Democrats blast energy-relief plan

BOISE – Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday called Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s plan to give every Idahoan a $50 energy-relief check “a gimmick,” joining some Republicans who are skeptical about using $63 million from the state’s budget surplus to offset high power bills.

The rebate was introduced in the GOP governor’s State of the State speech on Monday.

Last year, the average power and gas bill increased about $21, as Intermountain Gas boosted rates by 27.6 percent and Idaho Power rates went up 7.8 percent. The average Idaho customer’s combined power and gas bill is about $165.

Democrats said the money would be better spent on community action agencies that can distribute it to Idahoans with the greatest financial need.

“The governor’s so-called energy assistance is a gimmick,” said Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum.

Separately, some Republicans also criticized the proposal, saying the money could be used for just about anything.

“I have a great concern that we’re calling this energy assistance, as opposed to a tax rebate, because we’re going to give this to everybody,” said Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover.

Brad Foltman, the state’s executive budget director, said the governor’s plan to give the rebate to everybody – rather than trying to target it – will speed up the process and reduce costly bureaucracy.

Foltman said it will cost about $400,000 to issue the checks.

Idaho Democrats also offered responses to other State of the State proposals and outlined their own agenda for the legislative session, including property tax reform, raising Idaho’s minimum wage by $1 to $6.15 and stiffening ethics guidelines for elected officials and lobbyists.

Democrats advocated doubling a popular homeowner’s exemption to $100,000 – more than a recommendation of $75,000 from an interim property tax committee. Residential property owners now shoulder two-thirds of the total property tax bill, and many are calling for changes.

In his address Tuesday, Kempthorne said property taxes are local issues that should be decided on a local level.

Stennett said state legislation is needed.

“Since the governor has failed to lead the way on substantial property tax reform, we will step up to the issue ourselves,” Stennett said.

Stennett added that Democrats will propose requiring financial disclosure for elected state officials and lobbyists.

Idaho is one of 27 states where legislators have sole oversight of their own conduct and one of just three states in the country with no requirements that lawmakers disclose interests outside the statehouse, according to the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington, D.C., based government ethics group.

“The current way of doing business at the Idaho Statehouse has, over decades of Republican rule, grown to favor those individuals and groups that can afford to pay the best lobbyists,” said Stennett, whose party is outnumbered four-to-one in both the House and Senate.