Law eases rules on offender registry
Young adults convicted of statutory rape won’t need to register as sex offenders if their case meets requirements outlined in legislation recently signed into law by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.
SB 1425 eliminates the sex offender registration requirement for 19- and 20-year-olds found guilty of statutory rape who are within three years of age of their partner, but only if all involved parties agree or if offenders can prove they are not threats to society.
The bill was sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Denton Darrington, R-Declo, and passed the House and Senate unanimously.
Lawmakers clear education study
State lawmakers will launch a study of post-secondary education, including a possible community college system.
The House voted 54-14 in favor of the interim study committee Monday – though the same body had defeated a similar measure a month earlier, in hopes of passing legislation this year to expand community college classes to unserved areas of the state.
Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, told the House, “Don’t be fooled. … This is nothing more than what we defeated a month ago. This bill needs to be defeated.”
But Rep. Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, noted that those in Kootenai, Twin Falls and Jerome counties pay property taxes to help support their local community colleges and said it would be unfair to start new fully state-funded schools elsewhere.
“If we’re going to have community colleges, let the community support them in some fashion,” he said.
“If they don’t want to pay property taxes, and want the state to pay for all of it, then we need to give some relief” to those paying now.
Rep. George Sayler, D-Coeur d’Alene, who favored the measure, said he’s a big supporter of North Idaho College and the community college concept.
“I think we need to look at the system as a whole,” he said. “I just want to get it done right.”
SCR 132, the resolution to have an interim study, already had passed the Senate, so the House vote was its final passage.
Meetings-law change passes
Amended legislation that preserves the Idaho Open Meeting Law but adds a provision that legislative committee meetings can be closed in certain “extraordinary” circumstances specified in House or Senate rules won final passage in the House on Monday and headed to the governor’s desk.
SB 1492a passed the House on a 64-1 vote, with just Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, objecting.
Senate leaders originally had written the bill to delete the section of the Open Meeting Law that applies to legislative committees, but then amended the bill to instead keep the section in law and simply amend it. Eight senators voted against the amended bill, though, saying they favored keeping all committee meetings open.
House Majority Leader Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, told the House, “I believe this is a good change,” and the bill passed with no debate.
The Senate has approved new, narrowly drawn rules to specify when a meeting can be closed. A House committee is scheduled to introduce new House rules today.
Post Falls
Man arrested after car chase
Post Falls police arrested a 42-year-old Rathdrum man early Monday after a pursuit across the prairie that reached speeds up to 80 mph.
Scott T. Hedge is being held without bail on charges of attempting to elude officers, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana and failing to purchase a driver’s license.
The pursuit began as a report of a possible DUI, said Lt. Greg McLean. Police were told a vehicle had just left Super 1 Foods northbound on Idaho Street, McLean said.
Officers attempted to pull the car over after Hedge allegedly drove the 1985 American Eagle onto a curb, McLean said.
That’s when Hedge allegedly sped down Idaho Street, running two stop signs.
McLean said the pursuit ended when the road dead-ended at Burlington Road and Hedge allegedly jumped a dirt berm, crashing the car and suffering minor injuries.