Senate Commerce advances interchange-fee change, forwards Whitworth nomination and prints staff-classification bill

At a brief meeting of the Idaho State Senate Commerce Committee, members voted to send RS 32,039 — a measure that would exclude state and local sales taxes and gratuities from the base used to calculate credit- and debit-card interchange fees — to print, advanced RS 31,780 on classification of certain state attorneys to print, recommended the governor's appointment of Joshua Whitworth to the Percy Board to the full Senate for confirmation, and approved committee minutes from Jan. 28, 2025.

The interchange proposal was presented by Senator Mark Harris, Legislative District 35. Harris said the bill is similar to prior informational legislation but “this is a little bit of a change in the fact that it adds gratuities to the issue.” He told the committee, “what this bill does is it excludes the state and local sales taxes and gratuities from the calculation of the amount on the interchange, on what, in which the interchange fee is charged for electronic payment transaction.”

Harris described the mechanics in the draft: the credit-card network would either deduct the tax amount or rebate the amount proportionately to the interchange fee; the text also provides an alternative path if the network declines. After brief remarks, the committee voted by voice to send RS 32,039 to print.

The committee also considered a gubernatorial appointment. Senator Lakey moved and a senator seconded that the committee send the appointment of Joshua Whitworth to the Percy Board to the Senate floor with a recommendation for confirmation; the motion carried by voice vote.

Senator Todd Leahy introduced RS 31,780, a measure concerning state employee classification. Leahy said, “this legislation adds attorneys at the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses to the list of non classified employees,” explaining the change aligns those attorneys with other salaried, professional legal positions and does not itself set salaries. The committee voted to print RS 31,780.

Committee members also approved the minutes from Jan. 28, 2025. All formal actions taken at the meeting were by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.

The chair adjourned the meeting after the motions carried. Items that were sent to print will follow the Legislature's regular bill-printing and scheduling processes; the Whitworth appointment will next appear on the Senate floor for consideration.