Steve Tanner — Steve Tanner introduced himself, identified that he represents District 13, C.B., and Nampa, and presented House Bill 872, asking the committee to send it to the House floor with a due pass recommendation. He explained that the bill would allow ballot material to be printed in the next available space, saving counties time and money.
Mark Harris — Moved to send House Bill 872 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.
Mark Harris — Was called on after the discussion and asked whether the item was just discussion.
Mark Harris — Declined the proposed amendment for now because it is late in the process, but said he would be willing to return next year.
Mark Harris — Said he would be willing to return next year to do the amendment and joked about the 'law firm of Haas and Church.'
Mark Harris — Responded that he did not believe the bill would disturb that discretion and said the Secretary of State supports the bill.
Mark Harris — Was excused to leave for another committee after answering questions.
Mark Harris — Thanked the chair for accommodating his schedule and for being squeezed in.
Mark Harris — Introduced RS 33-224 and explained it would adjust the number of appointees for county commissioner vacancies based on county population.
Mark Harris — Explained that the proposal is intended to address high turnover and the revolving-door problem in rural counties.
Mark Harris — Was thanked and asked whether there were questions for him before the RS was introduced.
Mark Harris — The RS was said to be properly before the committee after his presentation.
Mark Harris — Began presenting RS 33175.
Mark Harris — Introduced RS 33175 and explained it is intended to go to second reading.
Mark Harris — Said RS 33175 is clean-up work and moved to introduce it and send it to the second reading calendar.
Mark Harris — Thanked staff for stapling the bill packet together and commented on the quality of staff work.
Mark Harris — Moved to print RS 33699 and send it to the floor with a due-pass recommendation.
Mark Harris — Supported the bill and raised a broader concern about manipulation of photos and videos taken on personal devices.
Mark Harris — Continued his comment supporting the bill while warning about manipulation of recordings.
Jennifer Locke — Jennifer Locke was the remote witness signed up to testify on House Bill 872, and the committee attempted to connect with her. She was later identified as a Kootenai County clerk who had been calling about the bill and wanted it passed this year.
Lori Hartog — Representative Haas discussed the ballot-related motion, initially supporting it but warning that splitting ballot information across pages could cause voters to miss important details. She questioned whether county clerks or the Secretary of State had been consulted and expressed concern about voter confusion, asking whether the proposal was mainly about saving paper. After further discussion, she reiterated that voters need to be able to see everything on the ballot and concluded that the paper savings were not worth the risk, saying she had talked herself into voting no.
Ben Toews — Representative Tanner discussed the bill’s purpose as a way to save paper and time, noted he had not specifically consulted county clerks or the Secretary of State’s office, and then elaborated that the Secretary of State’s concern was ballot fatigue while reiterating estimated savings of up to $110,000. The exchange concluded with a question about whether he would accept an amendment.
James Ruchti — Was next in line to ask a question.
James Ruchti — Asked whether the sponsor would be amenable to an amendment to address the possibility of constitutional amendments being split across pages.
James Ruchti — Suggested an amendment to address possible confusion if a constitutional amendment spans two pages.
James Ruchti — Said rural ballots may have only one question and argued the change would reduce unnecessary work and save money.
James Ruchti — Argued that the change would be unnecessary work for clerks and that ballots would still need approval by the Secretary of State.
James Ruchti — His comments were referenced and supported regarding clerk discretion and ballot confusion.
James Ruchti — Moved to introduce RS 33-694.
Kelly Anthon — Representative Haas asked whether the bill would limit the Secretary of State’s discretion to review ballots and make suggestions to counties about ballot formatting. He later said he was persuaded back to supporting the motion because the Secretary of State still retains that review discretion. A brief acknowledgment of his comments followed as the chair responded.
Jim Guthrie — Committed to speaking with the Secretary of State before the floor vote to ensure ballot-review authority remains intact.
Brandon Shippy — Introduced RS 33-694, a resolution to honor Olympic athletes, and requested a hearing.
Brandon Shippy — Was thanked and asked questions after presenting the resolution.
Brandon Shippy — Moved to introduce RS 33224.
Brandon Shippy — Representative Skog asked whether the bill’s photography restrictions would apply to mental health commitment proceedings in courtrooms, expressing uncertainty about whether those proceedings are covered.
Representative McCann — Presented RS 33699 and explained that changes were made after committee review.