Legislative committee introduces a slate of draft bills including $17,000 judicial pay increase; all motions carried

A legislative committee met and moved to introduce a series of request statutes (RS) covering property removal by sheriffs, judicial pay increases, committee rules, water- plan language, elder financial-protection language, methods for filling U.S. Senate vacancies, housing finance oversight, immigration-related criminalization focused on organizations, and changes to a countywide highway district board.

The committee approved motions to introduce each RS; most passed by voice vote with the chair saying "motion carries." One motion to introduce an RS that would add two appointed commissioners to a countywide highway district drew recorded "nay" votes from three members.

The proposals sent for further review include: - An RS described as a "squatters bill," authorizing removal of persons from real property by the lawful owner under specified conditions and an official complaint process. - A proposal to increase judicial salaries by a flat $17,000 per judge at every level, described by the sponsor as a raise intended to reduce departures to private practice; the sponsor said the raise equals roughly a 10–11.5% increase depending on the level of judge. - An RS to approve committee rules (sponsor: Vito Barbieri) that was recommended to the second-reading calendar. - A change to a water-related RS (RS32487C1) that removes the phrase "at least" from a draft line describing an acre-feet amount so the measure will reference a specified 3,350,008 acre-feet figure without the modifier. - An RS (drawn from House Bill 182 language) moving provisions that protect older Idahoans from financial exploitation from Title 30 (corporations) into Title 67 (Department of Finance) so the department would administer the protections if the measure advances. - An RS aligning the process for filling a U.S. Senate vacancy to the procedure used for U.S. House vacancies (triggering special elections), including striking a provision that had prevented a special election if a vacancy occurred within 30 days of a general election; sponsors noted cross-references to statute 34-106 would dictate the exact mechanics. - An RS placing federal grants administered through the Idaho Housing and Finance Association under Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) review. - An RS that would make it unlawful in Idaho for an organization knowingly to help, hide, or transport individuals who are in the United States unlawfully, with sponsor amendments clarifying that the changes target organizational actors and that references to "person" in several subsections should read "a person officially representing an organization." The sponsor said he expects a full hearing on the measure. - An RS adding two commissioners to a countywide highway district, with one commissioner appointed by the governor and one by county commissioners to improve state–county coordination on projects that use state funds; that motion carried but with recorded nays from Representative Bell, Representative Birch, and Representative Achilles.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes from Feb. 20 and Feb. 21: motion to approve carried by voice vote; mover recorded in the transcript as Representative Achilles. - RS32452 (real property removal by sheriff, "squatters bill"): introduced; motion carried by voice vote. - RS32482 (judicial salary increase, flat $17,000 per judge): introduced; motion carried by voice vote. - RS32493 (committee rules approval): introduced and recommended to second-reading calendar; motion carried by voice vote. - RS32487C1 (water-plan language change: remove "at least" on line 14): introduced with the amendment described on the record; motion carried by voice vote. - RS32506 (financial protections for elders moved to Title 67; language drawn from HB 182): introduced; motion carried by voice vote. - RS32374 (U.S. Senate vacancy procedure aligned with House process; stricken language related to vacancies within 30 days of a general election): introduced; motion carried by voice vote. - RS31855 (place federal IHFA grants under JFAC budgeting): introduced; motion carried by voice vote. - RS32375 (make it unlawful for organizations to knowingly help/hide/transport persons in the U.S. unlawfully; clarifying edits to target organizational actors): introduced with specified wording changes (page 1 line 22; page 2 lines 11, 15, 19) and sponsors indicated they expect a hearing; motion carried by voice vote. - RS32502 (add two commissioners to countywide highway district; one appointed by governor and one by county commissioners): introduced; motion carried with recorded nays from Representative Bell, Representative Birch, and Representative Achilles.

Most introductions were procedural votes to send the drafts forward for committee or calendar review rather than final decisions on statutory language. Sponsors and other members asked clarifying questions on several items — for example, on the judicial-salary RS about differential preservation and the precise percentage increase and on the water RS about the intent to avoid reopening the state water plan. One sponsor noted the move of elder-protection language was intended to place administration with the Department of Finance instead of the corporations title.

The committee adjourned "subject to the call of the chair" after completing its agenda; members did not complete hearings on the merits of the measures during this meeting.