Idaho revenue committee outlines email testimony process for remote participants

BOISE, Idaho — The chair of the Idaho House Revenue and Taxation Committee announced on Jan. 27 that the committee will accept email testimony for residents who cannot attend hearings in person and explained how the committee will select messages to read into the record.

The chair said the committee will not hold remote testimony over videoconference but will accept emailed testimony at hrev@house.idaho.gov. The chair told the committee that emails should include the sender’s name, legislative district, who they represent and whether they are for or against the bill. The chair requested that testimony be brief enough to be read in about two minutes and said submissions should arrive by 4 p.m. the day before the hearing.

“It’s my intention not to read all of them, but to read some of them,” the chair said. The chair said the committee secretary will read a handful of emailed statements into the record, and the chair described a preference to select submissions that increase geographic diversity among testifiers and to reflect proportions of support and opposition. As an example, the chair said if 20 emails opposed a bill and 10 favored it, he would likely state the counts and read two opposing emails and one supporting email.

The chair invited committee members to share the email address with constituents and listed several measures that are already in the committee’s possession and eligible for emailed testimony, including RS32033 (the grocery tax credit), the education choice tax credit (House Bill 39) and a bill that would reduce income tax rates (House Bill 40). The committee did not adopt a formal rule or vote on the email-procedure announcement during the Jan. 27 session.