Affairs Committee with just one “no” vote.”

Rep. Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, asked several questions, however. When he questioned whether city and county officials support the increased fines, Bateman said no one testified against the bill in committee – all the testimony was in favor. Hartgen asked Bateman, “Is there a provision in the statute to prevent what I call sort of frivolous filings brought by individuals against a public entity that may be inspired by a desire to get back at the entity for some kind of action that the entity took?”

Bateman said, “Violations are rare,” and noted that even when an entity has violated the Open Meeting Law, it can “cure” the violation and avoid fines by re-doing the action properly and legally. “I just don’t know of cases where frivolous actions are being brought forward – I can’t think of a single case right now,” Bateman said.

Though the House committee had objected strongly to the first version of the fine increase bill that Bateman proposed, which called for a ten-fold increase in the fines, it was much more supportive of HB 155. The 11 "no" votes today came from Reps. Anderson, Andrus, Clow, Dayley, Gestrin, Gibbs, Harris, Hartgen, Hixon, Loertscher, and Romrell. The bill now moves to the Senate side.