Capitol Letters: Idaho POST needs $1.1 million to avoid canceling classes for officers

Ryan Suppe, Hayat Norimine
McClatchy

By Ryan Suppe, State Politics Reporter; and Hayat Norimine, Accountability Editor

Amid a funding shortfall caused by rising costs, Idaho’s police training academy canceled three classes this year, causing logjams in the mandatory instruction system for officers across the state.

History may repeat if lawmakers, who hope to wrap up the legislative session in the coming weeks, don’t approve funding to carry the academy through the upcoming fiscal year.

“These are all officers and deputies that are already hired and working, and they haven’t had an opportunity to attend basic training,” Brad Johnson, administrator of the Division of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “So it’s really not a great situation for anybody.”

POST is the statewide accreditation program for law enforcement officers. The state-run POST Training Academy, based in Meridian, offers two- to three-month certification courses throughout the year, including to city and county law enforcement officers.

Johnson asked the Legislature’s budget committee for an additional $1.1 million to cover this year’s academy shortfall and ensure classes aren’t canceled next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) on March 3 approved half the request, clearing a $550,000 cash transfer for the current fiscal year. But the other half was not included in next year’s budget, as the agency requested.

Read the full story here.

Bear World’s bill would remove oversight of wildlife parks

Idaho lawmakers have moved forward with a bill crafted by a Rexburg drive-thru wildlife park that would remove Idaho Fish and Game and Idaho State Department of Agriculture oversight for similar facilities.

Yellowstone Bear World crafted the bill, which would exempt Bear World and other U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed Idaho animal exhibitors from state regulations related to captive wildlife.

Those regulations include providing Fish and Game with animal birth records, death records and import and export records. State regulation also requires exhibitors to provide Fish and Game with a bond of at least $50,000 to cover the costs of disease control, containment of escaped animals or other emergencies.

Read Statesman reporter Nicole Blanchard’s full story here.

Emergency rental assistance for Canyon County?

Struggling Idaho renters who live outside of Ada County may soon be able to receive emergency rental assistance again, after the state’s program ran out of funding at the beginning of the year.

The Idaho Housing and Finance Association, the agency that delivers the money, would be able to open its financial assistance program for renters again, if the Legislature allows, after the state ran out of funds at the end of December.

The association had to close applications for emergency rental assistance on Dec. 29, according to its website, because of increased demands that the existing funds could not keep up with.

The Legislature’s budget-writing committee on Friday passed a budget amendment proposed by the Gov. Brad Little to add $32 million in federal dollars to the rental assistance fund.

Read reporter Rachel Spacek’s full story here.

What else happened?

  • A judge delayed death row inmate Gerald Pizzuto’s execution, which was scheduled for March 23. Read Statesman reporter Kevin Fixler’s full story here.

  • The woman who was raped by former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger has filed a lawsuit against him and former Rep. Priscilla Giddings in federal court. Von Ehlinger last year was convicted of raping the former legislative intern, who was 19 at the time.

  • Critics say Idaho’s method of counting wolves is flawed, and skews toward an overcount. Here’s the full story.

  • A new property tax bill, House Bill 292, would offer a tax credit to those who qualify for a homeowner’s exemption and offer some funding to help schools pay down their bonds.

  • Rep. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, introduced a new bill that would ban mRNA vaccines for humans. Mammals would be allowed to get vaccinated.

What to expect today

  • 8 a.m. House Education. The committee will hold a public hearing for House Bill 290, to let sectarian higher education institutions be authorized chartering entities for public charter schools.

  • 8 a.m. Senate State Affairs. Draft legislation on the Idaho Launch program and a bill to ban use of TikTok on state-issued devices are on the agenda.

  • 8:30 a.m. House Ways and Means. Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, will discuss draft legislation on delisting grizzly bears.

  • 9 a.m. House Revenue and Taxation. The public can testify on House Bill 292, which aims to reduce property taxes.

  • 9 a.m. House State Affairs. Lawmakers will consider introducing a new bill on the repeal of “sectarian appropriations.”

  • 1 p.m. Senate Judiciary and Rules. The committee will hold a public hearing on the bill to allow Idaho to execute inmates by firing squad.

Find the full list of committee meetings and agendas for the House here, and for the Senate here.

Track other bills

Keep track of high-profile bills as they go through the legislative process. You can find yesterday’s updates here.

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